San Remo Kosmos and Western Graduate earned Yonkers Raceway Friday night accolades, winning their respective $40,000 Open Handicaps.
San Remo Kosmos (Tony Morgan) took care of business over a "good" surface in the weekly marquee trot. Leaving from Post 4, he settled in fourth as last week's winner, American Lane (Dan Dube), stepped around invading Scorpion Moon (Stephane Bouchard).
American Lane overcame the eight-hole to make the lead after a snappy :27.4 opening quarter-mile. He found a :56.4 intermission and 1:26.2 three-quarters, with San Remo Kosmos taking out of fourth.
Meanwhile, Scorpion Moon, visiting his fourth venue in search of his fifth consecutive victory, was about to head the wrong way as the favourite. San Remo Kosmos went up and over American Lane early in the stretch, then began to run up the score. He widened to fourth lengths at the wire, which he found in 1:56.1.
Likeabatoutahell (Pat Berry) snapped second after a very tardy beginning, with American Lane, Pride (Jason Bartlett) and Grain Of Truth (Jeff Gregory) earning the minor spoils.
For San Remos Kosmos, a five-year-old S Js Photo gelding trained by Jimmy Takter for co-owning stables Upstate Downstate & Lindy Racing, he paid $6.20 for his fourth win in two dozen seasonal starts.
Western Graduate (Eric Abbatiello), leaving from Post 5, caught the parked-out cover of Parkontheroad (Jim Pantaleano) in the distaff derby. She then went up and over a tiring Ezpz Lemonsqueezy (Bartlett).
'Ezpz,' bumping up to the adult table in search of her seventh consecutive win, made the lead from Post 7, looping Parkontheroad in the process. The tepid 2-1 favourite rolled through intervals of :27.3; 56.4 and 1:25.4, but was about to get swallowed up.
Western Graduate inhaled the leader, opening up to prevail by two and a quarter lengths in 1:55. Black Brinny (Morgan), sitting second to Ezpz Lemonsqueezy, did grab second to Western Graduate, with Twin B Tiara (Jack Baggitt Jr.) and Up Front Lady (Dube) dead-heating for third. Benear (Gregory) was the final payee, while "Ezpz" wound up sixth.
For Western Graduate, a four-year-old Western Hanover mare trained by Abbatiello for owner KDM Stables, she paid $14.60 for her tenth win in 29 seasonal tries.
Friday night also included the $31,900 On The Road Again Pace, a New York-bred Late Closer for freshmen pacing fillies. The trio of events were won by The Girl Can Bet (2:01), Allamerican Caress (1:58.3) and Sealed In My Heart (1:58.2).
(Yonkers)