Dan Dube, off to a solid start to the season, continue his roll Saturday night by sweeping both of Yonkers Raceway's $35,000 co-features.
In-form Not Afraid ($4.40) defended his marquee trot title, winning this Open Handicap event in 1:56.3.
Assigned outside his six rivals, Not Afraid, as the second choice, was in play early. Eschewing a three-hole, he drove on, getting around Meadows invader Count Me In. That one, the 11-10 favourite, took over from lone lass Backstreet Hanover (Tyler Buter).
Not Afraid threw down the gauntlet (:27.3, :57.3, 1:26.2), taking no outer-tier pressure whatsoever. Count Me In pulled pocket early, and that would cost him. Not Afraid wound up winning by length and a quarter, with 45-1 rank outsider Sim Brown (Mark MacDonald) slipping up the cones for second. Count Me In was third, with Hoorayforvacation (Eric Carlson) and Star Photo (Eric Goodell) rounding out the payees. Backstreet Hanover jumped it off entering the final turn.
For Not Afraid, a six-year-old S Js Caviar gelding trained by Jimmy Takter for his wife, Christina, John Fielding and Goran Anderberg, it was his second win in three seasonal starts. The exacta paid $98, with the triple returning $228.
Dube won the blind-draw Open Pace was a pocket-patrolling Michaels Power ($10.40). That one, from post No. 6, left outside of Sapphire City (Carlson). He then gave it up to a quarter-move by just-over-even-money favourite Warrawee Needy (MacDonald).
It was "Needy" laying down the law through intervals of :27.1, :56 and 1:23.2, taking a length and a half lead into the lane. However, that quick third quarter could not separate himself from the gang, and the gang swallowed him up. It was Canada's 2012 Horse of the Year Michaels Power ducking inside, beating a closing Take It Back Terry (Brennan) by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.4. Sapphire City, Warrawee Needy and a season-debuting P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett) settled for the remainder.
For third choice Michaels Power, a six-year-old Camluck homebred gelding owned by Jeff Snyder and trained by Mark Silva, it was his second win in three '15 tries. The exacta paid $52, with the triple returning $244.
Dube won four races during Saturday’s dozen-race card.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)