Yonkers Raceway's pair of soggy Friday night $46,000 co-features -- a Open Pace for the ladies and an Open Handicap Trot for everyone -- were won, respectively, by Radar Contact (Mark MacDonald, $19.40) and people's choice Tall Cotton (George Brennan, $3.70).
Radar Contact, from post position No. 2, was third early as Four Starz Roe (Jason Bartlett) sloshed her way to the lead (:26.1, :56.3). Pole-sitting Darena Hanover (Brennan) was pocketed and Keepers Destiny (Jim Pantaleano) was first-up.
Radar Contact seemed destined for a life on the pylons, but slipped out when 1-2 favourite Handsoffmycookie (Brian Sears) gapped badly from second-over. It was "Roe's" race in and out of the 1:25.2 three-quarters, but the hooves were getting heavy.
She had a couple of lengths entering the lane, only to see company converge. Darena Hanover angled out, with Radar Contact wider and faster. That one prevailed by neck over "Darena" in 1:54.4. Sir Jillian Z Tam (Pat Lachance), a fading Four Starz Roe and Brownsville Bomber (Dan Dube) grabbed the small change. "Cookie" was a never-involved sixth.
For fourth choice Radar Contact, a five-year-old daughter of Dontgetinmyway trained by Noel Daley for co-owners Charles Stillings and Dean Ehrgott, it was her third win in 13 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $52.50, the triple returned $1,902 and the superfecta paid $4,681.
Tall Cotton, ready for his close-up from post No. 5, gave nothing a chance (:28.1, :58.3, 1:27.1, 1:55.4). He won as he pleased in what turned out to be a match-race with Mikey Hanover (Cat Manzi). The final margin was two and a quarter lengths.
Meladys Monet (Jordan Stratton) was a best-of-the-rest third, beaten nearly 10 lengths, with Brandos Muscle Man (MacDonald) and Whata Winner (Jim Doherty) rounding out the payees.
For Tall Cotton, a seven-year-old Revenue S gelding co-owned by trainer Ron Burke (as Burke Racing), Weaver Bruscemi, Edwin Gold and Howard Taylor, he's now four-for-12 this season. The exacta paid $17.80, with the triple returning $165.
After 63-1 Grounded (Brandon Simpson, $129.50) blew up the board in Thursday's finale -- in a season's-high mutual -- 52-1 Camphor Hanover (Manzi, $107.50) blew it up again in Friday's opener. "Camphor" went up and over an odds-on (1-4 favourite) Late Flyin N (Brennan), beating 64-1 Denyitotheend (Dube) by a length in a season's-best 1:53.
(Author's aside...no toteboards were actually harmed in the making of this story.)
The victress led season-high exotics of a $2,959 exacta and a $27,225 triple. The latter was a base $2 payoff, with the lone winning dollar ticket returning $13,612.50.
Saturday night, a pair of $25,000 eliminations for the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace for two-year-old colts and geldings pare 15 down to eight for next week's $111,250 final.
(Yonkers Raceway)