For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Sunday, December 14, 2014

YONKERS WRAPS UP 2014 SEASON

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, December 14, 2014—Cut. Print it. Done. Fini.

Yonkers Raceway’s 2014 season concluded with the sixth Sunday matinee.

After a one-week hiatus, the French theme returned, with the first five races—all trots and all exported—featuring oversized fields and the mile-and-one-quarter distance. The European handle for the quintet was just over $1.2 million, making the five-week (25-race) total approximately 6 million Euros (more than 7.5 million U.S. dollars).

The featured $46,000 Open Handicap Trot saw favored DW’s NY Yank (George Brennan, $3.90) easily handle his rivals, overcoming an eight-hole assignment in 2:26.3. The margin was 3¾ lengths over Backstreet Hanover (Tyler Buter), with Sevruga (Andy Miller) third.

For “DW,” a 5-year-old Dilbert Hanover gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by (trainer) Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi and Howard Taylor, it was his 13th win in 32 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $50, with the triple returning $142.


            The Raceway's 2015 live schedule (along with the return of evening simulcasting) is set to begin Friday, Jan. 9, pending approval of the New York State Gaming Commission. Afternoon simulcasting continues through Monday, then resumes Friday, Dec. 26, after the conclusion of NYRA’s holiday respite.