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Saturday’s (Aug. 22) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Running Aces, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs.

Brennan sweeps Saturday co-features at Yonkers

Yonkers, NY — Dynamic Youth (George Brennan, $5.10) and Cashontherocs, (Brennan again, $29.20) divided Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night glory, winning the $48,000 co-features.

Mike Lizzi photo

Driver George Brennan swept Saturday’s co-features at Yonkers, which included the Open Pace in 1:51 with Dyanmic Youth.

Dynamic Youth, as the 3-2 favorite, just about went the distance in the blind-draw Open Pace. In play from post position six, he retook from Rock On Moe (Dan Dube) after a :26.2 opening quarter-mile. After that, intervals of :55.3, 1:23.3 and 1:51.1 closed the sale.

The final margin over a stubborn, first-up Sapphire City (Jason Bartlett) was a length-and-a-half, with a belated The Real One (Pat Lachance), Texican N (Eric Carlson) and Rock On Moe coming away with the minor minor.

For Dynamic Youth, a Bettor’s Delight 6-year-old gelding trained by Ron Burke for co-owners Ken Tucci, C&G Racing and J&T Silva Stables, it was his fifth win in 13 seasonal starts. The exacta (two wagering favorites paid $15, with the triple returning $53.50.

The week’s marquee trot, this one handicapped, saw pole-assigned Cashontherocs stalk Sevruga (Lachance), then beat him up the inside.

The former threw down fractions of :27.4, :57.1 and 1:26, while parking out Dewycolorintheline (Jordan Stratton). Sevruga had a length-and-a-half into the lane, but Cashontherocs went in, and by. The margin was a half-length in 1:55.1. A wide Not Afraid (Dube) was third, with tepid 3-1 choice Tober (Bartlett) and Outburst (Tyler Buter) completing the cashers.

For seventh choice Cashontehrocs, a 6-year-old Cash Hall gelding trained by Scott DiDomenico for owner Larry Fischer, he’s now 3-for-21 this season. The exacta paid $55, the triple returned $221 and the superfecta paid $8,725 (base $2 payout).

Also Saturday night, Bright Blue Eyes (Brian Sears, $5.60) and Murderer’s Row (Bartlett, $25.20) won their respective $20,000 eliminations for the Hudson Filly Trot. The 3-year-olds won in 1:56.3 and 1:57.1, respectively, and shall be joined in next Saturday’s $149,240 final by (alphabetically) Katniss, Lady Winona, Marion Millionair, Oh My Darlin’, Scented Roses and Wouldn’t Itbesweet.

Rules of the Road (Bartlett), the 1-2 choice in the first elim, broke early and often and finished last.

The Raceway’s live season continues Monday night (first post 7:10 p.m.), with the $151,624 New York Sire Stakes Pat Quaglietta Trot (2-year-old fillies).

— Frank Drucker

Running Aces
Toatsmygoats, Part Time Lady and Da Terror all won hotly contested feature races on the Saturday night (August 22) card at Running Aces, one which was contested under threatening skies and several intermittent heavy rain showers. Toatsmygoats (Rick Magee) was the lukewarm favorite in the $16,000 Minnesota-sired 3-year-old open pace and didn’t disappoint with an open lengths win over Queen Of Denial (Nick Roland) and Relentless Spirit (Luke Plano) in 1:56. Magee was content to sit a tight pocket ride throughout the race until bursting home with a :27.4 final panel to collar the eventual runner-up Queen Of Denial, who narrowly held off Relentless Spirit in a very tight place photo. The Van Otterloo Stables of Iowa own Toatsmygoats, who now has ten lifetime victories and earnings over $70,000 in two years of racing exclusively at Running Aces. Dave Flinn conditions the gelded son of Relentless Yankee. With her stablemate Party Hangover Two ordered to the sidelines this week, Part Time Lady (Steve Wiseman) took full advantage to post her first Fillies and Mares Open pace triumph of the season in 1:55, besting Kiss On The Lips (Gerry Longo) and De Valeria (Tim Maier). Wiseman, the current dash leader, moved the winning 6-year-old daughter of Jereme’s Jet to the front just past the half and cruised home almost two lengths ahead for Part Time Lady’s 33rd career victory. She is owned by Ron and Tammy Wells of California and trained by Wiseman. The winner’s share of the $9,600 purse moved her lifetime bounty to $123,573. Da Terror (Nick Roland) got his first open company victory in a $7,800 Open II pace for owner Banks Standardbreds and trainer Justin Anfinson. Roland positioned the 6-year-old Western Terror gelding near the rear early, but moved up with cover in the outer flow from seventh to fourth during the middle-half mile of the race. Four-wide for the stretch drive, Da Terror collared Cowboy Cold (Luke Plano) in the final strides with Red Pine (Steve Wiseman) lapped on as well at the end of the 1:54 mile. Racing resumes Sunday night at Running Aces with a ten-race card on tap beginning at 6 p.m. (CST).

