Yonkers Raceway's Friday night $37,000 co-featured Open Handicaps -- Pace for the lasses and a non-discriminatory Trot for either/or -- were won by Blue Chip Matchmaker victress Feeling You (Tyler Buter, $8.60) and the Ontario-owned mare Can I Say (Buter again, $18.20).
Locally-debuting Fashion Mystery (Brent Holland) seat everyone early from the pole in the mares pace, finding a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. She was not in a giving mood when Sir Jillians Z Tam (Pat Lachance) moved from fourth. Those two prompters put up a :54.4 intermission, salivating the mouths of the closers.
It was a second-up, 9-5 favourite Ramalama (George Brennan) who took her shot at the lead toward the 1:23.1 three-quarters. However, she couldn't go by as Fashion Mystery held a stubborn -- but short -- lead into the lane. The fresh threat was a third-over Feeling You. Starting from post position No. 6, she launched her wide bid through the lane, powering past from fifth.
Feeling You widened to win by three and a half lengths in 1:52.2. Second went to 49-1 rank outsider Rock N Load (Jason Bartlett), with a from-last Royal Cee Cee N (Brian Sears), Ramalama and Fashion Mystery coming away with the remainder.
For second choice Feeling You, a six-year-old daughter of Cambest co-owned by her driver, Stephen Oldford and Oldford Farms and trained by Amber Buter, it was her ninth win in 20 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $201, with the triple returning $520.
The featured trot saw Prayer Session (Bartlett) take his shot from the pole, leading a quartet of early leavers through early intervals of :26.4 and :56.3. Hesgotlegs (Mark MacDonald) was pocketed, and after a break by Somebody AS (Dan Dube), Brandos Muscle Man (Brennan) settled third.
Lone lady Can I Say -- from post No. 4 -- then moved out of fourth, gaining on the leader in and out of a 1:25.1 three-quarters. Meanwhile, this particular Prayer Session was about done turning for home, as Can I Say sustained her bid. She whipped a passing-lane Hesgotlegs by a neck in 1:55.4. Super Manning (Sears), trailing from his ordered eight-hole, closed for third as the slight 2-1 choice, with Lorenzo Dream (Eric Goodell) and 'Brando' rounding out the payees.
Sixth choice Can I Say, a four-year-old daughter of Fourth And One co-owned by Terry and Clarence Devos and James Whelan and trained by Scott Osterhout (turned 29 Friday), is now five-for-17 this season. Can I Say is four-for-four since arriving from Mohawk Racetrack, moving up the class ladder each time. The exacta paid $89.50, the triple returned $1,176 and the superfecta paid $4,202.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)