Favourite Keep It Real (Jim Pantaleano) uncorked Yonkers Raceway's fastest mile of the season, winning Saturday night's $42,500 Open Handicap Pace in 1:51
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The six-length victory also set a track record under the category of "four-year-old horse," knocking a couple of ticks from the performance of Jeremes Jet in May, 2007. It also eclipsed Giddy Up Lucky's week-old local 2010 best by two-fifths of a second, and was just one-fifth away from Silver Almahurst's all-age track record, which has stood since April of 1993.
Leaving from post position No.7, Keep It Real--back in Westchester for first time in a couple of months-waited his turn before ascending to the big chair. Deuce Seelster (Jordan Stratton) and Legal Litigator (Stephane Bouchard) merely served as warm-up acts as Keep It Real took over after a 27-second opening quarter-mile
From there, he rolled through a :55.2 intermission and 1:23.1 three-quarters, taking a 3 1/2-length lead into the lane. A :27.4 final quadrant earned Keep It Real a place in the Raceway record books. This came one night after barn buddy Western Graduate became the fastest female in the history of Yonkers Raceway (1:51.3) with a nearly-10-length rout over a "sloppy" surface.
Legal Litigator was a costly cab ride back in second to Keep It Real, with Pandoras Sox (Brent Holland), Deuce Seelster and Psilvuheartbreaker (Cat Manzi) also earning appearance fees.
For Keep It Real, a son Real Artist trained by Lou Pena for co-owners JL Benson and KDM Stables, he returned $5.90 for his seventh win in 19 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $29.80, with the triple returning $445.50
(Yonkers Raceway)