YONKERS PREPPING FOR SIX CONSECTIVE PROGRAMS

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

            YONKERS, NY, Wednesday, February 18, 2015—File this under “No Rest for the Weary.”

Beginning Thursday evening, Yonkers Raceway shall race six consecutive days…Mother Nature permitting.

Thursday (first post 7:10 PM) – 12 races and some free money ($1,307.06, to be exact) as carryover into the Pick 5 (50-cent base wager, races 7 through 11).

Friday (first post 7:10 PM) – 12 races, with a $35,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace (6^th race).

Saturday (first post 7:10 PM) – 12 races, with a $35,000 Open Pace (6^th race) and the last three (count ‘em, three) previous winners of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series dotting the card. Atochia (2012 winner) drew post position No. 4 in the fifth race, with Matt Kakaley driving. Razzle Dazzle (Eric Carlson), who won the 2013 edition, wound up behind the eight-ball in the eighth race and last season’s champ, P H Supercam (Jason Bartlett) landed post No. 6 in the 10^th race.  

In keeping with that theme, 2011 Levy winner Real Nice (Kakaley) landed the pylons in Friday’s ninth race.

Sunday (first post 12:10 PM) – a French-themed 12 races, with the first seven featuring oversized trotting fields (12, 12, 10, 10, 10, 10 and 10 horses, respectively). Including is the $46,000 Open Handicap Trot (3^rd race),  with the formful Not Afraid (Dan Dube, post 8) looking for a fourth win in six seasonal starts. Note that after a dark Sunday next week, live racing is scheduled for March 8 and 15.

Monday (first post 7:10 PM) – 11 races, including a $10,000 guaranteed pool Pick 5 (races 7 through 11), with program pages available (after finalized) at www.yonkersraceway.com.

Tuesday (first post 1 PM) – card to be drawn Thursday (Feb. 19).

Cal Expo Friday Barn Notes

Franky Provolone rounding back to best form

By Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

Franky Provolone is still looking for his first victory of the year, but he’s certainly knocking on the door after turning in a solid second to the classy Frank’s Best last weekend.

The 8-year-old trotting son of Armbro Scribe is the pride and joy of Robin Clements, having made many winner’s circle appearances while carrying her banner. Franky Provolone’s current bankroll stands at over $155,000 and he set his lifetime mark of 1:55 4/5 last summer Running Aces.

“It’s been kind of a drought with Franky since he came back from Minnesota,” Robin said. “I gave him a month off after Running Aces and kind of pushed him back a bit too early to have him ready, especially when he had to race against powerhouses like El Azteca and Its Not Over.”

Clements feels following those horses home on a constant basis may have had an impact on his game. “I think mentally it took a toll on him. I’ve been trying to freshen him up and get back the drive that he always had.

“He’s actually a timid horse and not the best eater, so I have to feed him like he’s at a buffet with a little of this and a little of that. He does love apple time, though, especially when Kathy Plested pops over and they have apple time together.”

As mentioned earlier, Franky Provolone is coming off a good runner-up effort to another 8-year-old Armbro Scribe offspring in Franks Best, who has a lot of class and $200,000-plus in his bank account.

“I’m trying to build his confidence back up,” Robin noted. “He’s getting lots of extra outside pen time and we’ll just go from there.” It shouldn’t be long before Franky Provolone is getting the cheese again around here.

Mini-Series final, Jackpot 6 carryover spotlighted

A Mini-Series finale headed by Im Fasterthanu and Keystone Shaye and a $41,689 Jackpot 6 carryover headline the Friday evening Watch and Wager LLC program at Cal Expo.

First post for the 10-race card is 6:40 p.m. and the Jackpot 6 is one of four wagers on the program that feature a reduced 16% takeout rate.

The other wagers with the lower takeout rate are the Hi-5, which like the Jackpot 6 is a 10-cent minimum bet; the 50-cent Pick 5; and the 20-cent Pick 4, which comes with a $20,000-guaranteed pool on Friday and $25,000-guaranteed pool on Saturday and Sunday.

The Jackpot 6 wager finds 70% of the net pool paying out to tickets with the most winners and 30% of the net pool designated for the carryover.

If there is one unique ticket selecting six winners, the entire net pool and the carryover is paid to the holder of the ticket. If that should happen Friday night, they would receive the entire net pool and a cool $41,689 bonus.

Looking at Friday’s main event, Imfasterthanu and Keystone Shaye figure to get plenty of tote attention after proving punctual favorites in their respective divisions last week. Edwin Quevado conditions Imfasterthanu, while Keystone Shaye hails from the Patricia Minnella barn.

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This week will find the trotters and pacers in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Feb 20-22.

MEADOWLANDS TO OFFER PREMIUM BUFFET DINNER ON FRIDAYS

$34.95 buffet in Pink opens at 6:00 p.m. beginning Friday, February 20

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (February 18, 2015) – In response to customer feedback, the Meadowlands will start offering a premium buffet dining option on Friday nights at Pink Restaurant for $34.95 per person (alcohol, tax, and gratuity not included). Dinner service begins at 6:00 p.m. Live horse racing begins at 7:15 p.m.

The menu will include a variety of cold and hot items, salads, and desserts including chef carved Roman Pork Roast with fresh herbs, sweet sausage, and pan jus; grilled salmon with artichoke hearts, grape tomato, and whole grain mustard sauce; and penne ala vodka with fresh basil and parmesan. The complete menu, photos, and a video tour are available on Pink’s website.  The menu will change each Friday night. 

Pink’s prix-fixe menu will remain on Saturday nights.

Tableside cocktail service and breathtaking views of the live horse races complement the dining fare.

Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling (201) THE-BIGM.