Oak Grove, KY — Both Tip Top Cat, off the odds-on favorite, and Yankee B Something, amazingly dismissed as the fourth choice in the betting, returned to the Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel winner’s circle in their respective $30,000 top class affairs on Monday (April 20) with Tip Top Cat nabbing his second victory in the Open Pace and Yankee B Something collecting her third in the Fillies and Mares Open Pace.
Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. mustered speed from Tip Top Cat and kept the Ron Burke pupil to task for an authoritative 1:50.4 victory in the Open Handicap Pace. Wrenn cleared command out of post five past a :27.1 first quarter, pocketing 63-1 shot Hazardos (driven by Brandon Bates) passing the stands first time, and kept the reins high as the tempo steadied slightly to a :55.3 half. Bates plotted a move out of the pocket but quickly ducked back to the pylons in the backstretch as Tip Top Cat hit the accelerator.
Admiral Hill (Atlee Bender) attempted to climb into the mix uncovered on the rim marching by three-quarters in 1:23 but levelled off on his bid spinning for home while Bates swung out of the pocket to take an ultimately futile swing at the leader. Tip Top Cat scooted away from his competition under a firm hold by Wrenn to post a two-length victory over Hazardos with Admiral Hill holding third and Fox Valley Langley (Geremy Bobbitt) taking fourth off of a second-over trip.
A 6-year-old gelding by Always B Miki, Tip Top Cat won his 15th race from 82 starts in his career and has now banked $667,934. He competes for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Canzone and Larry Karr. Sent the 2-5 favorite, he paid $2.84 to win.
Jimmy Watson trainee Yankee B Something (Geremy Bobbitt) meanwhile strutted her usual speed and retained the throne against the top pacing mares on the ground with a 1:51.4 front-stepping effort in the Fillies and Mares Open Pace. Bobbitt planted Yankee B Something on the lead out of post 2 to a :27.1 first quarter and snuck a breather to the half in :56.2 while then gradually accelerating in the backstretch. Lyin’ Eyes (Joey Putnam) mounted a first-over push out of fourth and charged within a length of the leader past three-quarters in 1:24.3 but Yankee B Something stayed resolute to the inside, keeping a half length in front to win. Aintnothingucando (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) rallied late for third while Tarshish (Marcus Miller), off the 9-5 favorite, finished evenly off a pocket trip for fourth.
Douglas Davis owns Yankee B Something, an 18-time winner from 89 starts with $354,028 in earnings. The 6-year-old daughter of Always B Miki paid $8.40 to win.
Live racing at Oak Grove resumes on Tuesday (April 21) with a 12-race card headlined by the $30,000 Open Handicap Trot, carded as Race Six. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:10 p.m.