So far in 2015, Yonkers Raceway has had four legal-bare-minimum $2.10 win payoffs. Three of those have been courtesy Witch Dali, who again fooled no one Monday night.
Leaving alertly from post position No. 3 in the $54,800 final of the Petticoat Pacing Series for three- and four-year-old fillies and mares, Witch Dali (Tim Tetrick) was stung early on a cold and windy Westchester evening. She paid a :26.4 first-quarter price to get around pole-sitting Cheyenne Robin (Dan Dube) before the lone sophomore in the field relented for the pocket. Cruisinwithmybaby (Tyler Buter) found a three-hole, with Hay Stacked (Eric Carlson) away fourth.
Witch Dali then rated a subsequent 30-second interval (:56.4 half) and was sailing toward a 1:25.2 three-quarters when Cruisinwithmybaby made her second move. However, Witch Dali remained unimpressed by such an intrusion, taking a 2½-length lead in the lane.
She completed her four-race series sweep, winning by a couple of lengths in 1:55. Hay Stacked rallied inside for second, with Cruisinwithmybaby, Royal Mama (Matt Kakaley) and Inside The Glass (Jordan Stratton) settling for the remainder.
Cheyenne Robin, Anti Entity (George Brennan) and Always Sunday (Jason Bartlett) rounded out the order.
“She went a big first quarter and just held tough,” Tetrick said. “Hasn’t given me a bad race yet.”
For Witch Dali, a four-year-old daughter of Dali co-owned (as Alagna Racing) by (trainer) Tony Alagna and Ontario's Brad Grant, it was her sixth win in 10 seasonal starts (13-for-24 lifetime, career earnings a buck under $164,000). The exacta paid $8.70, the triple returned $37.20 and the superfecta paid $144.
Series action continues Tuesday afternoon with Yonkers’ richest race of the season to date, the $62,200 final of the Sagamore Hill for three- and four-year-old male pacers. Friday, it’s the third round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker (two, five-horse $40,000 divisions), while Saturday offers the second round of George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series (to be drawn Tuesday).
(with files from Yonkers)