Pole-sitting favourite Micky Gee N (Jordan Stratton, $4.30) turned in the fastest local mile of the season Saturday night (June 15), winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $44,000 Open Pace.
Away fourth, Micky Gee N watched Dr J Hanover (Brent Holland) as that one laid down the law through intervals of :26.3; 55.4 and 1:23.1. Micky Gee N hooked the leader in and out of the final turn, then edged away. The final time of 1:50.3 was a Westchester seasonal mark, with the final margin a half-length over Rock Diamonds N (Ron Cushing).
The latter showed good speed at the both ends of the mile, snapping Dr J Hanover for second. Major Crocker A (Jim Marohn Jr.) and Caviart Luca (George Brennan) rounded out the payees.
For Micky Gee N, a six-year-old downunder-bred Bettors Delight gelding owned by William Hartt and trained by Lance Hudson, the life-best effort was his fourth win in a 11 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $19.20, the triple returned $77 and the superfecta paid $561.
The week’s co-featured Open Handicap Trot saw another polester, the lass Trotting Grace (Holland, $12.80), go the distance (:28.1, 57.1, 1:25.3, life-best 1:54.1). She defeated Smalltownthrowdown (Marohn Jr.) by a length, with Chasin Dreams (Jason Bartlett), Will Take Charge (Stratton) and Lean Hanover (Austin Siegelman) coming away with the remainder.
Tepid 2-1 choice Winning Shadow (Brennan) jumped it off while trying to leave.
For fifth choice Trotting Grace, a four-year-old daughter of Cassis co-owned by Brian Carsey, Adam Friedland & John McGill and trained by Travis Alexander, it was her third win in 15 seasonal tries. The exacta paid $48, the triple returned $324.50 and the superfecta paid $1,249.
Special Saturday props to 100-1 shot Sportskeeper (Troy Beyer, $202.50), who became the longest local shot of the season by winning the $23,000, eighth-race pace. The $2,742 exacta was also a season-high after 16-1 number YS Lotus (Marohn Jr.) closed for second.
(Yonkers)