Yonkers Raceway's pair of Friday night $33,000 Opens - a blind draw Pace for the ladies and a handicapped Trot for all with the requisite resume - were won by a first-up Carols Desire and another first-up Cowgirl Hall.
After pole-sitting Keepers Destiny (Brian Sears) strung out both slight 2-1 choice Lorrie Please (Eric Carlson) and 24-1 shot Mandys Mattjesty (Brennan), it was Mandys Mattjesty taking over. She made the lead passing a 28-second flat opening quarter-mile, then found a :57.2 intermission.
Carols Desire - starting from post position three - moved from fifth for driver Jason Bartlett, with Stage It Right (Mark MacDonald) on his tail. Mandys Mattjesty maintained the lead in and out of a 1:26.1 three-quarters, with a length advantage entering the lane. However, her fan club would be leaving soon. Carols Desire continued her grind, eventually holding off Stage It Right by a nose in 1:55.3. Third went to an angled-out Keepers Destiny, with a seam-squeezing Ideal In Vegas (Matt Kakaley) and Mandys Mattjesty rounding out the payees.
For fifth choice Carols Desire, a four-year-old daughter of Real Desire co-owned by Richard J. Banca and M T Wallet Enterprises and trained by Rich Banca, it was her first win in two seasonal starts. She paid $20.60.
The week's marquee trot saw last week's winner, Zooming (Tyler Buter), in play early. He worked around Lorenzos Dream (Goodell), finding early intervals of :28.4 and :59. As for Cowgirl Hall, she left into a five-hole from post seven.
Cowgirl Hall, the 2-1 fave as the lone lass, then took up the chase for driver George Brennan. She engaged Zooming by the1:28.2 three-quarters in and old-fashioned match race. Zooming fought the tough fight, but it was ladies first. Cowgirl Hall prevailed over Zooming by a neck in 1:56.4, with Lorenzo Dream, War Cry Hall (Bartlett) and Likeabatoutahell (Sears) settling for the small change.
For fifth choice Cowgirl Hall, a five-year-old daughter of Cash Hall co-owned (as Burke Racing LLC by (trainer) Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jack Piatt and Michael Rosenthal, it was her third win in as many '14 tries (5-for-5 since the barn change). She paid $6.30.
Friday night's handle for the dozen races was $1,232,873, a single-program high thus far in 2014.
(Yonkers Raceway)