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

Yonkers, NY — Call Me Queen Be (Eric Goodell, $8.20) retook the lead early and grudgingly held it late Friday night (Nov. 17), winning Yonkers Raceway’s blindly-drawn (by modern technology) $40,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace.

Darragh Riordan photo

Call Me Queen Be returns to her winning ways at Yonkers Raceway on Friday evening.

Away second from post potion two, Call Me Queen Be, who was a 2016 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion and Breeders Crown winner, at first was pocketed to HP Sissy (Dan Dube) then retook the lead before a :27.2 opening quarter-mile.

It was a :56.1 intermission when Regil Elektra (Joe Bongiorno) offered a fruitless, first-up bid from fifth. Meanwhile, Call Me Queen Be maintained her social status in and out of a 1:24.3 three-quarters, taking a 1-1/2 lead into the lane.

She would need just about all of it. Slight 5-2 favorite All About Madi (Brian Sears), who won the draw but sat a loose three-hole, stormed home inside.

All About Madi’s memo arrived a tad late as she missed by a scant nose in 1:53.3. Mach it a Par (Jason Bartlett) left the cones to snatch third, beaten a half-length. HP Sissy and She’sjustadelight N (Ron Cushing) settled for the pre-turkey leftovers.

For tepid second choice Call Me Queen Be, a 4-year-old millionairess daughter of Somebeachsomewhere co-owned by Let it Ride Stables & Dana Parham and trained by Ross Croghan, it was her fourth win in 19 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $21.40, with the triple returning $63.50.