Santanna Blue Chip and Badlands Nitro, who won last week's $40,000 eliminations for Yonkers Raceway's Art Rooney Pace, landed Post 3 and Post 6, respectively, for this Saturday night's $538,270 final.
Post time for the 12-race card is 6:50 PM, with the 18th edition of the Rooney going as Race 10.
Santanna Blue Chip, a millionaire son of Art Major, wired his elimination field in 1:54.2 last Saturday evening. It was the first-ever Empire start for the state-bred, who enters the final with career earnings of $1,158,958.
The colt, who wrapped up his freshman season with wins in the Governor's Cup and Breeders Crown, has hit the board in all 15 lifetime starts.
The father/son, trainer/driver tandem of Carl and Jody Jamieson also co-own (with Jeff Gillis and George Arthur) Santanna Blue Chip.
Carl Jamieson co-owns and trains Legacy N Diamonds (Tim Tetrick - Post 4) who is pari-mutuelly paired with Santanna Blue Chip. Legacy N Diamonds, a son of The Panderosa, was a non-factor fourth in his elim to Badlands Nitro (Brian Sears - Post 6).
The son of Badlands Hanover, co-owned (with John Celii) by trainer George Teague Jr., won the faster of last week's pair of elims in 1:51.4. That effort was two-fifths off Riyadh's 1993 track standard for sophomore pacing colts.
Badlands Nitro has won five of his six starts this season, with the only loss a second-place effort to the undefeated Somebeachsomewhere in the $1.5 million final of the Pepsi North America Cup.
Like Santanna Blue Chip, Badlands Nitro has a betting buddy of in his own, in the presence of Idle Hour (Jason Bartlett - Post 5). That one was fourth to Santanna Blue Chip in his elim.
Teague trained Southwind Lynx to victory in last year's $1 million final of the Rooney -0 the richest race ever in Westchester.
Here is the field in post position order:
$538,270 Art Rooney Final
1. Dragon King - Dave Miller
2. Moon Beam - Eric Abbatiello
3. Santanna Blue Chip - Jody Jamieson
4. Legacy N Diamonds - Tim Tetrick
5. Idle Hour - Jason Bartlett
6. Badlands Nitro - Brian Sears
7. Meant To Be Me - John Campbell
8. Dontloseyourdayjob - Yannick Gingras
Saturday night's program is under carded by the $325,230 final of the Lismore Pace for three-year-old fillies.
Here is the field in post position order:
$325,230 Lismore Pace Final
1. Riverbank Hanover - Sam Schillaci
2. Chocolate Art - Jason Bartlett
3. Hannah Isabel - Yannick Gingras
4. Cheyenne Trish – John Campbell
5. Ladycino - Jim Morrill Jr.
6. Thong – Tim Tetrick
7. Good News Lady - Greg Grismore
8. Ideal Newton - Ron Pierce
(Yonkers Raceway)