Bit Of A Legend N, DW’s NY Yank win co-features at Yonkers
October 7, 2018,by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — Off-the-pace entities Bit Of A Legend N (Jordan Stratton, $3.60) and DW’s NY Yank (George Brennan, $12.40) prevailed Saturday night (Oct. 6), annexing Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $44,000 Open Handicaps.
Odds-on Bit Of A Legend N survived a back-half battle with Great Vintage (Mark MacDonald) in the week’s marquee pace, putting that one away late in 1:51.1. Away third from post position four, he saw that foe lead through early intervals of :26.4 and :55.4.
First-up Bit Of A Legend N hooked Great Vintage in and out of a 1:23 three-quarters, the pair racing in tandem in and out of the final turn. Bit of a Legend N edged away in the late lane, the margin a half-length. American Boy N (Brent Holland) was third, with Mach it So (Joe Bongiorno) and Theartofconfusion A (Dan Dube) picking off the remainder.
For Bit Of A Legend N, a 9-year-old Down Under son of Bettor’s Delight owned by Von Knoblauch Stables and trained by Peter Tritton, it was his fifth win in 19 seasonal starts (career 46-for-138) The exacta paid $19.60, the triple returned $56.50 and the superfecta paid $352.50.
The week’s featured trot saw pole-assigned DW’s NY Yank go wide down the backside around an out-the-mile NF Happenstance (Jack Parker Jr.). Everyone was chasing Gruden (Stratton), who was parked past a :27.2 opening quarter-mile, then pressured through a 55.4 intermission and 1:25 three-quarters.
Gruden was done soon thereafter, with NF Happenstance and DW’s NY Yank both going by. The latter then finished it off, whipping a belated 3-4 fave Yes Mickey (Jason Bartlett) by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.1. Andy Ray (Jim Marohn Jr.) was third as the 36-1 outsider, with a tough-trip NF Happenstance and an unlucky Top Flight Angel (Dube) settling for the remainder.
For third choice DW’s NY Yank, a 9-year-old Dilbert Hanover gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by (trainer) Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, it was his fifth in 20 ’18 tries (career 51-for-173) The exacta paid $43, the triple returned $305 and the superfecta paid $1,639.