Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night brought with it the third round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series. Four, $50,000 divisions featured something for everyone, as in a pair of series hat tricks, a Ron Burke double, the fastest local mile of the season and a locally-debuting U.S. Harness Horse of the Year.
Let’s start with apropos props for the series co-leaders, with Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $12.80) winning from an impossible locale and Take It Back Terry (George Brennan, $4.10) going down the road.
The former, stuck behind the eight-ball, found himself last turning for home in the second division. Instead of fanning widest, Stratton found some room between rivals, then whipped Phil Your Boots (Brian Sears) by a half-length in 1:51.2. Limelight Beach (Yannick Gingras) was a wide third, with 9-10 choice P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett) failing to successfully execute a second move and retreating to last.
Fourth choice 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 five of his six North American starts. The exacta paid $50 and the triple returned $245.50.
As for favoured “Terry,” he did his damage from post position No. 4 in the final division, holding off pocket-prowling Mach It So (Tim Tetrick) by a half-length in 1:51.4. Doctor Butch (Bartlett) was a first-up third.
Take It Back Terry, a seven-year-old Western Terror gelding co-owned by trainer Ron Burke (as Burke Racing), Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Phil Collura, won his third race in four seasonal starts. The exacta (two wagering favourites) paid $11, the triple returned $39.40 and the superfecta paid $127.
Burke’s first win of the Levy evening came when All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley, $17.60) bottomed out his foes in 1:51.3. From post No. 6, he gave himself enough separation to whip a storming home Wiggle It Jiggleit (Montrell Teague) by a length.
Wiggle It Jiggleit, stuck seventh (from post No. 7) until the backside the second time, unleashed a torrid wide move, but couldn’t get to the winner in a very good local debut. Rank outsider Forty Five Red (Mark MacDonald) lost the place photo at 64-1, with Te Kawau N (Tetrick) fourth.
Fourth choice All Bets Off, a five-year-old statebred son of Bettors Delight co-owned by trainer Burke (as Burke Racing), Weaver Bruscemi, Frank Baldachino and Panhellenic Stable, is now two-for-five this season. The exacta paid $64.50, the triple returned $793 and the superfecta paid $6,939.
“I was going forward regardless,” Kakaley said. “If [Wiggle It Jiggleit] had left with us, I was prepared to go with him. I heard him coming late, but my horse always tries.”
The evening’s first division saw Santa Fe Beachboy (Bartlett, $15.20) go up and over pole-sitting, pacesetting Bettorever (Tetrick), then whip him by three and a half lengths in 1:50.2, the fastest eight furlongs of the local season. Lettucerockthem A (Stratton) closed from last to third, just ahead of a dead-heating 7-5 fave Foiled Again (Gingras) and Great Vintage (MacDonald). Foiled Again was under encouragement for much of the back half.
Fourth choice Santa Fe Beachboy, a six-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere owned by Santa Fe Stable and trained by Richard Banca, is now two-for-seven this season. The exacta paid $121.50 and the triple returned $1,197.
“He’s fast enough, you just have to drive him right,” Bartlett said.
In this week's $40,000 Open Handicap Trot, the mare Dot Dot Dot Dash (Kakaley, $23.20) beat the boys when she went from last to first, edging out Tober (Brent Holland) by a head in 1:55.3, with Luminosity (Brennan) a half-length behind in third. Shae Vandervort trains the six-year-old daughter of Classic Photo for owner/breeder William Vandervort Jr.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)