Real Nice takes Open Handicap at Yonkers

Yonkers, NY — Real Nice (Jason Bartlett) lasted on the lead Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $44,000 Open Handicap Pace.

Justin Grasso photo

Real Nice was a 1:51.1 winner in the Open Handicap Pace.

Leaving from post position six, Real Nice stepped around 25-1 shot Sapphire City (Brent Holland), securing the lead before a :27.2 opening quarter-mile. He then rated a :56.2 half before even money favorite Rock To Glory (George Brennan) moved from fourth.

However, that one wasn’t making an impact either before or after a 1:24 three-quarters. That left Real Nice with a 1-1/2 length lead turning for home, needing only to hold off his pocket pursuer.

He did, beating Sapphire City by a half-length in a snappy 1:51.1, matching his season’s-best effort. Rock To Glory held the bottom of the ticket, with Hypnotist (Cat Manzi) and Versado (Jim Pantaleano) rounding out the payees.

Real Nice, a millionaire 7-year-old Real Artist gelding co-owned by Beverly and Gary Paganelli and Anthony Scussel and trained by Rich Banca, returned $5.30 (second choice) for his sixth win in 14 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $55.50, with the triple returning $171.

Also Saturday, the Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of New York honored track manager Ed Ryan for his half-century (and counting) career. Ryan has overseen Yonkers’ racing surface since late 2006.

— Frank Drucker

Hoosier Park
Revenue Agent extended his win streak to four after he front-stepped his way to the winner’s circle in a lifetime best effort of 1:54.1 in the co-featured $24,000 Open Trot at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Saturday. With an abbreviated field of six, Peter Wrenn sent the Jeff Miller trained gelding to the front from the assigned post six. Wrenn asked the 4-year-old gelding for more as the field turned for home and he responded, as he marched home to win convincingly in 1:54.1 over ABC Mercedes. Allthatnabagofchip dug in gamely to round out the trifecta. Revenue Agent has now won five of ten outings this season while earning more than $80,000 for owners Michael Creps and R. Kevin Greenfield. The homebred son of Revenue S has bankrolled more than $140,000 in three seasons of racing for his connections. On the pacing side of things, Freddyscooter scored in the $24,000 Open Pace to record the fastest mile over Hoosier Park’s oval this meet. Stopping the clock in 1:50.2, it was his third win in eight outings this year for trainer Steve Brannan and driver Trace Tetrick. With a :26.4 closing panel, Freddyscooter was able to wear down the leader to reach the wire first by a neck over a game I Trust You. Paco Labrook finished third. Freddyscooter paid $4.40 to win as the bettors’ choice. The 33-time career winner has bankrolled more than $680,000 racing primarily in Indiana for owners Frederick Shiery and Steve Brannan, who also bred the gelding.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Silent Swing cruised to a wire-to-wire Open win on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. Racing in the Open Pace for the first time in a month, Silent Swing (Northern Luck) worked his way to the early lead and he and leading driver Billy Dobson would never look back. The classy 10-year-old made every pole a winning one en route to the 1:52.4 Saturday score. For the Mark Ford trained Silent Swing, it was the sixth victory on the season and the 56th of his sensational career. Diamond Stick Pin (Wally Hennessey) was the open’s runner-up while there was a dead heat for show between Fall Bliss (Jim Devaux) and Mickey Hanover (Stephane Bouchard). For Billy Dobson, the victory in the $18,500 Open was one of four on the evening. Silent Swing, whose career bankroll is now more than $1.73 million, returned $10.40 to win the evening’s ninth race.

