It was nary more than a qualifier for money for odds-on Lispatty, winning Yonkers Raceway’s featured $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
The lone leaver from assigned post position No. 4, Lispatty (George Brennan, $3.40) worked around pole-sitting Medusa (Brian Sears). She then effectively ended the suspense (:28, :57.2) at the intermission. Delightful Dragon (Brent Holland) tried it first-up from fifth, but a :27.1 third quarter (1:24.3) made sure the outer tier did not figure.
Lispatty owned a length-and-three-quarter lead in and out of the final turn, then easily held her pocketed pursuer at bay. She defeated Medusa by a length-and-a-half in 1:52. The ground-saving trio of Lovineveryminute (Mark MacDonald), Freakonomics (Eric Goodell) and Mach it a Par (Jason Bartlett) settled for the remainder.
For Lispatty, a five-year-old daughter of Mcardle owned by Gilbert Garcia-Owen and trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, it was her fifth win (third consecutive) in 17 seasonal starts.
Saturday night’s (June 23rd) dozen-race program features the return of 2016’s Trotting Triple Crown champ, Marion Marauder. Second in last fall’s million-dollar Yonkers International Trot, Marion Marauder was banished behind the eight-ball in the $44,000, seventh-race co-featured Open Handicap Trot.
(Yonkers)