Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night brought with it the fourth round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series.
Four $50,000 divisions brought the series further in focus, with the gazing especially glaring at both Wiggle It Jiggleit and Bit Of A Legend N.
Starting with the latter, even-money Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $4) extended his perfect preliminary resume, easily winning the third division from the pocket in 1:51.2. Making the first lead (:27.4) from post position No. 5 (in one notch after a scratch), Bit Of A Legend N yielded to Lets Drink on It (Tim Tetrick).
That one then led the way (:55.2, 1:23.1), taking a length and a half lead into the lane. Unfortunately, something went awry with Lets Drink on It, who faded to last, but not before he carried Bit Of A Legend N to the Promised Land.
He won by a length in 1:51.2, with a second-over Lettucerockthem A (Brian Sears) second and Limelight Beach (Yannick Gingras) third.
Bit Of A Legend N, a seven-year-old Down Under son of Bettors Delight owned by Harry von Knoblauch and trained by Peter Tritton, has won six of his eight North American starts. The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $14.80, with the triple returned $54.
“You can race him any way you want,” Stratton said. “Even though he’s won four races in this series, he really hasn’t been used that hard.”
Asked what’s impressed him about his steady date, Stratton offered that “he’s done all this with me driving.”
As for Wiggle It Jiggleit (Montrell Teague, $2.10), he earned the respect Rodney Dangerfield never could. Last season’s U.S. Horse of the Year, making his second series start, won the draw in the second division and his rivals dutifully demurred.
The result was a qualifier-esque first half (:28, :56.3) and a :54.3 back portion (1:24.1, 1:51.1). The final margin was two and three-quarter lengths over P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett), who out-gamed a pocket-sitting All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley).
Wiggle It Jiggleit, a four-year-old Mr Wiggles gelding, is now two-for-three this season and 25-for-30 in his $2 million-plus career. George Teague Jr. and Teague Racing Partnership co-own Wiggle It Jiggleit, trained by Clyde Francis. The exacta paid $16.20, with the triple returning $27.60.
“It was as if he didn’t have the break after last season,” Montrell Teague Jr. said. “When I looked over and saw everyone else take off the gate, I knew it was his race. I just popped the plugs, never even had to ask him.”
Tetrick bookended Saturday night’s other Levy groupings, the first with Ideal Cowboy ($11.20) in 1:52.1 and the finale with Mach It So ($3.40), also in 1:52.1.
Ideal Cowboy, from second-over, snapped Take It Back Terry (George Brennan) by a neck -- "Terry’s” first series defeat -- while Mach It So went the distance to edge Te Kawau N (Gingras) by a nose.
In this week's $40,000 Open Handicap Trot, Luminosity (Brennan, $6.40) held off Major Athens (Sears) and Munroe County (Bartlett) to win in 1:55 flat for the Burke stable.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)