BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, September 1,
2015—The two lads with Triple Crown aspirations—Pinkman and Dealt a Winner—are
going to have to work for their respective second jewels Saturday night, with
Yonkers Raceway hosting both the half-million dollar Yonkers Trot and the
equally-pursed Messenger Stakes.
Post time for the 13-race card is the
customary 7:10 PM, with the 61st Trot going as the sixth race
(approximate post 9 PM) and Messenger No. 60 as race No. 8 (approx. 9:40 PM).
Hambletonian champion Pinkman drew post
position No. 7, with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Jimmy Takter. Gingras
is looking for his first Trot victory, while Takter, who for years couldn’t win
this race, now seemingly can’t lose it. He trained last season’s winner
(Nuncio), his fourth Yonkers Trot win the past six editions.
Pinkman, a 3-year-old gelding son of
Explosive Matter, was second in his elimination race a week ago after getting
babied around the final turn.
His chief combatant, defending New York
Sire Stakes champ Crazy Wow, landed right inside at post No. 6. Crazy Wow
defeated Pinkman by a length a week ago in 1:55.4. George Brennan gets the
finale assignment for trainer Ron Burke, whose other entrant, Habitat (Brian
Sears, post 2) won last week’s second elim (1:55.3) with Gingras doing the
honors.
The field for Yonkers Trot No. 61…1-Buen
Camino (Trond Smedshammer), 2-French Laundry (Sears also listed), 3-Southwind
Mozart (Ake Svanstedt), 4-Billy Flynn (Jason Bartlett), 5-Habitat (Sears),
6-Crazy Wow (Brennan), 7-Pinkman (Gingras), 8-Workout Wonder (Dube).
Note French Laundry and Pinkman coupled,
as are Habitat and Crazy Wow.
Dealt a Winner, he of the 26-1 upset in
the Cane Pace, drew post No. 5 in the Messenger Stakes. The 3-year-old Cam’s
Card Shark gelding is trained by Mark Silva for owner Jeff Snyder.
He’s partnered Saturday with Rock N’ Roll
World (Dube, post 6). Adios winner Dude’s the Man (Brennan) starts from the
pylons here, with Art Rooney Pace champ In the Arsenal (Sears) landing the
three-hole.
The entire Messenger field is as such…
1-Dude’s the Man (Brennan), 2-Revenge
Shark (Gingras), 3-In the Arsenal (Sears), 4-Roland N Rock (Dube also listed),
5-Dealt a Winner (Bartlett), 6-Rock N’ Roll World (Dube), 7-Rollin’ Ring Afire
(Tim Tetrick), 8-National Seelster (Eric Carlson).
Program changes are scheduled to be made
Wednesday morning
