Defending Levy champion Keystone Velocity, after five preliminaries, scored a victory in the last leg of the series, taking the second of three $50,000 divisions of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series on Saturday, April 14 at Yonkers Raceway.
From the rail, Keystone Velocity sat pocketed to Evenin Of Pleasure and that one’s handiwork of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24.2. He engaged the leader early in the final turn, then edged to victory. He defeated Christen Me N by a length-and-a-half in 1:52.1, with Mach It So third. Evenin Of Pleasure faded to fourth.
For Keystone Velocity, a 10-year-old son of Western Hanover co-owners (as Allard Racing) by trainer Allard, Kapildeo Singh, Earl Hill Jr. and VIP Internet Stables, it was his first win in five starts this season. Driven by Daniel Dube, he paid $4.50 to win.
Pole-sitting Long Live Rock, victimized by a series of bad-fortune trip through the series, stuffed his rival behind in post-position order, then set splits of :27.3, :57.2 and 1:25.3 before finishing his rounds to win the opening Levy division in 1:53.3.
Long Live Rock, repelling an early pocket pull by Bettor Memories, owned a length-and-a-half lead into the lane. He held off a first-up Western Fame by a half-length. Missile J rallied, losing the place photo as the 6-5 favourite.
For fourth choice Long Live Rock, a nine-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding owned and trained by Rene Allard, it was his third win in nine starts this season. Daniel Dube piloted the $16.00 winner.
Killer Martini, (Yannick Gingras, $16.40) from post two, didn’t give much else a shot, holding an uncontested lead through fractions of :27.1, :56.2 and 1:24.2. Opening three-and-one-half lengths in and out of the final turn, Killer Martini defeated a from-last Bit of a Legend N by three-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:52.4. Dr J Hanover, as the 4-5 choice, was third.
For Killer Martini, a six-year-old Camluck gelding owned and trained by Ricky Bucci, the fourth choice is now three-for-12 this season. Driven by Yannick Gingras, he paid $16.40 to win.
Saturday night’s $40,000 Open Handicap Trot, where half the octet galloped, was won by In Secret, a $13.40 winner with George Brennan in the bike, in 1:57.4.
A friendly reminder from Yonkers Raceway that Monday, April 16th's Pick 5 wager starts with a carryover of $7,066.26 and a $20,000 guaranteed pool. The guarantee is in conjunction with the US Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.
The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising races 7 through 11. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Saturday night), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)