BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, August 27, 2016—Pole-sitting and pocketed, 14-1 Wildflower (Dan
Dube, $31) picked off a drifting, odds-on Celebrity Eventsy (John Campbell)
Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $118,574 Hudson Trot for 3-year-old
fillies.
The
1-4 choice had no visible excuse, waltzing around the oval (:28.2, 58.2; 1:27.3) with minimal
first-up pressure from Windowshopper (Ake Svanstedt). The people’s preference
owned a length-and-a-half lead into the lane, but tired late.
Even with high-line urging from her chauffeur,
she bore out more than enough to give her pursuer a shot. Wildflower ducked
inside and stuck her tongue out a the wire, winning the Kodak moment in 1:56.1.
Southwind Hope (Andy Miler), who slipped out in
front of a gapper down the backside, offered good late foot to grab third while
beaten a half-length.
Dream Child (Jason Bartlett) and Windowshopper
grabbed the final pay envelopes, while Hillosophical (Scott Zeron) was outrun
and Dancing in Thehall (Mack MacDonald) broke.
For Wildflower, one of three trained by Svanstedt
here (Dancing in Thehall and Windowshopper, all racing separately), the
daughter of Muscle Hill is co-owned by her trainer, Douglas Sipple and Mal
& Janet Burroughs, it was her third win in seven seasonal starts. The
exacta paid $60.50, with the triple returning $119.
“It’s the first time I’ve driven her,” Dube said.
“I looked at the program and saw she doesn’t make breaks, and thought she’d be
a good horse for this track.
“I saw John’s filly (Celebrity Eventsy) starting
to drift and thought I had a chance. When she made that last lunge, I thought I
won it.”
