Lightning Treasure, driven by Dan Dube, patient from the three-hole Friday night, ducked inside en route to winning Yonkers Raceway's co-featured $52,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace
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Leaving from the pylons, she watched as Panagler (George Brennan) outleft her seven inside rivals. That one made the lead, only to yield to 17-10 favourite Billmar Scooter (Eric Goodell) right at the :27-second opening quarter-mile. The people's preference then found a :55.4 half and 1:25 three-quarters, with Western Graduate (Jim Pantaleano) brutalized first-over.
All the while, Billmar Scooter opened to two and a half lengths turning for home, but the wheels began to wobble. With Panagler angling out, Lightning Treasure went inside, drawing even with the leader around the 1:53.2 mile marker before going by. Lightning Treasure edged away by a length and a half, getting the mile-and-one-sixteenth in 2:00.2.
Billmar Scooter saved second, with Fox Valley Sage (Jordan Stratton), Full Picture (Jason Bartlett)--both of those floated wide behind a stopping Western Graduate--and Feeling You (Cat Manzi) rounding out the payees.
For Lightning Treasure, a six-year-old daughter of Western Ideal owned by Lightning Stable and trained by Keith Armer, she returned $5.60 (second choice) for her eighth win in 26 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $15.60, with the triple returning $68.50.
With the rain now officially in attendance, Friday night's co-featured $52,000 Open Handicap Trot saw 4-5 choice Looking Hanover and Brennan parlay a second over trip into a place in the local record books.
Leaving from post No. 6, "Looking" dropped in fourth as pole-sitting Zitomira (Jacqueline Ingrassia) seated Speed Bomb (Pantaleano) before a :27.3 opening quarter-mile. Pilgrims Chuckie (Dube) also tried to leave, but jumped it off.
Meanwhile, the mare and ma'am led the boys through a :57.1 half and 1:26.1 three-quarters, but company was coming. Coach Fox (Larry Stalbaum) towed Looking Hanover into the race, and ultimately, into the winner's circle.
Looking Hanover vaulted three-deep, taking a three and a half length lead into the lane. He hit the mile in 1:54.2 (which would be a flat-mile record, for what that's worth) before finishing the extra-sixteenth in 2:01.4...a new track number for aged geldings at the added distance. The final margin was six and three-quarter lengths over Grain Of Truth (Jeff Gregory), with KLM Express (Jim Marshall III) third. Hurrikanebiggeorge (Goodell) and Zitomira came away with the minor spoils.
For Looking Hanover, a six-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding co-owned by Dawn Marie Gannon and Yannick Gingras and trained by Ed Gannon Jr., he returned $3.70 for his fifth win in 21 '11 tries. The exacta paid $61, the triple returned $311.50 and the superfecta paid $1,253.
(Yonkers Raceway)