BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity
Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Thursday, May 30, 2013--Doctor Butch has gained a new driver and early favoritism for Yonkers Raceway's $275,000 final of the Art Rooney Pace Saturday night.
"Butch," last season's New
York Sire Stakes freshman colt, drew post position No. 5 and was made the 3-1
morning line favorite in the field of seven 3-year-old colts and one gelding.
George Brennan takes a first-time
seat for trainer Linda Toscano and owner Ken Jacobs. The son of Art Major was a
season-starting third in last week's first elimination, cutting the mile (with
Tim Tetrick driving) before fading to third—beaten two lengths—in the lane.
“Butch,” off an eight-win, $344,000 frosh season, was the lone $30,000
supplemental entrant into the 23rd edition of the Rooney.
“I’ve seen this colt race enough to
know how good he is,” Brennan said. “He wasn’t at his best last week, but I’m
going to chalk that up to being his first start. If he races the way he’s
capable, I think he’s the best in there.”
Brennan also drives pole-sitting
Mattwestern in Saturday's companion event, the $117,060 Lismore Pace for
3-year-old fillies. The locally-debuting daughter of Western Terror, co-owned
(as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, has won six of her
nine seasonal starts, operating in Pennsylvania.
“I don’t know anything about her at
all,” Brennan said. “I didn’t even know I was down to drive until the
(overnight) sheet came out. I looked at her lines and see has a good record. I
can’t complain about the draw, and (Burke) always sends them here ready.”
The Lismore goes as race 7
(approximate post 9:30 PM), while the Rooney goes as the ninth race
(approximate post 10:10 PM). First post for the 13-race card is 7:10 PM.
The fields, with drivers and
morning-line odds...Rooney--1-Sunfire Blue Chip (Dan Dube, 5-1); 2-Source of
Pride (Dave Miller, 5-1); 3-Mach it So (Brett Miller, 6-1); 4-Good Day Mate
(Jason Bartlett, 6-1); 5-Doctor Butch (George Brennan, 3-1); 6-Sir Cary's
Z Tam (Pat Lachance, 5-1); 7-Lonewolf Currier (Brian Sears, 4-1); 8-Bet
the Moon (Eric Goodell, 10-1).
Note Sunfire Blue Chip and Source of
Pride are coupled.
In the Lismore...1-Mattwestern
(Brennan, 3-1); 2-JK Black Beauty (Sears, 8-1); 3-Freetime (Jordan Stratton,
4); 4-Aria J (Brett Miller, 10-1); 5-Handsoffmycupcake (Dube, 4-1);
6-Offintothesunset (Brent Holland, 5-1); 7-Live Entertainment (Dave Miller, 5-1);
8-Give Me an Amen (Bartlett, 10-1).
Note that JK Black Beauty, Aria J, Offintothesunset and Give
Me an Amen, all trained by Toscano, race uncoupled due to bona fide separate
ownership, while Freetime and Handsoffmycupcake are coupled due to common
co-owner/trainer (Scott DiDomenico).
