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.
