Making her stateside debut for new connections, Ontario-bred pacing mare Intothemysticmoon prevailed by a nose for an 8-1 upset in the $32,000 Open Handicap for distaffers on Friday, Dec. 15 at Yonkers Raceway.
The two wagering choices, Coachellabound N (Brent Holland) and Tonys Mom (Jason Bartlett), battled through fractions of :26.4 and :55.2 before Intothemysticmoon (George Brennan) went three-wide from second-over on the way to the 1:23.4 three-quarters.
Intothemysticmoon wore down Coachellabound N in the stretch, but Dougs Babe A (Austin Siegelman), who sat back in last prior to swinging out three-wide as they raced in the backstretch for the final time, loomed to her outside all the way to the finish line. Intothemysticmoon wouldn't be denied, though, and fought off Dougs Babe A to win by a nose in 1:52.3, with Uptown Hanover (Jordan Stratton) up for third.
The victorious four-year-old daughter of Artspeak was making her debut for trainer Mickey Burke Jr. and owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Phil Collura. Intothemysticamoon has a record of 13-11-6 from 49 starts and has put away $257,978 lifetime.
She paid $19.40 to win as an 8-1 shot. The exacta was $316.50 and the trifecta kicked back $925.
The final Friday card of the year at Yonkers produced no winning tickets in the Pick 5, leading to a $4,571.80 carryover and a $15,000 guaranteed pool in the sequence when racing resumes on Monday, Dec. 18. The guarantee in the Pick 5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Free past performances for the Pick 5, courtesy of TrackMaster, will be available here. The Pick 5, which begins in race five, has a takeout rate of 20 per cent.
Live racing for 2023 at Yonkers wraps up next week with programs on Monday through Thursday nights. Post time is 7 p.m. (EST).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)