Tweet Me (Pat Lachance, $24.80) bested ‘fellow lass’ Dot Dot Dot Dash (Steve Smith) on Sunday afternoon (December 4) in winning Yonkers Raceway’s mile-and-a-quarter, $56,000 Open Handicap Trot.
The added-distance feature was an ‘all-on-the-gate-eight’ soiree, with a number of early-interest parties. One of those, Hemi Seelster (Jason Bartlett), jumped it off as the 11-10 post time choice.
Not Afraid (Dan Dube), Ladys Dude and Wind Of The North (Mark MacDonald) were all in the game at the outset. Wind of the North was out two turns (:28.1, :57) before eventually making the lead.
After a 1:26.3 three-quarters, Not Afraid made a second move, disposing of the leader and bringing the ladies into contention. Not Afraid led past the 1:56.2 milepost, taking a length-and-three-quarter lead into the lane.
However, a third-over Tweet Me and fourth-up Dot Dot Dot Dash were beginning their assaults, the former getting to the wire three-quarters of a length before the latter in 2:26.
Not Afraid, Red Hot Herbie (Jordan Stratton) and Bentley Spur (Joe Bongiorno) rounding out the payees.
For Tweet Me, a five-year-old daughter of Andover Hall owned by Bridget McNeese and trained by Nicholas Devita, it was her sixth win in 25 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $149.50, with the triple returning $601.
This week’s installment of the “New York, New York Double’ offered a 2-Best Play (Aqueduct’s third race) and 4-Lo Rail Crossing (Yonkers’ fifth race) winning combination, which returned $13.10 for every correct dollar wager. The total pool was $4,408.
(Yonkers Raceway)