Southern Allie, driven by Jim Pantaleano, did his damage from off the pace Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $52,000 Open Handicap Pace in divisional-record
time.
Leaving from post position No. 6, "Allie" watched early as first Shoobees Place (Cat Manzi), then Valentino (Pat Berry), took turns on the lead. (:26.2 quarter, :55.1 half). Down the backside, longshot Grab Your Keys (Brent Holland) moved from fourth, with 11-10 favourite Ideal Matters (Jordan Stratton) gapped behind that one.
Ideal Matters actually went back to the cones as Southern Allie began his wide move from sixth. He had some work to do at the 1:23 three-quarters, going around Grab Your Keys and advancing to second entering the lane.
Valentino, a length to the good turning for home, was about to get some unwanted company around the 1:51 mile marker. Southern Allie tagged the leader, then edged away. He won by a length-and-a-half, negotiating the mile-and-one-sixteenth in 1:58. That effort set a new local standard for his weight class going the added distance. Valentino saved second, with Ideal Matters back out for third. Shoobees Place and Scotty Mach N (Eric Goodell) rounded out the payees.
For Southern Allie, a four-year-old Allies Western gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, he returned $7.40 (second choice) for his sixth win in 21 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $38.60, with the triple returning $127.50
New York Sire Stakes resume here Monday night, with the $249,400 Elmsford Trot for frosh colts and geldings.
(Yonkers Raceway)