JD and American Ticket were the winners of the two W.N. Reynolds Memorial events for three-year-old pacers that took place on Friday evening (May 6) at Yonkers Raceway.
In the $41,100 Tar Heel for colts and geldings, PJ Lou (George Brennan) took the lead away from JD (Tyler Buter) going to the :27.2 opening quarter and maintained the lead through middle-half fractions of :55.4 and 1:23.4. A 29.2 final quarter got PJ Lou to the wire a length and a quarter ahead of JD in a 1:53.1 mile, but the judges quickly lit the inquiry sign to examine if PJ Lou had committed a pylon violation approaching the half-mile marker.
After consulting the video, the judges determined that PJ Lou had completely left the course as he raced under the wire for the first time, and as a result, he was placed from first to last. That promoted JD to the victory, Pleaseletmeknow (Matt Kakaley) to second and Letmecallyouback (Austin Siegelman) to third.
Last year's New York Sire Stakes champion for the division, JD is a So Surreal gelding trained by Ray Schnittker. Schnittker also co-owns JD, who now has a record of 4-1-3 from 12 starts and earnings of $168,866, with breeder George Zitone and their partner Melissa Beckwith.
JD, making his first pari-mutuel appearance of 2022, was sent off at 6-1 and paid $15.60 to win. The exacta was worth $77.50 and the trifecta kicked back $277.
There wasn't nearly the same drama in the $34,400 Leta Long for fillies, as American Ticket (Jim Marohn Jr.) clicked off panels of :28.1, :57.1, and 1:25.3 on her way to a 1:53.4 triumph. She defeated pocket-sitter Nadina Hanover (Brennan) by a length, and Find Happiness (Jordan Stratton) came in third.
Jessica Fallon trains American Ticket, a daughter of American Ideal bred by Winbak Farm, for owners Hutt Racing Stable, Blake And Ozzie Stables, James Giannuzzi and Robert MacNeil. American Ticket is now a three-time winner from 11 career efforts and she pushed her bankroll to $74,978.
Dispatched at 7-2, American Ticket returned $9.10 to win and was atop a $36 exacta and a $101.50 trifecta.
In other news from Friday’s card, one winning ticket in the Pick 6 collected a return of $7,828.50 after In Spades just held off a surging Davids Coming Home at the wire in the last leg of the sequence.
While the Pick 6 was hit tonight, the Pick 5 wasn't. As a result, there will be a carryover of $5,289.13 and a guaranteed pool of $15,000 on Saturday night's (May 7) card. The guarantee in the Pick 5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Free past performances for the Pick 5 will be available on the TrackMaster website. The Pick 5, which begins in race five, has a takeout rate of 20 percent.
Stakes action returns to Yonkers on Monday, May 16 when the oval plays host to the first round of the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old filly trotters.
Yonkers is currently operating on Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday live racing schedule with post time at 6:55 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)