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

Yonkers, NY — HP Sissy (Greg Merton, $14.80) cleared down the backside Friday night (Oct. 20), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.

Gabriela Trmal photo

HP Sissy captures the featured event at Yonkers Raceway in 1:54.

Away fourth from post position two, HP Sissy saw outer entities Freakonomics (George Brennan) and slight 2-1 choice Newborn Sassy (Tyler Buter) leave with purpose. Locally-debuting Freakonomics worked around Newborn Sassy before laying down early intervals of :27.1 and :57.4.

HP Sissy then extricated herself from the cones, blowing right by Freakonomics before the 1:24.4 three-quarters. A second-up Diva’s Image (Brent Holland) badly gapped the eventual winner, making the job of third-up Mach It A Par (Jason Bartlett) that much more difficult.

HP Sissy opened 2-1/4 lengths off the final turn, then held a noticeably-drifting Mach It A Par at bay by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54.

Newborn Sassy, returning Matchmaker victress Mackenzie A (Jordan Stratton) and Betabcool N (Eric Goodell) rounded out the payees. Alas, there would be no ‘Sissy’-‘Sassy’ exacta.

For fourth choice HP Sissy, a 4-year-old daughter of Up the Credit owned by Claude Hamel and trained by Rene Allard, it was her ninth win in 21 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $76.50, the triple returned $208 and the superfecta paid $962.