BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, July 11,
2015—Two-yeard-olds were prominent Saturday night, with Yonkers Raceway hosting
a pair of eliminations for the Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace.
A baker’s dozen worth of plebes went it at
in their $25,000 elims, with the first four finishers in each back for next
Saturday’s (July 18) $107,500 finale.
Jason Bartlett, who won half the evening’s
dozen races, included wagering choice Do Over Hanover ($5) among that list. The
pole-sitting, $25,000 Western Ideal colt won the evening’s first elimination,
defeating first-starter Gleneagles (George Brennan) by 3¾ lengths in a
maiden-breaking 1:56.1. Second and third choices Autotone Hanover (Tyler Buter)
and Rodeo Rock (Dan Dube) both survived breaks—and a judges’ inquiry—to finish
third and fourth, respectively.
For Do Over Hanover, trained by Jim Campbell for co-owners Jeffrey & Michael
Snyder and Robert Unice, it was that first career win in a couple of starts.
The exacta paid $37.60, with the triple returning $143.
The second elimination saw Joe Larry N Curly (Brennan), sent off at 1-10 odds
and the reason show wagering was taken off the table, fail to get the memo. He
jumped it off wildly leaving the gate, winding up distanced.
That left Tailgunner Hanover (Ray Schnittker, $23.40) in a race by himself,
doing his business—from post No. 6—from an open lead. He won by 6¼ lengths in
an identical (and life-best) 1:56.1. Endeavor (Pat Lachance), Artmagic (Brian
Sears) and War-N-Munn (Dube) also earned their way into the final.
For third choice Tailgunner Hanover, a
$50,000 Well Said colt co-owned (with Joe Sbrocco, Frank Baldassare and Howard
Taylor) by his trainer/driver, it was his second win in three ’15 tries. The
exacta paid $130, with the triple returning $544.
Saturday’s pair of $48,000 Open Handicaps
we won by…
--(Trot), Red Hot Herbie (catch-driver
Bartlett, $9) in 1:55;
--(Pace), P H Supercam (Bartlett, $3.90)
in 1:51.3.
Note that since no one took down Saturday’s Pick 5, Monday night’s
gimmick—already with a $10,000 guaranteed pool—begins with a carryover of
$4,726.64 (50-cent base wager, races 7 through 11).
The Raceway’s live season continues Monday night (7:10 PM), a
“French-centric” Tuesday matinee (1 PM), then Thursday through Saturday (all at
7:10 PM). Evening simulcasting accompanies all night programs, with afternoon
simulcasting available daily.
