Yonkers Raceway's Saturday feature saw Keep It Real (Jim Pantaleano, five winners on the card) keep it perfect, winning the $37,000 Open Handicap Pace
for a third consecutive local victory.
Ordered outside his seven rivals as the 11-10 favourite, Keep It Real left for a seat...a four-hole, to be precise. Forensic Z Tam (Pat Lachance) worked his way to the lead just after a spirited :26.4 opening quarter-mile. As the :55.2 intermission came and went, Keep It Real was on the move.
He engaged a stubborn leader after the 1:23.1 three-quarters, with Forensic Z Tam clinging the narrowest of advantages. However, Keep It Real wore down that foe, then held off the onrushing Giddy Up Lucky (Jason Bartlett) by the slimmest of schnozzes in 1:52 matching a season's-best. Psilvuheartbreaker (Cat Manzi), Days Of Courage N (Stephane Bouchard) and Ghees House (Jordan Stratton) completed the cashers.
For Keep It Real, a four-year-old Real Artist gelding trained by Lou Pena for co-owners JL Benson and KDM Stables, he returned $4.20 for his fifth win in 11 seasonal starts. Pena trained all but one of Pantaleano's winners. The exacta paid $26.60, with the triple returning $98
(Yonkers Raceway)