Keppler, Adamczyk take NAADA Fall Series divisions

YONKERS, N.Y.— Scott Keppler and Andrew Adamczyk both bagged pillar-to-post harness racing wins in their respective $13,700 divisions for the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) Trot Fall Series opening preliminary on Thursday night (Sept. 11) at Yonkers Raceway.

Keppler clung to a neck win in the opening division with All Too Well (Muscle Hill) in a 2:00.3 mile. Leaving from the pylon post, Keppler scurried clear of his rivals impacted by the break of Velociraptor (driven by Cote Keim) moving for the first quarter in :29.1. All Too Well coasted on a five-length lead that gradually shrunk to a :59.3 half, but he still maintained a comfortable cushion on the march to three-quarters in 1:29.1. Ima Standup Guy (Joe Faraldo) tipped off the pylons to take a shot after the leader heading for the final turn and made steady inroads through the final quarter of a mile, though All Too Well had enough in reserve to stave off his push and hold on for the victory. Kilimanjaro NL (Anthony Verruso), the 2-1 favorite, chased from a pocket trip to take third after the disqualification of Velociraptor, who was placed sixth for interference. Backstreet Player (Joe Pennacchio) inherited fourth.

ALL TOO WELL REPLAY

Ricky Bucci owns and trains All Too Well, a 4-year-old gelding by Muscle Hill. He paid $8.04 to win.

Andrew Adamczyk found similarly smooth sailing on the point to find the winner’s circle with 2-5 favorite The Last Chapter in a 1:59 mile. Adamczyk easily secured the lead from the pylon post heading to a :29.3 first quarter and faced little pressure through the remainder of the mile. The Last Chapter strolled to a 1:00 half and began peeling away from the competition through three-quarters in 1:28.4. He crossed the finish 3-1/4 lengths better than 26-1 shot Kilauea (Joe Faraldo), who grabbed second from pocket-chaser Los Ballykeelamigo (Anthony Verruso). J-s Hopscotch (Tony Beltrami) followed off a pylon trip for fourth.

THE LAST CHAPTER REPLAY

Ed Hart trains The Last Chapter, an 11-year-old gelding by Chapter Seven, for owners Richard Gutnick and Thomas Pontone. He paid $2.76 to win.

NAADA action continues with the second preliminary of the club’s Fall Series next Thursday (Sept. 18). First-race post time at Yonkers is 6:45 p.m. (EDT).

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Ray Cotolo, for the NAADA