Yonkers, NY – Yogi Sheridan vaulted off a pocket ride with 8-5 favorite Mr Contestant to land gold in the $20,000 final of the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) trot over a track rated sloppy at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Thursday night (March 5).
Leaving from post 3, Sheridan found a seat as Southwind Mac (driven by Tony Beltrami) motored out of post 8 to grab the front. Southwind Mac cut a :28.2 first quarter before snagging a breather to a :58.2 half and faced little pressure into the backstretch as a majority of the field lost ground giving chase to the top three. All the while Sheridan tracked steadily from second with Mr Contestant and readied for an attack following three-quarters in 1:28.4.
Mr Contestant lifted spinning for home and successfully downed Southwind Mac in the lane to pull away for a 1-1/2-length win in 2:01.2. Ima Standup Guy (John Calabrese) finished third, another three lengths behind, while Love This Bar (Joe Lee) took fourth.
Peter Pellegrino trains Mr Contestant, an 11-year-old gelding by Winning Mister, for owner Room4040 LLC Stables. He paid $5.30 to win.