from harness publicists across North America
Saturday’s (September 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Yonkers Raceway, Batavia Downs Casino and Cal Expo. Southern Allie wins Yonkers Open Yonkers, NY — Favored Southern Allie (Yannick Gingras) had the best of the draw Tuesday and the best of the race Saturday, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $52,000 Open Pace.
Mike Lizzi photo
Southern Allie was a 1:59.4 winner in the Yonkers Open.
Away third at the start, Southern Allie took over from Real Nice (Jason Bartlett) right at the :27.2 opening quarter-mile. He then rated a :56.1 half before One More Laugh (John Campbell) moved from fifth.
That one offered just a cursory challenge in and out of the 1:26 three-quarters, with Southern Allie taking a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane. He was kept to his task at the 1:53.1 mile marker before finishing his mile and one-sixteenth in 1:59.4. One More Laugh showed renewed pace to grab second over Real Nice, a half-length behind Southern Allie. B J’s Bequia (Andy Miller) and Vintage Master (Marcus Johansson) earned the final pay envelopes, with Forest Vice A and Ghee’s House rounding out the order (scheduled outside participant Shoobee’s Place was a sick scratch).
Southern Allie, a 4-year-old Allie’s Western gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by (trainer) Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, returned $4.90 for his seventh win in 23 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $11.20, with the triple returning $41.60.
— Frank Drucker
Batavia Downs Casino
It was a 295 mile ship for the horse, trainer and driver, but they made the only mile that mattered count as Ohio invaders Tuneariffic and JD Wengerd won the $9,000 Open Pace at Batavia Downs Casino. Cam Patch (Kevin Cummings) and Lake Shark (Jack Flanigen) bolted from the gate and played give and take to the quarter. Lake Shark hit the wood first and gave Cam Patch the lead. But before they hit the quarter in :27.4, Lake Shark took it back. Precious Medal (Jack Rice) was gapping the leaders and that’s when JD Wengerd decided to tip the 7-5 Tuneariffic before the half in :57.4. They methodically gained ground on the leader and with only a couple taps and a confident hand-drive, Wengerd coasted around Lake Shark in the last turn and cruised to a comfortable one length victory in a sparkling 1:54. Tuneariffic returned $4.90 for the win. This was the fourth victory in as many starts since coming into the Johnny Yoder Stable (who both owns and trains the 5-year-old gelding) and Wengerd was aboard for every win. After having gone 0 for 18 last year, Tuneariffic is now six of 12 in 2011 and heading towards a career year in earnings which now total $29,032.
Cal Expo
Winners Over pacers, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday night, in which Cycle Power and driver Scott Cisco zoomed on by. Quickly taking over the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go, Cycle Power drew clear to win ($17.40) by two lengths. Owned and trained by Nathalie Tremblay, the gelding stopped the timer at 1:55.1. Ivegotwhatuneed finished in second and Myra’s Hiho finished 1-1/2 lengths farther back in third.