Odds-on Newborn Sassy did not play fair Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace in obnoxiously facile fashion.
Forwardly-placed from post position five, Newborn Sassy (Jordan Stratton) two-moved around Twinkle (Eric Goodell), retaking after a :27.2 opening quarter-mile.
A cheapy, 57-second intermission worked to her advantage when Delightful Dragon (Mark MacDonald) moved first-up from fourth. Newborn Sassy then threw down a :27.3, third-quarter gauntlet (1:24.3), putting four lengths between herself and the gang off the final turn.
The final margin was a rather unsightly 8-1/4 lengths in 1:52.3. Delightful Dragon was resurgent, getting second, with Twinkle, Mach It A Par (Jason Bartlett) and Caviart Cherie (Joe Bongiorno) rounding out the payees.
Mach It A Par and Caviart Cherie were flipped after the latter was set down a place for cutting the cones.
For Newborn Sassy, a five-year-old daughter of Western Ideal co-owned by CC Racing & Jo Ann Looney-King and trained by Jim King, Jr., it was her third (consecutive) win in 14 seasonal starts after starting’18 0-for-11. She paid $3.40 to win.
Yonkers Raceway Friday night recognized driver Steve Smith for his latest milestone.
Smith won the 4,000th race of his career last Friday at his ‘day job,’ Freehold Raceway. He then moved toward the next plateau, upsetting Saturday afternoon’s $66,400 Lady Suffolk for 3-year-old trotting fillies with 21-1 longshot Special Miss.
The affable 56-year-old Smith, a native of Boston, has been a New York/New Jersey area standout seemingly forever. He has accumulated seven-figure purse seasons every year since 2000, with a career total of more than $35 million.
“I’m not a numbers guy, but I appreciate it” Smith said. “Just keep grinding away.”
Smith’s obligatory sign of congratulations was presented by Fred Opper, the Raceway’s long-time publicity department icon and crack statistician.
Saturday night’s card includes six divisions of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial Pace for three-year-olds. More than $132,000 is up for grabs, with three divisions each for the boys and the girls.
(Yonkers)