BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Wednesday, August 30, 2017—For all the success Jason Bartlett has enjoyed since
making Yonkers Raceway his office nearly a decade—and six driving titles—ago,
one of the few holes in the resume is a rather chasmic one.
A Yonkers Trot
win.
“It’s the
signature race and my home track and it’s eluded me,” Bartlett said. “It’s an
important race for me personally and I want to win it.
“I’ve had three
good chances to win it, but none worked out.”
In 2008 (when
‘sure winner’ Holiday Credit jumped it off with an open-length, late-stretch
lead), Velocity Hall “was sitting in the two-hole (behind eventual winner
Napoleon) and had plenty of trot. I was deciding whether I should get out and
go wide, and he broke (going toward the three-quarters).
“That hurt,
because his owner, Tom Dillon, is a good friend of mine from Maine.”
A year later,
Broadway Bistro “was very good winning his elimination (first-up), but drew the
eight-hole in the final. Even then, I thought he had a chance. Unfortunately,
he made a break the second time down the back.”
In 2013, Creampuff
Macdaddy “couldn’t have been any smoother in the elimination, but he hit the
bike in the first turn of the final and made a break.”
Fast forward to
this Saturday night (Sept. 2nd). Bartlett certainly figures to have
a legit shot in the $500,000, 63rd edition. The open draw has him
taking a seat behind Guardian Angel AS from post position No. 4.
The ‘Guardian’ won
the second of two, $40,000 elimination races a last weekend, grinding by Money
Macintosh late to win by a half-length in 1:56.
“I like my chances with him,” Bartlett said. “I can’t complain about the draw.
I’m in between Devious Man (post position No. 1) and Yes Mickey (other elim
winner, post No. 6).”
The 3-year-old
statebred son of 2012 Trot winner Archangel, trained by Anette Lorentzon for
co-owners ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson, has won seven of his dozen
seasonal starts ($138,093), including all four starts here.
This season’s Trot
has a bit of a different feel, with nine in the final (first time since 2000)
after last week’s dead-heat for fourth (Di Oggi and Southwind Hydro) in the
race won by Guardian Angel AS.
“I can’t speak for anyone else, but the extra horse in the field doesn’t bother
me,” Bartlett said. “I just drive my race and go from there.”
The Trot goes as the fifth race
(approximate post draw 8:35 PM), with each horse (and driver and early
computerized line) racing independently…
1-Devious Man (Andy Miller, 5-2), 2-Di
Oggi (Montrell Teague, 10-1), 3-Southwind Cobra (Matt Kakaley, 20-1),
4-Guardian Angel AS (Jason Bartlett, 7-2), 5-Southwind Hydro (Marcus Johansson,
12-1), 6-Yes Mickey (lone $30,000 supplement/lone gelding, Ake Svanstedt, 3-1),
7-Money Macintosh (Jordan Stratton, 12-1), 8-Another Chapter (Dan Dube, 20-1),
9-Top Flight Angel (Brian Sears, 9-1).
Note Top Flight Angel starts from the
second tier.
First post for the dozen-race card is the
usual 7:10 PM.
