For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Sunday, November 15, 2015

RED HOT HERBIE WINS SUNDAY 50G OPEN TROT

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, November 15, 2015—A repeating Red Hot Herbie (Dan Dube, $5.90) won both the draw and the dash Sunday morning, annexing Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Open Trot.

Seating everyone early from the pole,. “Herbie” led through a :28.3 opening quarter-mile. Zooming (Tyler Buter), as the 7-5 choice, then moved from third, picking up the gauntlet toward and :58.1 next station. After a 1:27.3 three-quarters, Summer Indian (George Brennan) offered a weak, first-up bid, with Sumatra (Jordan Stratton) was forced wide around that one.

Zooming maintained his advantage in and out of the 1:57.2 mile marker, taking a length-and-a-quarter lead into the lane, However, the early hour apparently proved too much for him, as he caved mid-stretch. Red Hot Herbie ducked inside and went by handily, getting the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:26.3. The margin was a length-and-quarter.

Cray About Pat (Brian Sears), racing from a three-hole, chased “Herbie” home to grab second, with Sumatra, Zooming and Rock of Cashel (Jeff Gregory) settling for the minor awards.


For second 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 10th win in 26 seasonal starts (five wins in last seven tries). The exacta paid $51.20, with the triple returning $324.