Buffalo Raceway
Golden Terror, a 5-year-old Western Terror gelding, out of the Artiscape mare Bell Ami’s Love, won the $10,000 Open Pace in a lifetime best 1:53.2 for owners Terri and David Esposito at Buffalo Raceway on Saturday night. It was the eighth win this season for Golden Terror. The winner ($5.50), leaving from post four in the field of seven and driven by last year’s national dash champion Dan Noble, settled in fourth as Majik Master (Shawn Gray) hit the quarter-pole in a quick :27.2. Cole Hard Cash (Dave McNeight III) had the pedal to the metal next, hitting the half in :56 and the three-quarters in 1:24.4. As the field hit the top of the stretch, it turned out to be a two- horse race between the winner and Goodnight Goodluck (Kevin Cummings). With a sharp :28.3 last quarter-mile, Golden Terror prevailed by one length at the wire. Last week’s Open winner Mark It On Ice (John Cummings, Jr.) came in third. Trained by John Mungillo, the $5,000 share of the purse put Golden Terror’s season’s bankroll at $54,292 and $125,082 lifetime.

Vernon Downs
Oriental Carpet rolled out a late rally to capture Saturday night’s $7,600 featured Winners Over Pace at Vernon Downs. Leading driver Chris Lems handled the lines for trainer Jessica Okusko as Oriental Carpet ($15.80) advanced on the outside from fourth at the half, challenged the pace-setting Shamderock for the lead entering the dash to the finish and then prevailed by three-quarters of a length. The 1:52.1 clocking was a personal best for the 4-year-old son of Artiscape-Silksndiamonds, who is shared in ownership by Conrad Zurich, Edwin Gold and Wanda Polisseni’s Purple Haze Stables. Saturday’s fastest mile was a front-striding 1:51.2 performance by the 6-year-old pacer Pacinello in the $6,200 ninth event, with trainer Rick Plano teaming for the D&E Racing stable. The Whittemore clan (father, Dennis and son, Jimmy) accumulated 88 points to win the first annual Father & Son Driving Challenge at the Downs. Jimmy recorded a win (Lightning Prince) in the four-race competition, while Dennis, normally a trainer, helped out with a second-place finish (Fox Valley Valkari) and a third (Straightistheway). Whittemore, Vernon’s defending driving champion, racked up a pair of first-place finishes during Saturday’s 12-race program, as did driver Frank Davis.

Scarborough Downs
Kevin Switzer, Jr. enjoyed his most successful day since returning to State of Maine competition following a springtime campaign spent along the New York racing circuit. The 2011 Driver of the Year in the Pine Tree State engineered a grand slam performance on Saturday at Scarborough Downs, claiming victory with Douglas Road (1:57.1), Loaded (1:57.4), Big John C (1:56.3) and LLYR (1:58.1). Switzer now has 24 wins during the Scarborough meet, vaulting him to fourth place on the leaderboard, which is currently headed by his father.

Scioto Downs
Big Bad TJ was no factor early in Saturday’s feature at Scioto Downs, but he had the most pace in the homestretch and won by a length in 1:53.3, a new lifetime record. Russell Swartz drove the son of Western Ideal to victory for owner-trainer Terry Tackett over What A Smile and favored Doc’s Yankee. Big Bad TJ paid $45.60, $12.60 and $4.40. It was the fifth win in 23 starts for the winner, who was sold for $1,600 as a yearling by breeder Hanover Shoe Farms.

Cal Expo
His mark is 1:50 and on this night, Split Ticket reminded everyone why. Closing night conditioned pacers, racing for a purse of $6,000, were featured at Cal Expo on a hot Saturday night in which Split Ticket won for the 39th time in his career. Owned by Richard Morita and David Yamada, the Liberio Pacheco trained gelding romped ($12.20) home by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:52.1, establishing a seasonal mark. Haggin Oaks finished in second and Tax Relief finished 2-1/2 lengths farther back in third. Split Ticket’s pilot Jim Lackey had three winners on the 12-race program. The winning time was the second fastest mile of the winter-spring meet. The fastest mile of the meet was recorded by Whipped Dreams in 1:52, who Lackey also piloted. Also on the closing night card, leading driver Luke Plano recorded six victories.