Favourite Bet To Win (Brent Holland), assigned inside his seven rivals, quarter-moved and made 'em pay Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's co-featured $32,000 Open Handicap Trot in dominating fashion
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The 2-1 choice was away third as millionaire Self Professed (Jason Bartlett) and Woody Woodrow (Greg Grismore) left hard. Bet To Win assumed command after the :28.1 opening quarter-mile, and was all by his lonesome after that.
A :57.2 intermission and 1:25.4 three-quarters gave Bet To Win a four-length lead entering the lane. He won by 4-1/2 lengths in 1:55.3, fastest local trot mile of the season. Self Professed chased home the winner from a very loose pocket. Lukas Rossi (Jim Pantaleano), Victors Vicky (Jordan Stratton) and Beach Nut Brand (Jeff Gregory) earned the small change.
For Bet To Win, a six-year-old Credit Winner gelding owned by John Lichtenberger and trained by Larry Remmen, he paid $6.80 for his first win in three seasonal starts. The exacta returned $27.20, while the triple paid $281.50.
After the inside won the first of the co-features, the outside took the other. Ramona Disomma (Grismore) closed from last in the $32,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace, sailing past Leanback Coco (Ryan Anderson), Hannah Isabel (Pat Lachance) and all the rest in 1:54.3.
"Coco" made the lead passing a :27-second first two furlongs, put up a :56.3 mid-point, then dealt with the second move of Perfectionist (Bartlett). Those two dueled at the 1:25.1 three-quarters, with "Hannah" vacating the cones.
Perfectionist--the slight 2-1 choice--clung to a desperate lead turning for home, but she was about to be engulfed.
Ramona Disomma, last early and seventh off the final turn, swung widest of all and mowed by. She defeated Leanback Coco by three-quarters of a length, with Hannah Isabel holding the bottom of the ticket. Chris Cross (Stephane Bouchard) and Nidya A (Cat Manzi) completed the cashers.
For Ramona Disomma, a five-year-old statebred daughter of Pacific Fella owned by Anatolia Racing and trained by Jake Hartline, she paid $17.80 (fourth choice) for her first win in four '10 tries. The exacta paid $102.50, with the triple returning $312
The night's other quick trot mile--1:56.1--was turned in by Dennis (Stratton), who was about six area codes (actually 12-3/4 lengths) better than his rivals in the $16,000, second race. The five-year-old Lindy Lane gelding, trained by Tabitha Teresczuk, is closing in on the $400,000 career earnings plateau.
(Yonkers Raceway)