by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director for Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — Sent right to the front Friday night (Sept. 2), Krispy Apple (Jason Bartlett, $6.60) finished what he started, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $45,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
From post position seven, Krispy Apple, as the second choice, saw a couple of other ladies—Rock N Roll Xample (Dan Dube) and Sell a Bit N (Jordan Stratton)—grab the early attention. However, Krispy Apple took over before a :27.3 opening quarter-mile, then completed her evening (:56.3, 1:24.1, 1:51.4).
Sell a Bit N edged out in the lane, but missed by three-quarters of a length, with Rock N Roll Xample a best-of-rest third. Jonsie Jones (Tyler Buter) and a never-involved slight 9-5 favorite Mach It A Par (Brian Sears) rounded out the payees.
For $1.7 million earner Krispy Apple, a 8-year-old daughter of Western Ideal co-owned by Bamond Racing & Joseph Davino and trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr., it was her sixth win (46th lifetime) in 15 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $39.20, with the triple returning $281.50.
Saturday night’s (Sept. 3) 13-race card features a pair (races eight and nine) of half-million-dollar Triple Crown events, beginning with the 62nd edition of the Yonkers Trot, led by Hambletonian winner Marion Marauder (Scott Zeron). Directly after that, it’s the 61st Messenger Stakes, with Racing Hill (Brett Miller) the prohibitive favorite.