Yonkers, NY — John Calabrese grabbed command with 7-1 shot Cal Miles N Shell and held his ground to the finish for a narrow 1:57.1 victory in the lone $13,100 division of the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) trot at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Thursday night (Aug. 6).
Leaving from post 3, Calabrese pushed past pylon-starter Baby Tao (driven by Scott Keppler) to lead the field after a :28 first quarter. Cal Miles N Shell cruised unfettered to a :57.2 half but soon had company approaching with Pc Free Wheeling (Victoria Stratton) angling out of third, tracked by 7-5 favorite Lucky Mum N (Joe Faraldo), to march up the rim. Pc Free Wheeling stalled in his bid passing three-quarters in 1:26.4 but stayed in contention as Cal Miles N Shell spun through the final turn on a two-length lead.
Lucky Mum N lifted off cover to lay aim on Calabrese’s tiring charge, but the line came in time for Cal Miles N Shell. He crossed the beam a neck better than Lucky Mum N with Pc Free Wheeling settling for third. Shake N Bake (Yogi Sheridan) and Big Limo (Anthony Verruso) closed from the back to dead-heat for fourth.
Darran Cassar trains Cal Miles N Shell, a 6-year-old gelding by Trixton, for owner-breeder Calabrese Farms LLC. He paid $16.28 to win.
NAADA action resumes next Thursday (Aug. 13) at Yonkers Raceway with the ninth leg of the club’s summer series. First-race post time at Yonkers is 6:45 p.m. (EDT).