Fox Valley Sage, driven by Jason Bartlett, found room and powered by Friday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's co-featured $52,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap
Pace.
Leaving from post position No. 3 and sitting a four-hole, "Sage" watched as second choice Feeling You (Cat Manzi) set sail through intervals of :27.2, :57.2 and 1:24.4. Sand Gesture (Yannick Gingras) was pocketed, with Cotton Candy (Andy Miller) toiling first-over. Meanwhile, 9-10 choice Western Graduate (George Brennan) was wide early from her assigned eight-hole. After she eventually found a seat, she moved out, only to gap from second-over.
Feeling You widened to a pair of lengths turning for home, but unwanted company was coming right around the 1:53 mile marker. First Sand Gesture took her shot, but it was Fox Valley Sage who angled and offered the best late kick. She whipped Sand Gesture by a half-length, pacing the mile and one-sixteenth in 2:03.1. Feeling You saved the bottom of the ticket, beaten two and a quarter lengths, with Quicksilvercandy A (Larry Stalbaum) and Winbak Delight (Jeff Gregory) grabbed the minor spoils. Western Graduate backpedaled to seventh.
For Fox Valley Sage, a seven-year-old daughter of Richess Hanover owned by Stephen Farrell Jr. and trained by Ralph Andersen, she returned $23 (fifth choice) for her sixth win in 29 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $343, with the triple returning $1,045.
Friday night's co-featured $52,000 Open Handicap Trot saw pocket-protecting KLM Express and driver Jim Marshall III win a three-way scrum. Assigned post No. 2, he was in play early, giving up the baton to Wind Surfer (Gingras) right at the :28.1 opening quarter-mile. Brennan, meanwhile, had to negotiate another eight-hole mandate, this time with 13-10 fave Calchips Brute, who tucked in fifth.
Wind Surfer found a :58.2 half before Calchips Brute was out and moving. The leader remained so at the 1:27.2 three-quarters, but was under assault moving into the lane.
The three trotters--Wind Surfer, "Brute" and KLM Express--were inseparable at the 1:56.4 mile, with the best trip and biggest pay envelope going to the ducking-inside KLM Express. He defeated Calchips Brute by a neck in an added-distance 2:04, with Wind Surfer third, three-quarters of a length away. Pembroke Prayer (Dan Dube) and Mystical Starlight (Eric Goodell) rounded out the payees.
For KLM Express, a six-year-old CR Excalibur gelding owned by Richard Aiken and trained by William Aiken, he returned $7.90 (second choice) for his sixth win in 25 '11 tries. The exacta paid $33.80, the triple returned $141.50 and the superfecta paid $670.
(Yonkers Raceway)