Such is the life of a catch-driver. George Brennan, who two weeks ago won the $495,000 final of Yonkers Raceway’s George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series with Real Nice, left that one at the altar Saturday night
.
He instead sat behind MacRaider N--last week's Open Handicap winner--in this evening's $43,000 feature.
That placed Real Nice, ordered outside his six rivals, in the very capable hands of Brent Holland. The pair left for immediate command, getting by even-money choice Clowns Smile (Eric Goodell) before a peppy :26 opening quarter-mile. MacRaider N, starting from post position No. 6, found early respite in the three-hole.
Real Nice then kept going, finding a :54.4 half and 1:23.1 three-quarters. Right about then, MacRaider N moved from third, engaging the leader in and out of the final turn.
Clowns Smile dove inside, but the momentum belonged to MacRaider N. He gained the lead before the 1:51.2 mile, then edged away. He whipped Clowns Smile by a length-and-three-quarters, betting the mile-and-one-sixteenth in 1:58.1...ironically, matching Real Nice for the fastest-ever local added-distance effort.
Real Nice held third, with Saint William A (Jordan Stratton) and Giddy Up Delight (Jason Bartlett) completing the cashers.
For MacRaider N, a seven-year-old Down Under Mach Three gelding owned by Lightning Lane Stable and trained by Lou Pena, he returned $6.60 (second choice) for his eighth win in 15 seasonal starts (third consecutive, seventh in last nine). The exacta paid $14.20, with the triple returning $61.
(Yonkers Raceway)