from harness publicists across North America

Saturday’s (Oct. 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Batavia Downs and Vernon Downs.

Brennan wins six at Yonkers, including both features

Yonkers, NY — George Brennan won half of Yonkers Raceway’s program Saturday night, his happy half-dozen including the tandem of $40,000 Open Handicaps.

Mike Lizzi photo

Luminosity was one of six winners for driver George Brennan.

Favored eight-holes assignees Luminosity ($3.60) and Take It Back Terry ($4.60), both trained by Ron Burke, prevailed in the weekly trotting and pacing features.

Luminosity, left to his own devices in the marquee trot, gave no one else a chance (:27.4, :57.3, 1:26.2, 1:55). He whipped a cone-skimming Sumatra (Jordan Stratton) by 2-3/4 lengths, with a loose-pocket Fort Valley AS (Eric Carlson) fading to third. Zooming (Tyler Buter) and Lorenzo Dream (Brent Holland) came away with the remainder.

For Luminosity, a 5-year-old Cash Hall gelding co-owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi, it was his 14th win in 31 seasonal starts (third consecutive, sixth win in last eight tries). The exacta paid $25.80, with the triple returning $267.

The weekly featured pace saw Take It Back Terry grind away in a two-move effort. Finding a convenient three-hole, he moved to challenge Lucan Hanover (Mark MacDonald) after that one’s early intervals (:27, :56.1).

Take It Back Terry engaged the leader in earnest in and out of the 1:23.2 three-quarters, but Lucan Hanover maintained a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane. However, Take It Back Terry is as tough as they come and edged up and over both the leader and a pocket-sitting Big N Bad (Carlson).

Take It Back Terry defeated Lucan Hanover by a neck, with Big N Bad, Ideal Cowboy (Jeff Gregory) and Mach’s Beach Boy (Pat Lachance) rounding out the pay envelopes.

For Take It Back Terry, a 6-year-old Western Terror gelding co-owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Phil Collura, it was his 11th win in 26 ’15 tries. The exacta paid $32.60, the triple returning $112.50 and the superfecta paid $749.

Props, as well, to driver Gregory, who drove three winners (mutuels of $3.70, $73 and $56.50), while Buter (two wins) and Holland (one) accounted for the remainder.

— Frank Drucker

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono
McKenry, coming back to his home base of The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono after an unsuccessful stint “in the big city” at Yonkers, was a pocket rocket in taking the $30,000 Pennsylvania-sired 3-year-old pacing feature Saturday. Driver Anthony Napolitano had the 8-1 shot on top early, but then yielded to brother George and favored UF Larry Alltheway to sit behind them in the pocket. McKenry came on to challenge the leader in the lane and won by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51.1, taking a new lifetime mark despite the 50-degree temperature. UF Larry Alltheway lasted for a dead-heat for second with another late charger, Tomy Terror. McKenry, an altered son of McArdle, took his fifth win of the campaign and boosted his seasonal earnings to $61,900 for trainer Chris Oakes and owners Susan Oakes, Conrad Zurich, and the Wheelhouse Racing Stable. ABC Muscles Boy made it three straight at The Downs for Team Allard as he took the $24,000 featured trot, moving to the lead after the quarter and winning by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:52.3, equaling his lifetime mark taken just last week. Purchased by Allard Racing Inc. before this month’s racing, ABC Muscles Boy was not successful from post eight at Yonkers in his Lasix debut, but since then it’s been nothing but visits to Victory Lane for the “Muscles Boy,” driver Simon Allard and brother/trainer Rene.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Showmeyourguns (Conway Hall) completed a sweep of the Jim Derue Memorial Trotting Series on Saturday night as the John Stark Jr. trained trotter scored another front-running victory. Shawn Gray piloted the 3-year-old and moved him out to the early lead in the $28,200 series final. The race’s 3-5 favorite never had an anxious moment en route to recording a career best score in 1:58.1. Timmy T (Bruce Aldrich Jr.) was the runner-up to Showmeyourguns while Bad Cantab (Jim Devaux) earned the show spot. Showmeyourguns, who won both legs of the series in convincing fashion, added his name to the list of previous winners of the Jim Derue Memorial Trot which includes Jelectric and last year’s winner The Lindy Treaty (who was driven by Jim’s son Jordan). Shawn Gray also won the evening’s Open Pace as he guided invader Regulus N (Mach Three) to a career best win in 1:51.4 for trainer Tom Milici in Saturday’s $19,250 pacing feature.

Batavia Downs
Despite stiff competition and some very inclement weather, Jokerman had the last laugh Saturday night by winning the $9,500 Open pacing feature at Batavia Downs. Western Alumni (Ron Beback Jr.) left hard and made it known he was going to cut the mile. And in kind, everyone then followed in post position order. Past the quarter, Button Fly (Shawn McDonough) came first up and brought Cobble Beach (John Cummings Jr.) in tow. This left Jokerman (Jim McNeight) tucked in nicely, second at the pylons. Positions remained basically the same through three-quarters and around the last turn. But as soon as they hit the stretch and the passing lane opened up, McNeight directed Jokerman into that gap and muscled his way to the lead and the win in 1:55. Western Alumni hung on for second with Cobble Beach rallying three-wide for show. It was the ninth win of 2015 for Jokerman who has now earned $66,051 for the year. The 5-year-old American Ideal gelding is trained by Richard Roth, who co-owns with Robert Roth and Randy Roth.

Vernon Downs
Not only working to overcome post nine and a stiff first-over challenge from Gratias Deo on the far turn, Wade Wyatt’s Flying Cowboy ($14.20) also withstood a stiff headwind on the backstretch while making all the pace in Saturday evening’s featured $5,500 conditioned pace at Vernon Downs. John MacDonald sent the 5-year-old Brandon’s Cowboy gelding to a clear lead through a wind-aided :25.1 initial quarter, backing down the pace just as quickly upon reaching the backstretch and the severe headwind. After rating a :31.1 breather, Flying Cowboy dug in to stave off a stiff first-over challenge from 2-1 favorite Gratias Deo (Chris Lems) through the far turn. While Gratias Deo chased gamely through the stretch, the Joe Skowyra-trained Flying Cowboy held sway by 1-1/4 lengths, prevailing in 1:54.4. Dodger Hanover (Jimmy Whittemore) rallied into third after tracking live second-over cover through the far turn.