Save Me A Dance shines in Yonkers opener

The 2022 harness racing meet at Yonkers Raceway got going on Monday night (January 10), and it was Save Me A Dance who won the featured $39,000 Open Handicap Pace in 1:53.3.

Driven by Jordan Stratton for trainer Travis Alexander, Save Me A Dance went to the front from post two and clicked off opening-half fractions of 27.4 and 57.2. Shadow Cat, piloted by Austin Siegelman, went first-over out of the third spot after the half, but his bid stalled out prior to the 1:25.1 three-quarters, and then he began to drop back on the last turn.

After Shadow Cat faded, that left Save Me A Dance with a clear advantage turning for home, and he would hold sway to the wire, bettering pocket-sitter Im Sir Blake A and driver Marcus Miller by three-quarters of a length. Speed Man N, with Jason Bartlett at the controls, checked in third.

Save Me A Dance is a 5-year-old son of Heston Blue Chip owned by Matthew Morrison and Brian Gordon. This was his 13th career victory, and he has now earned $436,437. The 1-2 favorite, Save Me A Dance paid $3.00 and was atop an $11.60 exacta and a $162.50 trifecta.

Bartlett led the driving colony on Monday night, posting a grand slam. All of his winners – Machiavelli (race one), Elwell (race two), Regal Son (race five), and Magritte (race ten) – were sent out by trainer Gareth Dowse. Stratton, 2021’s top dog at Yonkers, had a triple, adding victories with Alex Tye (race six) and Funatthebeach N (race seven) to his triumph in the Open Handicap Pace.

Racing resumes on Tuesday night (January 11) at Yonkers, with the first of 11 races slated to go off at 6:55 p.m. Yonkers is on a Monday-Friday live racing schedule to start the year.