by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — Lispatty (George Brennan, $6.60) was first home from second-up Friday night (Sept. 1), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace.
Unhurried early from assigned post position six, Lispatty watched Freeze Out (Brian Sears) stuff slight 2-1 choice Sell A Bit N (Jordan Stratton) in behind before a :27 opening quarter-mile.
After a :56.4 intermission, Delightful Dragon (Brent Holland) moved from fifth, towing Lispatty right behind. The ride Lispatty hitched wasn’t the greatest, however, forcing her wide by the 1:25 three-quarters.
Meanwhile, Freeze Out was about to wear out her welcome in and out of the final turn as Lispatty went past. She widened to defeat Sell A Bit N by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:54, with 49-1 outsider Venus Delight (Joe Bongiorno) a rallying third.
Sail to the Beach (Dan Dube) and Delightful Dragon rounded out the payees.
For third choice Lispatty, a 4-year-old daughter of McArdle owned by Gilberto Garcia-Owen and trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, it was her fourth win in 19 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $17.80, the triple returned $299.50 and the superfecta paid $1,629.
Saturday night’s (Sept. 2) card, worth just under $1.5 million, includes the $500,000 Yonkers Trot (fifth race), $500,000 Messenger Stakes (fourth race), $119,010 Hudson Filly Trot (third race) and $113,880 Lady Maud Pace (sixth race).
First post is the usual 7:10 p.m.