Keep It Real rolls in Yonkers feature

Favored Keep it Real (Jim Pantaleano) uncorked Yonkers Raceway's fastest mile of the season, winning Saturday night's $42,500 Open Handicap Pace in 1:51.

 

The six-length victory also set a track record under the category of "4-year-old horse," knocking a couple of ticks from the performance of Jereme's Jet in May, 2007. It also eclipsed Giddy Up Lucky's week-old local 2010 best by two-fifths of a second, and was just one-fifth away from Silver Almahurst's all-age track record, which has stood since April of 1993.

 

Leaving from post position No.7, Keep it Real--back in Westchester for first time in a couple of months-waited his turn before ascending to the big chair. Deuce Seelster (Jordan Stratton) and Legal Litigator (Stephane Bouchard) merely served as warm-up acts as Keep it Real took over after a 27-second opening quarter-mile

 

From there, he rolled through a :55.2 intermission and 1:23.1 three-quarters, taking a 3 1/2-length lead into the lane. A :27.4 final quadrant earned Keep it Real a place in the Raceway record books. This came one night after barn buddy Western Graduate became the fastest female in the history of Yonkers Raceway (1:51.3) with a nearly-10-length rout over a "sloppy" surface.

 

Legal Litigator was a costly cab ride back in second to Keep it Real, with Pandora's Sox (Brent Holland), Deuce Seelster and Psilvuheartbreaker (Cat Manzi) also earning appearance fees.

 

For Keep It Real, a son Real Artist trained by Lou Pena for co-owners JL Benson and KDM Stables, he returned $5.90 for his seventh win in 19 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $29.80, with the triple returning $445.50. (Yonkers)