BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Saturday, February 6, 2016—A
week before Valentine’s Day, “Shana” and “Dan” were the popular couple, winning
Yonkers Raceway’s $32,000 Saturday night co-featured Open Handicaps.
“Shana,” as in Crazshana (Jason Bartlett,
$6.70) prevailed from the pocket in the week’s featured trot. Leaving from post
position No. 4, he tailed a three-wide-early Red Hot Herbie (Brian Sears)
through that’s one journey (:28.1,
:57.4, 1:26.4).
“Herbie,” as
the 9-10 favorite, put away a second move from Not Afraid (Dan Dube), taking a
length-and-a-half lead into the lane. However, he couldn’t close the sale,
surrounded from both sides. Crazshana edged out and went by, whipping a
cone-skimming Money Maven (George Brennan) by a length in 1:55.2.
Red Hot
Herbie, lone lass Tweet Me (Pat Lachance) and Headsaregonna Turn (Tyler Buter)
completed the cashers.
For second
choice Crazshana, a 4-year-old statebred Crazed gelding owned by Bamond Racing
and trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr., it was his first win in three seasonal
starts. The exacta paid $25.40, with the triple returning $77.50.
The weekly
marquee pace saw odds-on Atta Boy Dan (Brennan, $3) prevail from post No. 5 in
a two-move effort. After he and Polak A (Sears) were put in play early (:28.3
opening quarter-mile), Melmerby Beach (Bartlett)—who was throwing his head
around early—made a big move, from fifth to the lead before a :57.3
intermission.
Melmerby
Beach maintained his place in and out of a 1:24.4 three-quarters, with a
length-and-a-half lead in and out of the final turn. He was then ganged up on
by a trio of “outsiders,” with Atta Boy Dan edging from the pocket and beating
a wider Polak A by a neck in 1:53. A rallying Hugh Hefner N (Jordan Stratton),
Rock Icon (Matt Kakaley) and a tiring Melmerby Beach rounded out the payees.
For Atta Boy
Dan, a 7-year-old Western Terror gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by
(trainer) Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, he’s 1-for-3 this season. The
exacta paid $9.40, with the triple returning $38.60.
The Raceway’s
live season continues Monday night with a dozen races, a $10,000 guaranteed
Pick 5 pool and a first post of 7:10 PM.