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Panocchio (No Pan Intended) prevailed in the Open Pace on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino and Raceway for the fourth time this season. The track’s defending Horse of the Year, Panocchio was the 9-5 second choice in the wagering in Saturday’s (August 22) feature and driver Gerry Mattison powered the star pacer out to the early lead in a sizzling 26.2 opening quarter. The fractions stayed fast for the Jimmy Mattison-trainee who cruised through a half in 55.3 before clicking off three-quarters in 123.3. Panocchio, as he so often does, dug in when briefly confronted and paced away to score in 1:51.2. Longshot Martial Bliss (Jim Devaux) sat the pocket behind the winner and finished a strong second while Jin Dandy (Austin Siegelman) came on for third. It was the 30th victory in 71 career starts for Panocchio who paid $5.90 to win. The exacta in the $18,000 Open returned $66 while the triple came back $278. Panocchio is co-owned by Emile Johnson Jr and trainer Jimmy Mattison. Live racing resumes on Tuesday night at Saratoga beginning at 7:05 p.m.

Tioga Downs
A middle move into a contested pace sent 2-1 favorite B Yoyo ($6.00) to the front in Saturday (August 22) evening’s $14,000 Open Trot at Tioga Downs, and the 5-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding edged clear of his seven rivals for a 1:52.4 score in the Roll With Joe Eve feature. Vinny Ginsburg attended the early pace while inside three other leavers, allowing E R Ellie (Jim Meittinis), Skates N Plates (Aaron Byron), and Canadian Wildcat (Mike Simons) to alternate on the lead before commencing a first-over rally on the clubhouse turn with B Yoyo. After Canadian Wildcat reached race’s midpoint in :55.2, B Yoyo ratcheted up the pressure, taking over midway on the backstretch and edging clear at will. B Yoyo authoritatively established the lead through a :28.3 third quarter, but 22-1 outsider Six Bax (Jim Taggart, Jr.) loomed a major threat after working out a second-over trip. Still, B Yoyo proved superior, edging clear to defeat Six Bax by 2-1/4 lengths. Jailhouse Jessica (Jim Marohn, Jr.) rallied from third-over to take third, while E R Ellie saved fourth after she was compromised by traffic on the far turn. Bob Bongiorno trains B Yoyo for Bill Lambos and Dionisios Liberatos. Jim Marohn, Jr. led all drivers with a hat trick on the 10-race card, teaming up with Marc Major trainees Highland Yankee ($31.60, 1:55.2) and Geronimo Fame ($8.40, 1:57.2), along with Mike Sinclair trainee Keystone Trevor ($4.80, 1:56). Live racing returns to Tioga Downs on Sunday (August 23) afternoon, with first post on the stakes-studded card set for 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Vernon Downs
Trotters and distaff pacers shared the spotlight at Vernon Downs on Saturday (August 22) evening, and both $7,000 upper-level co-featured events saw decisive winners. The distaff pacing feature went to Pancakes ($3.00), a Heidi Rohr trainee who brushed to the lead after The Filly Princess (Frank Davis) clicked off a :27.4 initial quarter. After sweeping to the fore from third, the 4-year-old Sand Shooter mare drew clear of her five rivals, opening up a four-length lead through three-quarters in 1:23.1. Pancakes held clear to the end of her 1:51.4 triumph, maintaining 3-1/4 lengths clearance over a mild late rally from runner-up Love You Bye (Jimmy Whittemore). Truman Gale drove Pancakes for owner Dolores Smiel. While an odds-on favorite prevailed in the distaff feature, Fleetwood Hall ($21.40) scored a minor upset in the trotting feature, commencing his bid from worse than mid-field once 3-5 favorite Verdi broke stride on the first turn. Roman Lopez moved the 5-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe gelding off the pegs with well over a half-mile to go, sustaining a bold first-over bid through the far turn before pushing clear of pacesetter Ulster (Brian Russo) after passing three-quarters in 1:26. Once he passed Ulster, Fleetwood Hall opened up in the final yards, ultimately putting 4-3/4 lengths on Ulster for a 1:54.4 score. Painite (Truman Gale) sustained a mild bid to take third. Deedra Johnson trains Fleetwood Hall for the M T Stables. Live racing returns to Vernon Downs on Sunday (August 23) afternoon. Post time is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.