NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Longshot Is Winner of Gallant Fox

William M. Rivkman’s Challenge My Duty hung on in the final yards for a neck victory over Salt Ridge in the $177,000 Gallant Fox Handicap at Aqueduct on Monday.

Carrying 114 pounds and Chris Antley, the winner covered 1 5/8 miles on a muddy track in 2:47 in registering his fifth victory in 16 starts.

Salt Ridge, 112 and Jorge Velasquez, finished 4 1/4 lengths ahead of Cantinero, 110 and John Velazquez, in the eight-horse field.

Challenge My Duty earned $106,200 and returned $13.40, $6.60 and $4.20.

Salt Ridge paid $7.60 and $4.20 and Cantinero was $9.40 to show.

Ioya won the featured $18,000 Evening Song Purse as Chicago’s 10 1/2-month thoroughbred racing season wound up with the finale of Hawthorne Race Course’s 73-day meeting.

The odds-on favorite ridden by Jerry LaSala won by 3 1/2 lengths and returned $3.60, $2.60 and $2.40.

Speckled Guinea was second in the 1-mile 70-yard race for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up and paid $4.80 and $3.20.

Spend A Nickel was third and paid $4.80. The running time was 1:46 4/5.

Among them, they have started 2,477 races and won 464 of them for combined earnings of $1,392,367.

Racing fans will bid adieu to nine 14-year-old standardbreds today when they make their final career starts in the Au Revoir at Monticello Raceway in Monticello, N.Y.

Under United States Trotting Assn. rules, no harness horse can race past the age of 14, and since the universal equine birthday is Jan. 1, this is au revoir to all in the field--eight trotters and one pacer.

The top career money earner in the field is Diamond Sparkler, who has winnings of $328,000 with 62 career wins.

The lone trotter in the field, Blazing Dayan, has been assigned the rail for his battle with the pacers.

Blazing Dayan has enjoyed a fine farewell campaign, winning nine of 35 starts and more than $21,000. His career earnings are $146,341.