Something For Doc best in Yonkers feature

Something for Doc (Matt Kakaley) finished what he started Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $35,000 Open Handicap Pace.

 

Assigned penultimate post position No. 7, "Doc"--as is his custom--has nose on gate. He made the lead around locally-debuting Intheblinkofaneye (Jason Bartlett) right after a :27.3 opening quarter-mile. A rated 29-second next quarter (:56.3 half) served Something for Doc well as slight 2-1 choice Roadway (George Brennan)--making his Open Handicap bow--took up the chase.

 

It turned into a match race by the 1:24.2 three-quarters, with Intheblinkofaneye tiring in the pocket and nothing hanging with Roadway in the outer tier.  Something for Doc owned a length-and-a-half lead into the lane, then edged away from a pesky Roadway by 2 3/4 lengths. The 1:52.3 effort matched the fastest local mile of 2013. Here We Go Again (Eric Goodell), Silent Swing (Mark MacDonald) and Intheblinkofaneye rounded out the payees.

 

For Something for Doc, a 5-year-old Western Hanover gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi and Strollin Stable, he returned $16.20 (fifth choice) for his second win three seasonal starts. The exacta paid $59, with the triple returning $436.

 

Saturday's feature was one of four consecutive victories by Kakaley, the last three of which were trained by Burke. Jack Franklin also trained three winners on the 12-race card. (Yonkers)