Favorites ruled in stakes action Saturday night at Yonkers Raceway as All Bets Off (1-5) captured the $300,000 Art Rooney and Tyra (3-5) won the $124,744 Lismore.
Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Matt Kakaley, All Bets Off, won the 24th running of the Rooney by 1 ½ lengths over Some Playa in 1:52 2/5. Maxi Bon was third.
Kakaley was content to sit the pocket early with All Bets Off, but going down the backstretch the final time, saw an unexpected challenge.
“When Danny [Dube driving Maxi Bon] came — and he came hard — I was panicking a little bit in the two hole,” Kakaley said.
Fortunately for the favorite, no one was following Maxi Bon, which left room for Kakaley to slip All Bets Off out approaching three-quarters.
“I was lucky that way,” Kakaley said. “If there was [a horse following Maxi Bon] I would have been drug all the way to last and that would have taken me right out of the race.”
All Bets Off paid $2.60 to win.
This was Kakaley’s first victory in the 3-year-old open pace named for the late NFL legend Art Rooney.
Tyra, trained by Joann Looney-King and driven by Tim Tetrick, won the Lismore by seven lengths over Southwind Silence in a stakes record 1:52 1/5. Also Encouraging finished third.
Tetrick was content to sit fourth at the rail with Tyra, not pulling until the field headed for three-quarters.
Once on the lead, Tyra easily extended her advantage through the stretch.
“She’s always had a really nice kick when I’ve asked her,” Tetrick said.
Tyra returned $3.50 to win and gave Tetrick his fourth victory in this stake for 3-year-old pacing fillies.