Yonkers, NY – Scott Keppler and Andrew Adamczyk both bagged pillar-to-post wins in their respective $13,700 divisions for the North American Amateur Drivers Association Trot Fall Series opening preliminary on Thursday night (Sept. 11) at Yonkers Raceway.
Keppler clung to a neck win in the opening division with All Too Well in a 2:00.3 mile.
Leaving from the pylon post, Keppler scurried clear of his rivals impacted by the break of Velociraptor (driven by Cote Keim) moving for the first quarter in :29.1. All Too Well coasted on a five-length lead that gradually shrunk to a :59.3 half, but he still maintained a comfortable cushion on the march to three-quarters in 1:29.1.
Ima Standup Guy (Joe Faraldo) tipped off the pylons to take a shot after the leader heading for the final turn and made steady inroads through the final quarter of a mile, though All Too Well had enough in reserve to stave off his push and hold on for the victory.
Kilimanjaro NL (Anthony Verruso), the 2-1 favorite, chased from a pocket trip to take third after the disqualification of Velociraptor, who was placed sixth for interference. Backstreet Player (Joe Pennacchio) inherited fourth.
Ricky Bucci owns and trains All Too Well, a 4-year-old gelding by Muscle Hill. He paid $8.04 to win.
Andrew Adamczyk found similarly smooth sailing on the point to find the winner’s circle with 2-5 favorite The Last Chapter in a 1:59 mile.
Adamczyk easily secured the lead from the pylon post heading to a :29.3 first quarter and faced little pressure through the remainder of the mile. The Last Chapter strolled to a 1:00 half and began peeling away from the competition through three-quarters in 1:28.4. He crossed the finish 3-1/4 lengths better than 26-1 shot Kilauea (Joe Faraldo), who grabbed second from pocket-chaser Los Ballykeelamigo (Anthony Verruso). J-s Hopscotch (Tony Beltrami) followed off a pylon trip for fourth.
Ed Hart trains The Last Chapter, an 11-year-old gelding by Chapter Seven, for owners Richard Gutnick and Thomas Pontone. He paid $2.76 to win.
NAADA action continues with the second preliminary of the club’s Fall Series next Thursday (Sept. 18). First-race post time at Yonkers is 6:45 p.m. (EDT).