There's an old adage which states “when you're hot you're hot” and that moniker would aptly fit “Yankee Joe” Lee after the veteran amateur driver scored his second consecutive victory in as many days when he reined Allindotime to a 1:59.4 triumph in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club Trot on Saturday (Feb. 20) at Freehold Raceway.
The previous evening Lee, who doubles as the New York Yankees assistant locker room manager, won a GSY Series contest at The Meadowlands with Always A Force in a time of 1:54 over the one-mile oval.
In today's contest Lee had the betting favourite in Allindotime, and he drifted away slowly to settle into fourth as Latoka and Matt Zuccarello led the field by the first stanza in :29.1. At the half Latoka was still showing the way as Lee was first to move, and Allindotime rushed up toward the leader and the two trotters were one-two as they passed the three quarters.
“When I pulled him he was strong and I didn't want to hurry him so I never asked him for any trot until we straightened for home,” Lee said about Allindotime. “And once we rounded the final turn I knew no one was going to catch us and we cruised to a 1-1/2 length victory.”
Although Latoka and Zuccarello were second at the top of the lane, that duo faded approaching the wire. John Calabrese and Dark Pool rallied to be second as Presidente Zette and Todd Whitney came from sixth at the three quarters to garner the show dough.
The winner, a six-year-old Andover Hall gelding, is owned by Alma Iafelice and trained by Bill MacKenzie. Sent off as the odds-on favourite, Allindotime paid $3.00.
(AHDC)