by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Odds-on Newborn Sassy (Jordan Stratton, $3.40) did not play fair Friday night (May 11), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace in obnoxiously facile fashion.

Mike Castellano photo

Newborn Sassy dominates her opposition with a 8-1/4 length score at Yonkers Raceway.

Forwardly-placed from post position five, in one notch courtesy of an inside defection, Newborn Sassy two-moved around Twinkle (Eric Goodell), retaking after a :27.2 opening quarter-mile.

A cheapy, 57-second intermission worked to her advantage when Delightful Dragon (Mark MacDonald) moved first-up from fourth. Newborn Sassy then threw down a :27.3, third-quarter gauntlet (1:24.3), putting four lengths between herself and the gang off the final turn.

The final margin was a rather unsightly 8-1/4 lengths in 1:52.3. Delightful Dragon was resurgent, getting second, with Twinkle, Mach It A Par (Jason Bartlett) and Caviart Cherie (Joe Bongiorno) rounding out the payees.

Mach It A Par and Caviart Cherie were flipped after the latter was set down a place for cutting the cones.

For Newborn Sassy, a 5-year-old daughter of Western Ideal co-owned by CC Racing & Jo Ann Looney-King and trained by Jim King Jr., it was her third consecutive win in 14 seasonal starts after starting 2018 0-for-11. The exacta paid $19.80, with the triple returning $109.50.

Saturday night’s (May 12) card includes six divisions of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial Pace for 3-year-olds. More than $132,000 is up for grabs, with three divisions each for the boys and the girls.