With Jason Bartlett barking out orders from the racebike, favourites Mach It So and Wind Of The North prevailed Saturday night in Yonkers Raceway’s pair of $45,000 Open Handicaps.
Mach It So won a two-speed number in the weekly pacing. From post position No. 4, he released, then stalked, Keystone Velocity (Dan Dube) through intervals of :27.1, :55.3 and 1:23.
With Keystone Velocity bearing up noticeably through the lane, Mach It So had ample room to close, which he did, winning by a length-and-a-half in 1:50.2. Take It Back Terry (George Brennan) was ground-saving third, with The Real One (Pat Lachance) and Santa Fe Beachboy (Brian Sears) competing the cashers.
For Mach It So, a $1.5 million-earning, six-year-old Mach Three gelding owned by Bamond Racing and trained by Jeffrey Bamond, Jr., it was his eighth win in 25 seasonal starts. He paid $4.10 to win.
The week’s marquee trot saw Wind Of The North - from post No. 7 - pay a :27.3 opening quarter price for the lead. He then parked out eight-hole number Bourbon Bay (Ake Svanstedt) through a :56.3 intermission before that one pulled up stakes.
After a 1:25.4 three-quarters, Wind Of The North opened some room, taking 2-1/2 lengths into the lane. He needed just about all of it, holding off the cavalry late. Tornado Tim (Dube), last at the half and seventh at the three-quarters, stormed to miss a half-length in 1:54.3
Cash Me Out (Tyler Buter) was a pocket third, with Springbank Sam N (Jordan Stratton) and Luminosity (Brennan) settling for the remainder.
For Wind Of The North, a six-year-old Cantab Hall gelding trained by Dylan Davis for co-owners Daryl Bier and Joann Dombeck, it was his sixth win in 23 seasonal tries. He paid $4.10 to win.
(Yonkers)