Yonkers: American Mercury sets track record in NYSS
The Empire’s glamour gentlemen sauntered into Yonkers Raceway Thursday evening (June 27th), doing so for the $167,500 New York Sire Stakes Armand Palatucci Pace for 3-year-old colts and geldings.
A pair of equally-parsed $83,750 portions went postward, starting with a track record.
Polester American Mercury (Tyler Buter, $5) stuffed 4-5 favorite Hickfromfrenchlick (Mark MacDonald) back from whence he came…the three-hole.
From there, he drilled ‘em (26 4/5; 55 3/5; 1:23 2/5; 1:50 3/5), disposing of pocket-sitting Major March (Jason Bartlett) by a couple of lengths. Hickfromfrenchlick wound up a first-up, non-threatening third. Buddy Hill (Brian Sears) was fourth.
For second choice American Mercury, a American Ideal gelding co-owned by Crawford Farms & Northfork Racing, Chuck Pompey & Scott Bice and trained by Chris Oakes, it was his fourth win in six seasonal starts. The exacta paid $25, the triple returned $36.20 and the superfecta paid $76.
The life-best effort was also a new track record for his weight class and matched the fastest local mile of the season.
“At the head of the lane, he was loaded,” Buter said. “I can’t say how much I appreciate getting to drive him.”
The evening’s second and final statebred event saw favored Rollwithpapajoe (Joe Bongiorno, $4.60) yield to Stone Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr.) before the pole-sittier retook. He did the rest (28 3/5, 57 4/5, 1:25 2/5, 1:52 3/5), the 54 4/5 back half more than sufficient to whip ‘Stone’ by a length-and-three-quarters.
Major Joe Lindy (Scott Zeron) was third, with Artie’s Ideal (Marcus Miller) fourth.
For ‘Papajoe,’ a Roll with Joe gelding co-owned by Barbara Bongiorno Stable, Bill Lambos & Dionisios Liberatos and trained by Jennifer Bongiorno, it was his third win in 10 ‘19 starts. The exacta paid $22, the triple returned $304.50 and the superfecta paid $911.
“My horse can make speed, and when no one left early against him, I knew he’d be tough,” driver Bongiorno said.
New York Sire Stakes returns downstate Friday night (June 28th), with the $167,500 Mike Cohen Pace for 3-year-old fillies.
As an unrelated aside, Thursday’'s Pick 5 wager, which began with a $7,500 carryover and a $20,000 guaranteed pool, saw $33,602 of new coin into an after-takeout pool of approximately $32,701. The winning combination of 2/5/4/1/4 paid $1,107.75 for each correct half-a-buck ticket.
-edited release (Frank Drucker for Yonkers)