Farifant parlayed from the pocket Friday night to win Yonkers Raceway's co-featured $36,000 Open Handicap Trot and give Canadian driver Mark MacDonald one of his five wins on the 11-race card
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Leaving from post position No. 3, Farifant--the tepid 2-1 favourite--was one of several in play early. He made the lead right before a :27.4 opening quarter-mile, then released Some Like it Hot (Jim Pantaleano) in the middle of the second turn.
That one led at the :57.1 intermission as Orange Bigi (Cat Manzi) moved from the fourth. He offered no bid, while the second-up Pembroke Heat Wave (Eric Goodell)--getting around the dullard--broke after the 1:26.4 three-quarters.
All the while, Some Like it Hot had a length and a half lead the lane, but the rival gangs were approaching. Farifant eased out of the pocket, getting the jump on a closing Celebrity Bluechip (Jason Bartlett). The former whipped the latter by a neck in 1:56.2, with 81-1 shot H And Ms Hit (Jordan Stratton) never leaving the cones for third. Perfect Picture (Larry Stalbaum) and Flex the Muscle (Jeff Gregory), grabbing the remainder as all the payees, were separated by just a length and a half at the wire.
For Farifant, a 10-year-old Italian-bred son of And Arifant trained by Trond Smedshammer for owner Acl Stuteri Ab, he returned $6.80 for his fourth win in a dozen seasonal starts. The exacta paid $24.60, with the triple returning $623.
MacDonald also won with Bad Boy Billy ($11.80) for trainer Thomas Di Bartolo, Itstimeformetofly ($6.90) for Allen Sisco, Im Just Special ($7.10) for Peter Pellegrino, and Up Front Kellie Jo ($5.60) for Mark Ford.
Friday night's co-featured $36,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace was won by Feeling You (George Brennan) with a solid, two-move effort.
Away fourth from post No. 7, she watched as Bet On Luck (Pantaleano) rebuffed a retake from Queen Of Royalty (MacDonald) and threw down fractions of :27, :56.1 and 1:24.1.
Feeling You engaged Bet On Luck down the backside and into the early stretch before wearing that rival down. Despite the tough trip, Feeling You widened to win by in a 1:52.3, matching a personal season's-best. A closing Naughtytiltheend (Brent Holland) was second, with Queen Of Royalty, Bet On Luck and Summer Snow (Stratton) earning the minor spoils. Hulas Z Tam (Pat Lachance), the slightest of 2-1 favourites, never fired and wound up last.
For Feeling You, a five-year-old Cambest miss co-owned by Gallicchio Racing Stable, Tyler Buter and Vincent Cannella and trained by Amber Buter, she returned $6.40 (third choice) for her sixth win (fourth consecutive) in 14 '12 tries. The exacta paid $24.80, the triple returned $255.50 and the superfecta paid $805.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)