Sea Venture, plagued by breaking problems of late, broke again Saturday night. What he broke was a Yonkers Raceway track record in winning the $33,000 Open Handicap Pace
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Leaving from post position No. 3 with George Brennan in the sulky, he watched as Whackamole Hanover (Brent Holland) played leapfrog on the lead with River Shark (catch-driver Cat Manzi). The former retook from the latter after a :26.3 opening quarter-mile and before a :55.3 intermission.
Sea Venture was out and moving from fourth, grabbing the lead before a 1:22.4 three-quarters (:27.1 third quarter). He opened two and a half lengths turning for home, then hit wire three and a half lengths ahead of the gang in 1:51. That mile matched the fastest local effort of the season and set a track record for four-year-old geldings. The early combatants, 'Whackamole' and River Shark, held for second and third, respectively, with tepid 5-2 favourite Samandar (Jordan Stratton) and Code Word (Jason Bartlett) rounding out the payees.
For Sea Venture, a son of Western Terror co-owned by trainer Lou Pena and Racing Team of America, he returned $8.20 (second choice) for his fourth win (two in George Morton Levy Memorial Series divisions) in 14 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $41.60, with the triple returning $220.50.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)