Millionaire Annieswesterncard, driven by Matt Kakaley, charged from first-up Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $35,000 Open Handicap Pace.
Leaving from post position No. 5, he watched the early floor show as inside assignee Nob Hill High (Brian Sears) seated both Here We Go Again (Eric Goodell) and Rockin Robert (Jordan Stratton).
While that was going on, Roadway (George Brennan) negated his eight-hole, working his way to the lead after a :27.3 opening quarter-mile. It was a :57-second intermission before Annieswesterncard moved from sixth. He engaged Roadway in earnest after a 1:25.2 three-quarters, putting his foe away soon thereafter.
'Annie,' as the 3-2 choice, took a three-quarter length lead into the lane, then took off. He widened to two and three-quarter lengths at the wire, which he found in 1:53.3. Second went to Nob Hill High, with a rallying Whackamole Hanover (Brent Holland), Silent Swing (Mark MacDonald) and Here We Go Again completing the cashers.
For Annieswesterncard, a seven-year-old Western Hanover gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi, M1 and Panhellenic Stables, he returned $5 for his first win in three seasonal starts. The exacta paid $20.40, with the triple returning $221.
(Yonkers Raceway)