BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, September 9,
2014—Post positions have been drawn for the 25th edition of the New
York Night of Champions, hosted by Yonkers Raceway Saturday night. The $1.8
million event, richest night of racing in the state, offers eight, $225,000
sire stakes finals for 2-and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits. Once again,
each race is sponsored by a prominent Empire State breeding farm.
Some hot-off-the-overnight-sheet
tidbits from each of the races, which go as races two through nine on the
13-race card ($10,000 guaranteed pool Pick 5, 50-cent base wager races 5
through 9)…
Crawford Farms 2-Year-Old Filly
Trot (2nd race)—Barn Doll (Jeff Gregory, head number 5, post 5)
led the lasses with six wins in eight seasonal tries ($95,287) and 2-for-2
here, but was scratched sick from her last scheduled start. Pig Hunt (Brennan,
HN 4, post 3) also won both of her local tries, while Concentration (Brian
Sears, HN2, post 1) enters with three win in her last four work nights. All
three lasses mentioned are daughters of Conway Hall.
Cameo Hills Farm 3-Year-Old
Filly Pace (3rd race)—Spreester (Jason Bartlett, post 1) won
both the division during the summer and the draw for the final. The Kimberley
Zabielski-owned homebred daughter of American Ideal does seem to enjoy her
craft, as in 6-for-14 this season ($134,330) and a career 14-for-24. It Was
Fascination (Brett Miller, post 2) has been open stakes-placed, while Ken Doll
J (Sears, post 4) authored a 40-1 upset in her latest at Batavia.
Winbak Farm 2-Year-Old Filly
Pace (4th race)—A three-headed Ron Burke-trained monster in Band
of Angels (Brennan, HN 1, post 1), Sassa Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr., HN 1A,
post 2) and Bettor N Better (Matt Kakaley, HN 1B, post 3) had the pills perform
perfectly. They’re a combined 16-for-21 this season—occupying the first three
places in the standings—with earnings in excess of $330,000. “Angels” and “Sassa”
are daughters of Rock N Roll Heaven, while “B n B” is a Bettor’s Delight lass.
Stirling Brook Farms 3-Year-Old
Filly Trot (5th race)—Market Rally (Morrill Jr., HN 2A, post 6)
was last season’s statebred champ, and, after being sold to Burke and Associates,
has continued her excellent form. The Cash Hall lass has run roughshod over her
foes, winning six of her last seven tries…the only blemish being an early
Batavia bobble. She’s 5-for-5 here in her career, accounting for half of her
career (10-for-21, $544,716) win resume.
Morrisville College Equine
Institute 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot (6th race)—Buen Camino
(Trond Smedshammer, post 6), a Cash Hall gelding, has rattled off three
consecutive wins ($125,338). Crazy Wow (Dan Rawlings, post 1) needed a win here
and some help to get the last place at the table, while Insomniac (Bartlett,
post 8) also enjoyed a six-figure summer.
Blue Chip Farms 3-Year-Old
Colt/Gelding Pace (7th race)—All Bets Off (Kakaley, HN 1A, post
6), with a pair of open-company wins (Art Rooney Pace, Milstein Memorial) on
his holster, has hit the board in all 11 tries this season (8 wins, 2 seconds,
1 third, $530,425). Stay Up Late (Mark MacDonald, HN 5, post 5) has won
his last couple of NYSS events, and could be best of others.
Genesee Valley Farm 2-Year-Old
Colt/Gelding Pace (8th race)—Any number of these have mastered
freshman orientation, including points leader Southwind Masimo (Pat Lachance,
post 1)—4-for-5 thus far—Americanprimetime (Tyler Buter, post 5) and Cartoon
Daddy (Kakaley, post 6), who has won thrice in four Westchester effort.
Allerage Farm 3-Year-Old
Colt/Gelding Trot (9th race)—Defending champ Flyhawk El Durado
(MacDonald, HN 2, post 1), who enters with six wins in 13 ’14 tries
($292,711), has won his last four versus statebreds. He features wild speed to
take advantage of the pylons, while the gelding Gural Hanover (Morrill Jr., HN
1, post 2) is 8-for-10 ($274,413) has strung together seven (NYSS) wins in
succession entering this race.
(Note…the final point standings from each division accompany this release)
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.
