Yonkers: Caviart Cherie goes down the road in Petticoat Final

She beat the gate, then beat her foes, both with the greatest of ease.

Caviart Cherie (Jordan Stratton, $20.20) offered an eight-hole tour de force Monday night (March 26), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $62,000 final of the Petticoat Pacing Series.

There wasn’t much to the finale, which wrapped a four-week series for 3- and 4-year-old lasses who are/were non-winners of four races and/or $40,000 through last Dec. 1. All finalists were 4-year-olds.

Caviart Cherie, one of four ladies who had won twice in the prelims, quickly negated the ill-effects of an open-draw impost.

Leaving with the speed of a runner, Caviart Cherie hurdled the field early in the first turn. While doing so, she looped 4-5 favorite Diamondtoothgertie (George Brennan), that one eventually finding a seat fourth.

Caviart Cherie threw it down, with a 26 4/5 opening quarter-mile and 55 2/5 intermission. Chasing from a loose pocket was Jk Jazzitup (Mark MacDonald), with Gotthisone Hanover (Yannick Gingras) away third.

Diamondtoothegertie moved from fourth, but never came within shouting distance of Caviart Cherie. After a 1:23 3/5 three-quarters, the lead was three lengths entering the lane.

The final margin was a length-and-a-half in a season’s-best 1:54. Second went to Jk Jazzitup, with Diamondtoothgertie salvaging the bottom of the ticket. Dali Delight (Dan Dube), coupled with Jk Jazzitup, and Absolutely Best (Jason Bartlett) settled for the minors.

D G’s Elsa (Eric Goodell), Gotthisone Hanover and Lusty Delight (Greg Merton) completed the order.

For third choice Caviart Cherie, a 4-year-old daughter of Well Said owed by Joe P Racing and trained by Matias Ruiz, it was her seventh win (with three seconds) in 11 seasonal starts. The exacta $69, with the triple returning $129.

“She overcame the eight-hole,” was Stratton’s succinct post-mortem.

“A shout-out to Matt Kakaley, who drove her very well,” Scott Pennacchio, son of Joe P Racing principal Joseph Pennacchio, said. “He gets a lot of the credit, and we hope he’s back soon.”

A $30,000 series consolation was won by favored Pull the Shade (Scott Zeron, $5.70) in 1:55 3/5, matching her week-old, life-best effort.

Tuesday night (March 27), it’s the Raceway’s annual Teddy Roosevelt testimonial, the Sagamore Hill concludes with a final worth $63,400.

-edited release (Frank Drucker for Yonkers)