BY FRANK DRUCKER,
Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS,
NY, Saturday, September 24, 2016—The Empire’s best of the best converged upon
Yonkers Raceway Saturday night for the $1.8 million New York Night of
Champions.
Eight,
$225,000 sire stakes finals, each sponsored by a prominent breeding farm, feature
the best 2- and 3-year-olds of both sexes and gaits in the 27th NOC
edition.
The
freshmen (and freshwomen) played out as such…
(Winbak
Farm 2-Year-Old Filly Pace) –Roaring To Go (catch driver Jason Bartlett),
pocketed and a bit wobbly-gaited late, crossed the line first in 1:55. The
wobbles didn’t do her in, but the cutting the cones did.
She
was set down to second for leaving the course in the final turn, promoting 6-5
favorite Tequila Monday (Brian Sears, $4.50) to the win. The latter, last after
an early, eight-hole break, was relentless, closing from a dozen lengths back
at the half to miss a head before eventually being put up.
Robin
J (John Campbell) sat and was a best-of-the-rest third.
Tequila
Monday, a daughter of American Ideal, trained by Chris Oakes for co-owners
Susan Oakes and Chuck Pompey, has won four of her five seasonal starts.
The exacta paid $12.40, with the triple (three wagering choices returning $41.
(Genesee
Valley Farm 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace) – Odds-on Funknwaffles
(Jim Morrill Jr., $2.70) won this “match race” with second choice Miso Fast
(Matt Kakaley) by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.3, a track record for
2-year-old pacing geldings. It was 10 lengths back to Twin B Cowboy (Tim
Tetrick), with 140-1 shot What’s Goin’ On (Mark MacDonald) fourth.
Funknwaffles,
a son of American Ideal co-owned by Ms. Oakes & Crawford Farms Racing and
trained by John Butenschoen, has been just about perfect (9 starts, 8 wins, 1
second) this season ($257,284). The exacta paid $4, the triple returned $29.60
and the superfecta paid $266.
“He’s
an overachiever,” Morrill Jr. said. “May not much to look at, but this was a
tremendous mile on a cool evening.”
(Majestic
View Farms International 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot) – He was the best in the division coming in, and Devious
Man (Andy Miller, $3.20) was the going out. Working his way to the lead just
before the half, he finished of his rounds in 1:58. Stick with Me Kid (Sears)
chased after yielding, beaten a length-and-three quarters, with Such an Angel
(Campbell) a first-up third.
For
Devious Man, a son of Credit Winner owned (as part of Stroy Inc.) by trainer
Julie Miller, he’s won six of his 10 ’16 tries. The exacta (two wagering
choices) paid $11.20, with the triple returning $23.40.
“He
just zips around these small tracks,” Andy Miller said. “He was getting a
little tired around the last turn, but he’s figured out how to win.”
(Crawford
Farms 2-Year-Old Filly Trot) – Despite 22 days off and a scratched-sick in between,
odds-on Barn Bella (Jeff Gregory, $3.20) held sway. She defeated an
out-a-long-way Mamora Bay (Sam Schillaci) by length in a division track-record
1:57.2. Heels on Wheels (Kakaley) was third.
Barn Bella, a Conway Hall miss co-owned by (trainer) Steve & Nancy Pratt
and Purple Haze Stables, has won six of her nine first-season starts. The
exacta (two wagering choices) paid $7.70, with the triple returning $22.
“She was sick before her last scheduled start (here),” Gregory said. “Steve
(Pratt) didn’t want to qualify her because she’s been racing regularly before
that. He and Claude Huckabone Jr., who drove her earlier in the season, did a
very good job with her, because she was a project when she first started.”
