BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, November 29, 2015—Red
Hot Herbie (Dan Dube, $31.40) engineered the upset Sunday afternoon (late
morning), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $40,400 Open Handicap Trot.
Assigned post position No. 7 in the
10-horse, mile-and-a-quarter medley, “Herbie” was put in play early. He made the
first lead before yielding to 9-10 favorite Luminosity (George Brennan) as the
gang moved past the :28.1 opening quarter-mile and into Turn 2.
Luminosity
then hit the brake, as in a :57.2 half and 1:27.4 three-quarters. That figured
to be enough, but not today. Sumatra (Jordan Stratton) moved from fifth, with
last week’s winner, Dot Dot Dot Dash (Matt Kakaley), behind that one.
Despite the
cheapy fractions, Luminosity was about done. He did maintain the lead in and
out of the 1:57.1 mile post, but Sumatra had displaced him entering the lane.
Dot Dot Dot Dash went wide, but Red Hot Herbie was carried where he needed to
go.
“Herbie”
ducked inside, whipping a wide Dot Dot Dot Dash by a head in an added-distance
2:26.4. Sumatra held very well for third, with Auspicious Hanover (Brian Sears)
and Tweet Me (Pat Lachance) rounding out the payees. Luminosity tired to a
no-excuse sixth.
For fifth
choice Red Hot Herbie, a 5-year-old Here Comes Herbie gelding co-owned (as
Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Albert P
Abdala III, Bruce A
Soulsby and Michael
Reppucci, it was his 11th
win in 28 seasonal starts (three wins in last four tries). The exacta paid
$197.50, with the triple returning $1,580.
Sunday props
to Allard and Sears, who four races each (including a pair in tandem).
