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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s pair of Saturday (July 9) night $45,000 co-featured Open Handicaps were annexed by Undercover Strike (Jason Bartlett, $6.80) and a repeating Mach it So (Bartlett again, $15.40).

Mike Lizzi photo

Undercover Strike collected his sixth triumph of the season in the featured event at Yonkers Raceway.

Undercover Strike, caught three-wide early from assigned post position six in the weekly marquee trot, nevertheless went the distance (:28, :57.4, 1:26.2, 1:55.3). He held off the cavalry by a half-length, with E R Ellie (Jordan Stratton) a second-up second.

Third went to a skimming Red Hot Herbie (Dan Dube), with 9-5 choice Lady’s Dude (George Brennan) and Summers Windsong (Mark MacDonald) settling for the remainder. The quintet of cashers were separated by just a length-and-a-half at the wire.

For second choice Undercover Strike, an 8-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding owned by Gerard Stuchbury and trained by Tom Milici, it was his eighth win in a dozen seasonal starts. The exacta paid $43.40, with the triple returning $232.50.

The week’s featured pace saw Mach It So overcome an eight-hole with an adroit, ground-saving trip. Slight 2-1 choice Scott Rocks (Eric Abbatiello) and pole-sitting Dream Out Loud N (Tyler Buter) were in play early (:27, :56) before a jammed-in Somewhere in LA (Brennan) moved from third. That one offered nothing first-over going toward the 1:23.4 three-quarters, helping no one in the outer tier. Meanwhile, Mach It So was improved along the cones down the backside. Scott Rocks owned a length lead into the lane, then saw Dream Out Loud N eschew the passing lane to angle out. That cleared the field for Mach It So, who zipped up the cones to win by a length in 1:52.

Long Live Rock (Dube) was a wide second in good effort, photoing Doctor Butch (Brent Holland). Dream Out Loud N could no better than fourth off the two-hole trip, with Scott Rocks fading to fifth.

For fourth choice Mach It So, a 6-year-old Mach Three gelding owned by Bamond Racing and trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr., he’s now six-for-13 this season. The exacta paid $132, the triple returned $1,634 and the superfecta paid $7,875.