BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Friday, July 4,
2014—Yonkers Raceway’s Friday night $44,000 tri-featured Open Handicaps—a
double dose for trotters and one for the pacing ladies-- were won by Coraggioso
(Brian Sears, $7.60), Tober (Jason Bartlett, $12.80) and Robin Cruiser (Jordan
Stratton, $30.40).
Coraggioso, ordered outside his seven
rivals, saw dysfunction erupt all around him. Half the field—You Rock My World
(Eric Goodell), Harbor Point (Dan Dube) and Wishing Stone (George Brennan)—all
jumped it off by the time the first turn was done.
That left pole-sitting 8-5 favorite
Zooming (Bartlett) on the lead through soft fractions of :28.3 and :59.1.
Coraggioso, after settling fourth, engaged Zooming in and out of a 1:27.3
three-quarters. Coraggioso moved to a short lead entering the lane, then held
off a stubborn, 41-1 The Triple Lindy (Stratton) by three-quarters of a length
in 1:56.2.
Zooming and pair of “recoverers”—My
Love Bi and Harbor Point—grabbed the remainder.
For third choice Coraggioso, a
5-year-old homebred/statebred son of Conway Hall co-owned by Tom Durkin &
Joe Spadaro, and trained by Julie Miller, it was his seventh win in 16 seasonal
starts. The exacta paid $104.50, with the triple returning $183
The week’s other marquee trot unfolded
with Tober—perfectly-pocketed from post position No. 2--watching as out-of-town
scourge NF Happenstance (Jack Parker Jr.) grabbed the lead and threw down the
gauntlet.
“Happenstance,” as the 17-10 choice,
hung last week’s Open Handicap winner Lorenzo Dream (Sears) for his life (:27.2; 56.3; 1:26.2) before that one
gave up the ghost.
NF Happenstance was able to win the
battle, but lose the war. Tober eased from the two-hole and rolled by, winning
by 3½ widening lengths in 1:56. Awesome Valley (Goodell) skimmed the cones for
second, with a fading NF Happenstance, DW’s NY Yank (Brennan) and Bound for
Fame (Stratton) rounding out the payees.
For fourth choice Tober, a 6-year-old
statebred gelding co-owned by (co-breeder) Kristie Leigh Farm & Joseph
Betro and trained by Ed Hart, he’s now 7-for-19 this season. The exacta
paid $103, the triple returned $348.50 and the superfecta paid $4,409.
The lasses saw Robin Cruiser, from post
No. 3, worked out a second-trip behind 13-10 fave Monkey on My Wheel (Sears).
That one, from an assigned eight-ball, floated in fifth as Summertime Lea
(Brennan) marched around Virgin Mary (Goodell).
After some tepid times of :27.2 of
:57.1, Monkey on My Wheel was out, and making steady inroads. “Lea” remained
the leader at the 1:24.3 three-quarters, opening to 2½ lengths turning for
home. However, she began to hit the wall, outgamed by a wide “Robin” in 1:53.1.
The margin was a half-length.
Summertime Lead photoed Monkey On My
Wheel for second, with Virgin Mary
and Fashion Mystery (Carlson) settling for the small change.
For sixth
choice Robin Cruiser, a 5-year-old homebred daughter of Yankee Cruiser owned by
Pinske Stable and trained by Ms. Miller, it was her seventh win in 16 seasonal
starts (career earning just shy of $1.5 million). The exacta paid $307.50,
with the triple returning $631.
Note that Friday’s 50-cent Pick 5, with
its $25,000 guaranteed pool and $7,500 carryover, attracted $21,304 of Red,
White and Blue green. The sequence of 3/8/3/2/5 returned a take-the-day-off
$7,826 for each half-a-buck winner.
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post
every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening
simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon
simulcasting
available daily.
