Undercover Strike Upsets Open Trotters

Yonkers Raceway’s pair of Saturday night $45,000 co-
featured Open Handicaps were annexed by Undercover Strike
(Tyler Buter, $43.60) and Sapphire City (Brent Holland, $8).
Undercover Strike, from post position No. 5 in the weekly
featured trot, closed from third-over in the lane to pick off a
solid, first-over Shake It Cerry (Dan Dube) by a half-length in
1:54.1.
Invading Muscle Up The Goal (Brian Sears) led through early
stations of :27.2 and :56.3 before ‘Cerry’ upended him. She
owned a length lead into the lane, only to be nailed late.
Resolve (Ake Svanstedt), in his first local start since the 2014
Yonkers Trot, was third. It wasn’t the smoothest of trips for
the 3-5 choice. Assigned outside his six rivals, he floated from
the gate, but found no seat and took back to last.
Out and moving by the half, he wound up second-over behind
Shake It Cerry, who left the cones right at the same time.
Resolve wound up gapping the lass, then flattening late to be
beaten two lengths, with E R Ellie (Larry Stalbaum) and Ladys
Dude (George Brennan) rounding out the payees.
For sixth choice Undercover Strike, an eight-year-old Striking
Sahbra gelding owned by Gerard Stuchbury and trained by
Tom Milici, the win was his ninth in 14 seasonal starts. The
exacta paid $164, with the triple returning $622.
The week’s featured pace saw Sapphire City, put in play from
post No. 6, stalk Great Vintage (Dube). After subsections of
:27.1, :56.1 and 1:24.1, Great Vintage was about to wear out
his welcome.
Before he did, he towed Sapphire City to the passing lane,
which he used to whip a second-over, slight 2-1 choice
Keystone Velocity (Sears) by a nose in 1:52.2. Polak A (Andy
Miller) was a credible, first-up third off the layoff, with Dream
Out Loud N (Buter) and UF Rockin Dragon (Eric Abbatiello)
settling for the remainder.
For second choice Sapphire City, an eight-year-old
Metropolitan gelding trained by Paul Blumenfeld for co-owners
Centaur Stables and Jordan Sklut, he’s now five-for-20 this
season (50 career wins). The exacta paid $38.40, the triple
returned $153 and the superfecta paid $852.