by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Took Hanover, owner of the fastest local mile of the season, drew post position six and was made the 5-2 morning line favorite for Saturday night’s (May 3) $390,000 final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series at Yonkers Raceway.

Post time for the 12-race card is 7:40 p.m., with the Levy — richest North American harness race of the season to date — going as the ninth race. The series, a premier Free-For-All event honoring the founder of Roosevelt Raceway, was begun in 1978 and resumed in 2007 after an 11-year hiatus.

Took Hanover, a 5-year-old son of The Panderosa, had won four consecutive races before — with a place in the final already secured — he finished fourth in last week’s final Levy preliminary leg. Among the wins was a 1:51.1 effort in Round 2, fastest Westchester mile of the season and just two-fifths of a second off Silver Almahurst’s 15-year-old all-age track record (coincidentally, set in the ’93 final of this series). Greg Merton drives and Noel Daley trains for co-owners Adam Victor and Son Stable & John Fielding.

Mypanmar (Tim Tetrick, post four) begins his night as the 3-1 morning line second choice. The millionaire 7-year-old son of The Panderosa made his presence felt in the prelims with a win, a trio of thirds and a fourth-place finish. Tetrick, who won Yonkers’ richest race ever — last-season’s million-dollar Art Rooney Pace with Southwind Lynx — drives for trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. and Peter Pan Stables.

Special Report (Larry Stalbaum, post two), a front-end specialist who drew very well, was runner-up in last season’s $475,000 final of this series. He’s listed as the 7-2 early third choice. The 6-year-old Keystone Raider gelding, owned by Hugo Iodice and trained by Kim Asher, was twice first and twice second in his five series trials. He enters having won 46 of 90 career starts and more than $816,000.

Panaramic Art (George Brennan, post three), he of the two-season, 20-race winning streak, acquitted himself very well in his first foray against upper echelon competition. The 4-year-old Hot Pans gelding, co-owned by Squawk Box Stable and Keep The Dream Going and trained by Al Meyer, has won seven of his 10 seasonal starts, including last week’s final prelim performance. Brennan is a perfect nine-for-nine as chauffeur, including three Meadowlands’ series victories.

Palone Ranger (Catello Manzi, post five) can become a millionaire with at least a fourth-place finish. The 5-year-old son of Western Ideal, co-owned by Four Friends Racing and Perretti Racing and trained by Greg Peck, notched the biggest win of his career here — the 2006 Messenger, worth $546,830.

The field for the final of the 2008 George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series, with declared drivers and morning-line odds is as follows: 1- Tarver Hanover (Jason Bartlett, 10-1); 2-Special Report (Larry Stalbaum, 7-2); 3-Panaramic Art (George Brennan, 5-1); 4-Mypanmar (Tim Tetrick, 3-1); 5-Palone Ranger (Catello Manzi, 8-1); 6-Took Hanover (Greg Merton, 5-2); 7-Rare Jewel (Stephane Bouchard, 12-1); and 8-Radar Installed N (Jordan Stratton, 20-1).

A $100,000 series consolation, led by Bono Bests (Pat Berry, post six), is carded as the seventh race.

Yonkers offers a five-night-per-week live harness schedule, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:40 p.m. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting — featuring Saturday’s 134th Kentucky Derby — available around the NYRA schedule.