Neither rain, nor wind, nor gloom of night was about to derail Yonkers Raceway's pair of Friday night $50,000 Open Handicaps
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The weekly fairer-sex feature saw plenty of early action before a reserved miss stole the thunder.
Activities began when Still Electric (Brett Miller), having scored the four wins in her last five local tries, two-moved to the lead from the eight-hole. That one made the lead after a :28.2 opening quarter-mile. KG Delight (Brian Sears), the 17-10 choice, pulled from fourth to engage Still Electric after a :58-second intermission.
Pole-sitter Ladycino (Yannick Gingras) was pocketed, while Lady Mach (Greg Grismore) was tracking from second-over. All the while, Still Electric maintained the lead at the 1:26.3 three-quarters. However, her reign in the rain was about over in and out of the final turn.
A mad scramble ensued through the lane, with Sentbytheangels (Ryan Anderson, three winners on the 13-race card)--dead-last at three-quarters and sixth turning for home--going by 'em all as the 36-1 rank outsider.
Sentbytheangels, who worked out a fourth-over trip from post position No. 7, defeated Lady Mach by a half-length in 1:56. KG Delight, Saymynamesaymyname (Jordan Stratton) and Ladycino completed the cashers, with those first five finishers separated by just a length-and-a-half at the wet wire.
For Sentbytheangels, an eight-year-old daughter of Run the Table trained by Joe Anderson for owner Gerrie Tucker, she returned $75.50 for her 10th win in 31 seasonal starts. She led bombs-away exotics of an $875 exacta and an $8,184 triple.
The weekly trotting feature saw the well-traveled statebred Four Starz Speed (Gingras) return to Westchester--his fifth different venue in his last five starts--for his first visit since winning last season's New York Sire Stakes soph title.
Four Star Speed, leaving from post No. 4 as the 2-1 favourite, worked to the lead around Armbro Barrister (Steve Smith), then hung Stonebridge Diablo (Stephane Bouchard). He then gradually widened through fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:27.2.
Four Starz Speed slapped a half-dozen lengths on his rivals entering the lane, then hit the line 8-1/4 lengths before Batalj Launcher (Jim Pantaleano) in 1:56.1--the exact same time as the distaff pacers.
Armbro Barrister, Beach Nut Brand (Jeff Gregory) and Dennis (Stratton) grabbed the small change. The mare Spice Queen, so impressive in her local debut a week ago, jumped it off early here.
For Four Starz Speed, a four-year-old Conway Hall gelding now racing for trainer Ronnie Burke and co-owners Burke Racing, JJK Stables, Weaver Bruscemi and Howard Taylor, he paid $6.30 for his seventh win in 22 '09 tries. The exacta paid $70.50, with the triple returning $1,061.
New York Sire Stakes action continues at Yonkers Monday night, with the $210,566 Bronxville Trot (three-year-old colts/geldings).
(Yonkers Raceway)