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Friday’s (Sept. 13) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Sciota Downs Racino, Tioga Downs, Batavia Downs and Vernon Downs.

Buter sweeps Friday co-features at Yonkers

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s Friday night $37,000 co-featured Open Handicaps–Pace for the lasses and a non-discriminatory Trot for either/or–were won by Blue Chip Matchmaker victress Feeling You (Tyler Buter, $8.60) and an in-form Can I Say (Buter again, $18.20).

Mike Lizzi photo

Feeling You was an easy come from behind winner in Friday’s co-featured Open Handicap Pace at Yonkers Raceway.

Locally-debuting Fashion Mystery (Brent Holland) seated everyone early from the pole, finding a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. She was not in a giving mood when Sir Jillian’s Z Tam (Pat Lachance) moved from fourth. Those two prompters put up a :54.4 intermission, salivating the mouths of the closers.

It was a second-up, 9-5 favorite Ramalama (George Brennan) who took her shot at the lead toward the 1:23.1 three-quarters. However, she couldn’t go by as Fashion Mystery held a stubborn–but short–lead into the lane. The fresh threat was a third-over Feeling You. Starting from post position No. 6, she launched her wide bid through the lane, powering past from fifth.

Feeling You widened to win by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:52.2. Second went to 49-1 rank outsider Rock N Load (Jason Bartlett), with a from-last Royal Cee Cee N (Brian Sears), Ramalama and Fashion Mystery coming away with the remainder.

For second choice Feeling You, a 6-year-old daughter of Cambest co-owned by her driver, Stephen Oldford and Oldford Farms and trained by Amber Buter, it was her ninth win in 20 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $201, with the triple returning $520.

The featured trot saw Prayer Session (Bartlett) take his shot from the pole, leading a quartet of early leavers through early intervals of :26.4 and :56.3. Hesgotlegs (Mark MacDonald) was pocketed and, after a break by Somebody AS (Dan Dube), Brando’s Muscle Man (Brennan) settled third.

Can I Say—from post No. 4–then moved out of fourth, gaining on the leader in and out of a 1:25.1 three-quarters. Meanwhile, Prayer Session was about done turning for home, as Can I Say sustained her bid. She whipped a passing-lane Hesgotlegs by a neck in 1:55.4. Super Manning (Sears), trailing from his ordered eight-hole, closed for third as the slight 2-1 choice, with Lorenzo Dream (Eric Goodell) and Brando’s Muscle Man rounding out the payees.

For sixth choice Can I Say, a 4-year-old daughter of Fourth and One co-owned by Terry & Clarence Devos and James Whelan and trained by Scott Osterhout (turned 29 Friday), she’s now 5-for-17 this season. Can I Say is 4-for-4 since arriving from Mohawk, moving up the class ladder each time. The exacta paid $89.50, the triple returned $1,176 and the superfecta paid $4,202.

— Frank Drucker

Scioto Downs Racino
The temperatures may be cooling off but the racing is still hot at Scioto Downs Racino. With just two race nights left, track records are still being broken. Run and Tell Pap and Tony Hall took almost another full second off the aged trotting record when they crossed the line in 1:53.2 in the $20,000 Open Trot on Friday. The previous record of 1:54.1 was held by Dunkster, Hesza Laser and JJ Hall. In his 100th start, Run and Tell Pap left from the seven hole and never looked back to win by a neck over Lindys Jersey Boy (Dan Noble) and Undercover Strike (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr). Run and Tell Pap is by High Falls out of the Noble Jade mare Adele’s Jade. The 6-year-old gelding is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and M1 Stable LLC.

Tioga Downs
For You Almostfree and Aaron Byron took home the featured $16,000 open trot on Friday night at Tioga Downs. Leaving from post position number three in a field of eight, Byron got For You Almostfree away sixth as Neighsay Hanover (Jim Meittinis) took the field by the opening quarter in 27.1. As the field went by the three-eighth’s mile mark of the race, Howard Parker brushed Cold Certified to the front but paid a steep price for the move as they got to the half-mile in 55.1. Down the backside, Speculation (Mike Merton) moved first-over with For You Almostfree following second-over cover. The field passed the three-quarter station in 1:24.1 as Cold Certified was feeling the effects of the opening half and was beginning to fade. Byron tipped For You Almostfree three-wide around the last turn and he responded opening up with ease to win by more than four lengths in 1:54.1. In Your Room (Mike Simons) trotted home late to be second, while longshot Surface Tension (Fern Paquet Jr.) finished third. John McDermott trains the 5-year-old son of Glidemaster–Pizza Dolce who won for the seventh time in twenty-seven seasonal outings, good for earnings of more than $113,000.

Batavia Downs
Keyodee Star and driver Jack Rice sat back enjoyed a hot pace in front of them then pounced on the leg-weary leaders in the stretch and won the $8,500 Open Trot at Batavia Downs by 1-3/4 lengths over BZ Glide in 1:59 on a damp, dreary Friday night (Sept. 13). Hour Lavec (John Cummings Jr.) set the scorching fractions of 27.4, 57.2 and 1:27.4 then said ‘good night’ as Haste and Mythical Hall battled for the lead around the final turn. But with the wicked fractions, the race set up perfectly for the closers and Keyodee Star (Keystone Nordic-Hannah Star) was by far the best. Going past the three-quarter marker Keyodee Star was fourth on the outside, 5-1/4 lengths behind the leader. He fanned out four-wide and gobbled up tons of ground with each stride, easily trotting past Haste (Jim McNeight) for the win, while BZ Glide (Mike Caprio) rallied late to gain the second spot. Owned by Joan Rae Ellafrits and Lynn Wilson, Keyodee Star ($18.80) has now won three times in 21 starts this season and has $25,235 in the bank. Maria Rice trained the 7-year-old gelding who now has earnings of $291,603 lifetime.

Vernon Downs
Drivers Jimmy Whittemore and Rick Plano enjoyed hot outings during a rather chilly Friday at Vernon Downs, winning 7 of the evening’s 10 races. Whittemore, a three-time Vernon driving kingpin, captured four races for the fourth time during the track’s 60th anniversary season. One of his first-place finishes was behind Bettor In Jeans, who delivered his first pari-mutuel victory with a hard-fought 1:56.2 photo-finish decision (over the gritty Stoney’sstorminway) in Friday’s ninth race, that established him as the fastest 2-year-old pacing gelding at the 64-program meeting. The determined youngster’s success gives the bay son of Bettor’s Delight-Heatherjeankilllean a 1-1-2 summary line after six lifetime starts. Vernon veteran Keith Cluff conditions the promising prospect for the Morrisville College Foundation. Plano, the track’s driving and training leader for the second straight season, piloted three winners during the evening, including a 1:55 career-best tally behind the 5-year-old trotting mare Here Comes Annie in Friday’s seventh session. Owner Andy Gardner trains the bay daughter of Here Comes Herbie-Anne Pancroft, who became a two-time winner at the meet. Plano also directed the 2-year-old pacing filly Aritzia Hanover to a 1:57.4 “maiden” victory in Friday’s second race for trainer Sam Serianni, and the Ed Namiotka, Jr., Ken Jacobs, and Slo-Downs Stable ownership group.