Mackenzie A takes $40,000 feature

YONKERS, NY, Friday, December 1, 2017— It wasn’t terribly attractive, but certainly effective. Odds-on Mackenzie A (Jordan Stratton, $2.90) did her thing from first-up Friday night (Dec. 1st), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $40,000 harness racing filly and mare Open Pace.

Away fifth from the pole in the scratch-abbreviated field of seven, the Matchmaker victress saw Call Me Queen Be (Eric Goodell) outleave all of her inside rivals, working around Best of Jenna (Mark MacDonald) with All About Madi (George Brennan) third.

After early intervals of :26.4 and :56, Mackenzie A moved. She engaged Call Me Queen Be in and out of a 1:24.3 three-quarters, despite not steering all that well.

Call Me Queen Be maintained a short lead off the final turn, but her pursuer was relentless. Mackenzie A forged past in mid-stretch, prevailing in 1:54. Best of Jenna was a pocket second, missing a half-length at 33-1. She did ‘photo’ an angled-out All About Madi, with Call Me Queen Be and Regil Elektra (Joe Bongiorno) coming away with the remainder.  

For Mackenzie A, a 5-year-old Down Under daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven co-owned by Ellen Kinser & Harry von Knoblauch Stables and trained by Peter Tritton, it was her fourth win in 13 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $41.60, with the triple returning $84.50.

A friendly reminder from Yonkers Raceway that Saturday evening’s (Dec. 2^nd) Pick 5 wager starts with a carryover of $2,687.64.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising races 7 through 11 during every racing card. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Friday night), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

Frank Drucker