New Zealand-bred Typhoon Banner N followed up his victory in last week's division of the final preliminary round with a dominant 1:58.3 win in the inaugural $357,143 MGM Grand Prix Pacing Series final on Monday, Dec. 16, at MGM Yonkers Raceway. The win came over the challenging mile and a sixteenth distance.
Racing over a surface made sloppy by persistent showers, Typhoon Banner N and driver Matt Kakaley quickly left from post five, only to be challenged on the outside by the favoured Coaches Corner (Jason Bartlett), who surged out from the seven-hole. Typhoon Banner N eventually relented, settling into the pocket, but not before making Coaches Corner work through a fast :26.2 opening quarter.
Coaches Corner slowed the tempo to just 56 seconds at the half before picking it back up to 1:24.1 at three-quarters. Meanwhile, Seven Colors (Scott Zeron), who had moved first-over from sixth before the half, stalled out in third. Despite Coaches Corner maintaining command on the final turn, Typhoon Banner N was positioned perfectly, sitting right on Bartlett's helmet and poised to strike.
Kakaley wheeled Typhoon Banner N off the pylons as they turned into the stretch, and the two horses were side-by-side at the 1:51.4 mile marker. From there, Typhoon Banner N proved stronger, edging past Coaches Corner to secure the victory by three-quarters of a length. Coaches Corner finished second, while Adam Twelve (Yannick Gingras), another Per Engblom trainee, took third. The Andrew Harris-trained duo of El Rey (Brett Beckwith) and Seven Colors rounded out the field in fourth and fifth.
An eight-year-old Bettors Delight - When Youre Hot gelding bred by Banner Bloodstock Ltd., Typhoon Banner N is trained by Joe Bongiorno for owners Philip Steinberg, JB Racing and Barbara Bongiorno Stb LLC.
This was his 25th career win, he has now earned $577,023.
Typhoon Banner N paid $12 to win as a 5-1 offering. He keyed a $25.60 exacta and a $121.00 trifecta.
Driver Anthony Napolitano was another standout on Monday night at Yonkers, kicking off the evening with a win in the first race aboard Caviart Sargent and then securing a victory in the seventh with Blue Hunt. The win with Blue Hunt was particularly special, marking the 4,000th career victory for Napolitano.
Napolitano, who joined the Yonkers colony as a regular in September, is closing in on a lifetime-best season in terms of both victories and earnings. He had 295 trips to the winner's circle in 2009 and has 271 thus far in 2024 and has banked more than $4 million in earnings this year.
This is the closing week of the meet at MGM Yonkers Raceway. Racing will be conducted Tuesday through Friday to wrap up the calendar, with post time each night at 7 p.m. EST.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)