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MGM Yonkers Raceway closed the books on its 2022 harness racing season Thursday, December 22 with three $33,000 Open Handicap races. It was a rain-soaked track labeled sloppy with a two-second allowance from the judges.
The 2nd race was the Open Handicap Trot where Nows The Moment (Credit Winner) and driver Austin Siegelman worked out a perfect trip to soundly beat the race favorite, HI Revadon.
HI Revadon and driver Yannick Gingras went right to the front from the start with Nows The Moment following in the two-hole to the first quarter in :28.2.
They raced single file past the half mile in :58.1 and the three-quarters in 1:26 with little movement and HI Revadon and Nows The Moment pulling away from the field.
At the top of the stretch, it was a two-horse race to the wire but Nows The Moment had too much momentum, blowing by HI Revadon to win by two lengths in 1:55.1. Stormy Kromer (Daniel Dube) was third.
NOWS THE MOMENT REPLAY
The victory was the third in a row for the seven-year-old gelding and his eighth win of the season. Nows The Moment is trained by Mr. Allison MacDonald for owner Sonya MacDonald. He paid $8.00 to win.
The 7th race Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Trot saw the race favorite Refined (Uncle Peter) able to take some air over the sloppy track and then pull away for an easy victory.
Hey Livvy (Jordan Stratton) was stretched out by Grey (Yannick Gingras) to the first quarter mile in :28.1. Hey Livvy led the field past the half mile in :57.2 and the three-quarters in 1:56.3 before the first-over challenge by Refined (Brent Holland) proved to be too much.
Taking the lead on the final turn for home, Refined pulled away in the stretch to win by two and one-half lengths in 1:56.3. Kenziesky Hanover (Jason Bartlett) was second with Grey third.
REFINED REPLAY
It was the 11th win of the season for the six-year-old mare. She is trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr. for co-owners Joyce McClelland and Larry Wills. Refined paid $4.20 to win.
Christmas came early for owner-breeder Guy Corbeil of Quebec as his homebred mare, Lit De Rose (Leader Bayama) closed from last place at the three-quarters to win the 8th race Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Hot Mess Express (Scott Zeron) took the early lead away from Chase Lounge (Yannick Gingras) at the first quarter in :27 and they raced single file past the half mile in :56.1 before the action began to heat up.
Going down the backstretch, race favorite Delitfulcatherin N (Jordan Stratton) came first-over with Lucky Artist A (Braxten Boyd) second-over and Lit De Rose with Pat Lachance in the sulky, in last place, third over.
At the three-quarters in 1:25, Boyd kicked out the ear plugs on Lucky Artist A and moved her three-wide as Lit De Rose and Lachance had momentum, so they were four-wide on the final turn, then three-wide at the top of the stretch.
At the three-quarters in 1:25, Boyd kicked out the ear plugs on Lucky Artist A and moved her three-wide as Lit De Rose and Lachance had momentum, so they were four-wide on the final turn, then three-wide at the top of the stretch.
As they raced to the wire, Lit De Rose was much the best, winning by two lengths in 1:54.2. Lucky Artist A was second with Delitfulcatherin N third.
LIT DE ROSE REPLAY
For Lit De Rose, it was her fifth straight win and ninth victory of the year. She is also trained by Pat Lachance and paid $11.20 to win.
Looking forward to 2023, the 240-date slate of racing at Yonkers is set to begin on Monday, January 16 and will run through Wednesday, December 20. Post time will be 7 p.m. (Eastern) for each card except for one matinee program on Saturday, September 23.
Live racing will take place on a Monday through Friday basis from the start of the 2023 season through the end of April. Starting in May, Wednesday will become a dark day and live racing will move to a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule until October when the Monday-Friday slate resumes and Saturday switches back to a dark day.
Yonkers will not hold any programs from Wednesday, November 22 through Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving.
For complete race results, click here.
by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink
