Saturday night's fourth round of Yonkers Raceway's George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series, despite missing some old, familiar faces, played out in a trio of intriguing events.
Pole-sitting Windsong Jack (Brian Sears, $6.20) won the opening, $50,000 division, getting by Mach It So (Tim Tetrick) late and edging way by a length-and-a-quarter in a season's-best 1:52.4. Machs Beach Boy (Pat Lachance) was third.
It was 9-5 favourite Bettors Edge (Yannick Gingras) making the lead and setting sail through intervals of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:23.4. Eventually tackled by Mach It So, the leader broke in the final turn. Windsong Jack was able to extricate himself, then go past a stubborn Mach it So.
For second choice Windsong Jack, a five-year-old Santanna Blue Chip gelding trained by Jennifer Sabot for owner Little Bapa LLC, it was his second win in eight seasonal starts (1-for-4 in series).
Odds-on choice Take It Back Terry (George Brennan, $2.90) had few issues in the second division. Quarter-moving from post two, Take It Back Terry stole way a cheap second quarter (:27.1, :56.4), then easily held sway (1:25.2, 1:53.1) by a no-issues three-quarters of a length. A solid, first-up effort from Frankies Dragon (Sears) found him getting second, with Fat Mans Alley (Jason Bartlett) third.
For Take It Back Terry, a six-year-old Western Terror gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing Stable LLC) by (trainer) Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Larry Karr and Phil Collura, he's now 4-for-12 this season (2-for-3 in series).
The evening's final series event saw a contested front end involving Clear Vision (Gingras) and Lucan Hanover (Tetrick). The former rebuffed the advances of the latter (:26.3, :54.1), with 7-10 choice Michaels Power (Dan Dube) in behind.
The early fractions made this a closer's contest, and after a 1:23 three-quarters, the back of the bus was heard from. A from-last Heez Orl Black N (Sears, $29.20), starting outside his five foes, prevailed in a hands-and-knees (:30.1) final quarter. He whipped another longshot in National Debt (Eric Carlson) by a length in 1:53.1. Lucan Hanover held third despite a brutal trip, while Michaels Power wound up last.
For fourth choice Heez Orl Black N, a seven-year-old Down Under gelding trained by Anita Vallee for co-owners Shaun Vallee and D P V Racing Stable, it was his fourth win in 11 '15 tries.
It should be noted that P H Supercam and Beach Memories, sitting 1-2 in series points after three rounds, were both given this round off for good behaviour, while Foiled Again, looking to regain his near-$7 million form, also was not entered.
(Yonkers Raceway)