by Frank Drucker, Yonkers Raceway Publicity Director

Yonkers, NY — Another round of New York Sire Stakes took over Yonkers Raceway Saturday night, this one the $233,775 Armand Palatucci Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings. Five divisions did their thing over a “good” surface.

Tom Berg photo

Keenan won the first division of NYSS for 3-year-old colts & geldings in 1:57.3 for driver Jeff Gregory.

The evening’s first wagering division went to a wrapped-up, odds-on Keenan (Jeff Gregory). The Credit Winner gelding, from the pole, put up uncontested intervals of :28.4, 59.2, 1:28.4 and 1:57.3, hitting the line 3-1/2 lengths before second -choice Tiger’s Too Good (Dave Miller). New Identity (Trond Smedshammer), as third choice, was third. The exacta paid $5.90, with the triple returning $15.60.

For Keenan, owned by Ray Remmen and trained by his brother, Larry, it was his fifth consecutive victory and eighth in 14 seasonal starts.

“He’s just handier on the half-mile track than most of the others,” Gregory said. “This is where he makes his money.”

Standout state-bred Dejarmbro (Trond Smedshammer, $2.30), the defending sire stakes champ, did what he usually does–win by many–in the evening’s final Palatucci event.

Leaving from post No. 6, he was looped out of the gate by Typical Newyorker (Jason Bartlett). Dejarmbro eventually made the lead from Johnny B Kemp (Dan Dube) after a :29.2 opening quarter-mile. From there, a 58.3 intermission, 1:29.2 three-quarters and 1:58.2 end game resulted in a 2-1/2 length win over Johnny B Kemp. Typical Newyorker held third.

For Dejarmbro, a son of Credit Winner owned by Purple Haze Stables and trained by Smedshammer, it was his seventh win in nine ’11 work nights, with earnings in excess of $430,000 (15-for-20 lifetime). The exacta paid $6.40, with the triple returning $27.

“Obviously, we would much rather have been racing this afternoon (at the Hambletonian), but he wasn’t eligible,” Smedshammer said, adding that he was looking forward to facing those trotters down the road at the Colonial and the Canadian Trotting Classic.

“I had seen (Dejarmbro) race last season, and was obviously very impressed,” Smedshammer said. “Once he came to me, what was surprising was that he doesn’t train like anything special. He waits on other horses all the time, but when it’s time to race, no matter what size track, the light goes on.”

Smedshammer had won the evening’s previous NYSS division, drawing off with the short-priced I’m the Answer ($2.60) in 1:58.1. Half of the six entrants broke early as I’m the Answer, improving into a two-hole, worse down pace-setting Cashahallic (Dube) off the final turn. He then defeated Bristle’s Winner (Bartlett) by 2-1/2 lengths, with Cashahallic saving third.

I’m the Answer, a Purple Haze-owned, Smedshammer stablemate to Dejarmbro, is now 6-for-10 (four of last five) this season. The exacta paid $24.80, with the triple returning $186.

A pair of sire stakes non-bettors were won by…

–Super Manning (by Diamond Goal); owner Joseph Pennacchio/trainer Linda Toscano/driver Bartlett; (first purse win); 1:57.3;

— All in Tad (by Conway Hall) co-owners (trainer-driver Ray Schnittker),John Egloff.Gareth Dowese,Stephen Demeter; 1:58.4.

Saturday night’s $52,000 Open Handicap Pace was won by two…a dead-heat between Clear Vision (Bartlett, $4.30) and 37-1 Forest Vic A (Steve Smith, $30.80), who shared the pomp and circumstance while getting the mile-and-one-sixteenth in 1:59.3.