by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Art’s Image, well-backed and well-deserved in sweeping his Sagamore Hill Pacing Series sojourns, leads Saturday night’s (March 29) $67,000 final at Yonkers Raceway. Post time for the 12-race card is 7:40 p.m., with the finale of the Sagamore Hill — for 3- and 4-year-old colts, horses and geldings — going as the eighth race.

Art’s Image, three-for-three in the trials and an odds-on favorite in each of them, landed post position seven for the final, with Stephane Bouchard as the steering committee. Nat Varty trains the 4-year-old Artsplace gelding for co-owners Adam Victor & Son, Yannick Gingras, Frank Canzone and Joe DiScala.

Art’s Image went down the road each week in his perfect prelims, winning in 1:57, 1:54.3 and 1:55.2, respectively. That middle marker was the fastest effort of the early rounds. For the season, Art’s Image has four wins and three thirds in 10 tries.

“He’s a big horse, but very handy on a half,” Bouchard said. “He’s been perfect on the turns, but I wish they’d have let me draw a bit better.

“The (1:54.3) mile really impressed me. He dug in late and held off a good horse.”

That “good horse” is Bob’s Alibi (Greg Grismore, post five), who sandwiched a pair of wins around that nose loss. The 4-year-old His Alibi gelding, trained by Mickey Burke for co-owners Sylvia Burke and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, has four wins and two seconds in his last six starts. Overall, he’s five-for-10 (including the $72,100 Senior Trendsetter Final at the Meadowlands) in ’08 with earnings in excess of $85,000 — by far the most in here.

Victory’s Boy (Greg Merton, post two) and Herzon (Jason Bartlett, post four) each won a pair of preps. Cullen’s Blue Jean (Jordan Stratton, post one), Ain’t No Hearsay (Pat Berry, post three), Fox Valley Tyrese (Andy Miller, post six) and JK Lullabye (Jim Pantaleano, post eight) round out the roster. “Cullen” and “Lullabye” are both trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr. and are coupled as a Joe Muscara common-owner entry.

A pair of series consolations, worth $25,000 (sixth race) and $12,500 (fourth race), are also included.

The George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series, a premier Free-For-All event, begins Saturday with a trio of $50,000 divisions (races five, seven and nine). A field of 24 of the 38 eligibles are set for the first of five preliminary rounds.

Defending champ Maltese Artist landed behind the eight-ball in the opening event for Grismore and Burke. The 7-year-old Artiscape gelding, fast approaching double-millionaire status, needs better friends in various race offices. He was stuck with a 10-hole across the river last week, when he left for a seat and never found room.

Took Hanover (Merton, post one) toyed with an Open Handicap crowd here from the same starting venue two weeks ago, while Palone Ranger (Catello Manzi, post two) returns to the scene of his ’06 Messenger upset.

The second Levy grouping is led by Special Report (Larry Stalbaum, post seven), who was second to Maltese Artist in the ’07 Levy and second-best in his last four ’08 tries. The 6-year-old Keystone Raider gelding, owned by Hugo Iodice and trained by Kim Asher, has hit the board in eight of his nine seasonal efforts (three wins, those four seconds and one third).

Saturday night’s final Levy divide finds the local debut of North America’s richest harness horse, Mr Feelgood (Andy Miller, post three). The 5-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear has won his last couple and four-of-five, including the $267,700 final of Pompano’s Isles of Capri four weeks ago (life-best 1:49.4). He enters with ’08 cash of $247,750 after edging Special Report from the pocket (just like in the Isle) last week at the Meadowlands. Jimmy Takter trains for Lindy Farms, Brittany Farms and John Fodera.

Panaramic Art (Greg Grismore, post five), he of the gaudy 20 consecutive victories (six-for-six this season), returns to Westchester for his first crack at the upper echelon. The 4-year-old Hot Pans gelding, last seen parimutuelly winning the final of the Exit 16W across the river late last month, abused overmatched foes here in three successive starts last October/November.

The Levy, named after the founder of Roosevelt Raceway, returned in ’07 after an 11-year hiatus.

Yonkers offers a five-night-per-week live harness schedule, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:40 p.m. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting around the NYRA schedule.