by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — It was nary more than a qualifier for money for odds-on Lispatty (George Brennan, $3.40), winning Yonkers Raceway’s featured $44,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace on Friday (June 22).
Katy Gazzini photo
Lispatty defeated Medusa by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:52.
The lone leaver from assigned post position No. 4, Lispatty worked around pole-sitting Medusa (Brian Sears). She then effectively ended the suspense (:28, :57.2) at the intermission. Delightful Dragon (Brent Holland) tried it first-up from fifth, but a :27.1 third quarter (1:24.3) made sure the outer tier did not figure.
Lispatty owned a 1-3/4 length lead in and out of the final turn, then easily held her pocketed pursuer at bay. She defeated Medusa by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:52. The ground-saving trio of Lovineveryminute (Mark MacDonald), Freakonomics (Eric Goodell) and Mach It A Par (Jason Bartlett) settled for the remainder.
For Lispatty, a 5-year-old daughter of McArdle owned by Gilbert Garcia-Owen and trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, it was her fifth win (third consecutive) in 17 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $12.60, the triple returned $55 and the superfecta paid $267.
Saturday night’s (June 23) dozen-race program features the return of 2016’s Trotting Triple Crown champ, Marion Marauder. Second in last fall’s million-dollar Yonkers International Trot, Marion Marauder was banished behind the eight-ball in the $44,000 seventh race co-featured Open Handicap Trot.