Turns out this season’s model was a tad faster than last season’s model.
A third-over Keystone Velocity (Dan Dube, $14.20) rolled over a second-up, 9-10 fave Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton) Saturday night (June 17), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $55,000 Open Handicap Pace.
From post position No. 6, it was Keystone Velocity, the 2017 George Morton Levy Series champ, working out a trip right behind the ’16 Levy winner, Bit Of A Legend N. Both had their sights set on Western Fame (Mark MacDonald) after that one threw down a rather swift gauntlet (:26.3, :55.4, 1:23.4).
Western Fame held a short lead in and out of the final turn, only to get passed by the potent pair. Widest and fastest, Keystone Velocity outgamed Bit Of A Legend N by a half-length in 1:52, the highlight of Dube’s four-win night. Western Fame held third, with a from-last Mach It So (Brent Holland) and Artful Way (Greg Merton) rounding out the payees.
For Keystone Velocity, a nine-year-old son of Western Hanover co-owned by (trainer) Rene Allard, Kapildeo Singh, Earl Hill Jr. and VIP Internet Stable, it was his fourth win (as the fourth choice) in nine seasonal starts. The exacta paid $55, the triple returned $152.50 and the superfecta paid $2,021.
Yonkers returns to Sunday matinees tomorrow (June 18), with a first post of 12:30 p.m.
(with files from Yonkers)