Art Rooney Pace Eliminations this Saturday Set Stage for $300,000

A pair of $40,000 eliminations for the 28th edition of the Art Rooney Pace are slated for this Saturday night, May 19th, at Yonkers Raceway sets the stage for next Saturday’s (May 26th) $300,000 Rooney Final. Ten three-year-old colts and geldings will go to the post.

The Rooney pays homage to iconic Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers owner and patriarch of the Rooney family.

The Rooney elims are each a five-to-eliminate-one affair, races six and eight on the 10-race program, with the first four in each returning for next Saturday night’s (May 26th) finale.

These are the six colts and four geldings entered:
Rooney 1st elimination (6th race): 1-Jimtastic (Jason Bartlett), 2-Major Authority (Bartlett also listed), 3-Decoy (Dave Miller), 4-Matinee Fashion (George Brennan), 5-Minnie Vinnie (Tim Tetrick).

Rooney 2nd elimination (8th race): 1- Trump Nation (Bartlett), 2-Kwik Talkin’ (Jordan Stratton), 3- Springsteen (Brian Sears), 4- Babes Dig Me (Brett Miller), 5- Handsoffmychips (Sears also listed).

(Handsoffmychips, Major Authority, Matinee Fashion and Minnie Vinnie are the geldings).

The filly companion event to the Rooney, the Lismore Pace, offers nine three-year-old young ladies. That number necessitated a larger game of ‘musical chairs,’ with all the fillies in one tidy $20,000 elimination. That elim is the fifth race, with the first octet going after $111,444 in the Saturday, May 26th final.

The single elim drew out as such…1-Python Blue Chip (Brennan), 2-Krushed Apple (Dave Miller), 3-Solitary (Brent Holland), 4-Jewels Forreal (Brennan also listed), 5-Pass Line Bluechip (Bartlett), 6-Believe in Me (Sears), 7-Reign on Me (Brett Miller), 8-Alexa’s Power (Tetrick), 9-Checkered Past (Mark MacDonald).

Note that Python Blue Chip, Jewels Forreal and Reign on Me are coupled (intersecting owner/trainer), as are Krushed Apple and Believe in Me are also partnered (common ownership).

First post Saturday is the usual 6:50 PM.