Tepid choice Itty Bitty (Jim Marohn Jr., $7.10) picked off a tiring leader Friday night (February 22), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
Unhurried from post position No. 3, Itty Bitty saw a wide-early Monica Gallagher (Matt Kakaley) have to work to get around Ideal Lifestyle A (a returning Mark MacDonald). ‘Monica’ paid a :26.4 opening-quarter-mile price for the privilege, only to have Ideal Lifestyle A pull pocket by the :55.3 intermission.
That lass began to open up down the backside, widening through a 1:23.4 three-quarters and taking a 3-1/2-length lead into the lane. However, the hooves were getting heavy and Itty Bitty—who had gone three-deep around a dullard—found herself within range.
Itty Bitty rolled past Ideal Lifestyle A late, winning by a half-length in a season’s-best 1:53.4. A last-at-the-outset Betterb Chevron N (Jordan Stratton) did get the bottom of the ticket, with 79-1 outsider Shezza GNP N (Austin Siegelman) and Monica Gallagher settling for the minors.
Itty Bitty is a five-year-old daughter of Always A Virgin trained by Rene Allard and owned by Allard Racing Inc., B & I Stables and Stephen Klunowski of North York, Ont. The win was her second in seven seasonal starts. The exacta paid $29, the triple returned $224 and the superfecta paid $4,332.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)