Reformed claimer Digital Z Tam, driven by Dan Dube, was well-placed off a wicked Saturday night speed duel, winning Yonkers Raceway $38,000 Open Handicap Pace.
Assigned inside his five (after one defection) rivals, Digital Z Tam watched a spirited early floor show. Sapphire City (Eric Carlson), Heston Blue Chip (Larry Stalbaum) and Statesman N (Brent Holland) were all in the game.
What resulted was a :26.1 opening quarter-mile and :54.1 intermission. After Heston Blue Chip's second move, Digital Z Tam took out of fourth. That one assaulted the leader in and out of a 1:23 three-quarters, grabbing the advantage early in the lane.
Meanwhile, P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett), as the 9-10 choice, was racing at the back of the bus. He saved ground inside, then angled out third-over. However, Digital Z Tam had too many things working on his behalf. He widened to whip 56-1 rank outsider Malak Uswaad N (Jordan Stratton) by a couple of lengths in season's-best 1:51.3. P H Supercam settled for third, beaten 2-1/2 lengths.
Digital Z Tam, a 10-year-old Cambest gelding owned and J M F Racing and trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, returned $29 (fourth choice) for his sixth win in a dozen seasonal starts. The exacta paid $369, with the triple returning $1,628.
(Yonkers Raceway)