BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, March 19,
2017—Aggressive (Mark MacDonald, $9.80) angled off the cones and was up at the
wire Sunday afternoon, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $68,000 Open Trot.
Starting from the pylons in the field of
nine (the infamous 10-hole was scratched). Aggressive minded his manners as the
lass Allerage Star (Andy Miller) left over Lady’s Dude (George Brennan), and
wasn’t in too much of a hurry (:29.1, :59).
Hemi Seelster (Jason Bartlett), as the
slight 7-2 favorite from the second tier, then offered some mild heat. The one
came first-up from fifth toward a 1:28.1 three-quarters, but never
serious challenged, Allerage Star had the lead at the 1:57 milepost, with a length-and-a-half
advantage in and out of the final turn.
It was about the juncture when Aggressive
extricated himself from the cones. He and Lady’s Dude—who appeared to duck into
the passing lane a lap earlier—provided Allerage Star with unwanted company
from both flanks.
Lady’s Dude did so again this time, but
was outgamed by Aggressive, who earned the schnoz decision in 2:27.1 for the
mile-and-one-quarter. Allerage Star was third, beaten a neck, with a
traffic-troubled Luck O the Irish (Jordan Stratton) and Hemi Seelster rounding
out the payees. The five payees were separated by just a
length-and-three-quarters at the wire.
For third
choice Aggressive, a 6-year-old Kadabra gelding trained by Gilberto
Garcia-Herrera for owner Gilbert Garcia-Owen, it was his third win in five
seasonal starts. The exacta paid $130, the triple returned $510 and the
superfecta paid $1,535.
This
was the final Sunday card until the end of May, and also the last ‘New York,
New York Double’ until then (when Aqueduct becomes Belmont). Sunday’s winning
combination of 1-Lakeside Sunset (Aqueduct’s 3rd race) and 7-Not
Afraid (Yonkers’ 6th race) paid $20 for every correct $1 ticket.
Total pool was $5,745.
