BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, February 22, 2015—Not
even an assigned eight-hole in a Sunday expanded field could stop favored Not
Afraid (Dan Dube, $4.90) from dominating Yonkers Raceway’s $46,000 featured
Open Handicap Trot.
The week’s marquee trot was the third of
the seven, French-themed trotting events to begin the card, all at the added
(1¼-mile) distance and all with overflow (12-, 11-, four 10- and a nine-horse)
fields.
Leaving but having to wait his turn, Not
Afraid took over from On the Podium (Eric Carlson) just past a 29-second
opening quarter-mile. Another pair of identical intervals (:58, 1:27) ensued
before Count Me In (George Brennan) moved meekly from fourth.
That one never came close as Not Afraid
rolled through a 1:55.4 milepost. He owned a three-length lead entering the
lane, then widened. The final margin, over Lorenzo Dream (Brian Sears), was 4½
length in 2:25.3. Backstreet Hanover (Tyler Buter), Murmur Hanover (Pat
Lachance) and Awesome Valley (Brett Miller) rounded out the payees.
For
Not Afraid, a 6-year-old S J's Caviar gelding trained by Jimmy Takter for
co-owners his wife, Christina, John Fielding and Goran Andeberg, he's 4-for-6
this season (career earnings up and over a half-million dollars). The exacta paid
$42, the triple returned $1,008 and the superfecta paid $3,503.
Note that the
next two “French” Sunday matinees are March 8 and 15, with post times TBA as of
this writing.
The Raceway’s live season continues Monday (7:10 PM), with a $10,000 guaranteed
pool Pick 5 (50-cent base wager, races 7 through 11). After that, it’s Tuesday
(1 PM), then Thursday through Saturday (all at 7:10 PM). Evening
simulcasting accompanies all night programs, with afternoon simulcasting
available daily (all provided Mother Nature cooperates).
