BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
After tonight's (Tuesday's) $331,270 Dick McGuire Trot for 3-year-old colts and
geldings, the statebreds are at it again both Thursday and Friday.
Thursday night finds the $290,455 Jim Crawford Pace for freshman colts and
geldings. Drawn and quartered (races 3,5,7 and 8), the event finds talent in
every division.
The opening ($72,905) division includes Swift as a Shadow (Tim Tetrick, post
2), a Bettor's Delight colt who have won half of six starts and more than
$82,000 this summer. Linda Toscano trains the Winbak Farms homebred, who was a
handy NYSS winner here last month.
The second ($72.905) grouping includes Deny Deny Deny (Tetrick, post 1) and
America'sgottalent (Jason Bartlett, post 3). The former, a son of Art
Major trained by Toscano for owner Ken Jacobs, has been first or seconds in
five, first-season tries ($96,746). The latter, a son of American Ideal, has
won three of eight efforts, hitting the board a half-dozen times.
Ron Burke trains for Our Horse Cents Stables.
Thursday night's third ($71,605) sire stakes sojourn includes the return of
Sheppard Pace winner Hail the Taxi (John Campbell, post 7). The son of Art
Major, who authored a 35-1 stunner in that $119,000 July stakes race,
subsequently finished second to divisional standout Captaintreacherous in the
$309,050 Woodrow Wilson at the Meadowlands.
Jim Campbell trains for Fashion Farms as Hail the Taxi makes his first start in
33 days. His primary competition figures to come from Sir Cary's Z Tam (Pat
Lachance, post 4), a Bettor's Delight colt who already has a local sire stakes
win on his resume.
Thursday's final ($72,905) statebred event brings the Empire's upper echelon in
the form of Doctor Butch (Tetrick, post 5). The Art Major colt, trained
by Toscano for owner Jacobs, has six wins (including his last five starts) and
a pair of seconds in eight '12 efforts ($161,782).
"Butch" was second in final of the Sheppard (after winning his elim),
then won a local NYSS appearance at odds of 1-20. His life-best of 1:52, taken
two starts back at Tioga, is the fastest win time of any of Thursday's sire
stakes entrants.
Friday night, the $291,440 Pat Quaglietta Trot for 2-year-old fillies, like the
Crawford, was sliced and diced into four divisions (races 3 through 6, at
$72,860 each).
The evening's first event is led by the board-perfect Barn Babe (John Cummings
Jr., post 4). The daughter of Cash Hall, owned and trained by Steve Pratt, has
three wins, three seconds and a pair of thirds ($73,123) in eight efforts this
season. However, she did tire to third as the odds-on choice when these ladies
first hit town about a month ago.
The second grouping is led by Pretty Crazy (Brent Holland, post 2). The
daughter of Crazed, co-owned and trained by Brandon Simpson, has won five of
her eight starts ($56,674), including a wire-to-wire victory here in the
lasses' first local go-round here in early July.
Friday's third statebred group looms a battle of the three inside interests
with You Want Me (Jim Morrill Jr., post 1), Royal Malinda (Dan Daley, post 2)
and Palm Beach Chic (Jeff Gregory, post 3) all enjoying solid summers.
You Want Me, a Credit Winner lass, co-owned by (breeder) William Weaver III and
(trainer) Paul Kelley, enters with handy wins in her last two tries.
"Malinda," a daughter of RC Royalty trained by Daley for co-owners
Ann-Mari Daley, Purple Haze Stables and Richard Lombardo, has hit the board in
four of her seven tries this season. Palm Beach Chic, a Conway Hall miss
co-owned by her driver and Bill Richardson and trained by Toscano, has a couple
of statebred wins in her last five efforts.
The evening's final foray features talented lasses in the form of Lady Riviera
(Morrill Jr., post 1), Proclaiming April (Trond Smedshammer, post 2) and
Isabella Gal (Morrill Jr. also listed, post 5).
Lady Riviera, a daughter of Sand Vic owned and trained by Rich Banca, has three
wins and a pair of seconds in six seasonal starts ($56,384). Promising April, a
White Birch Farm homebred trained by Smedshammer, has a couple of wins and a
third in five '12 tries ($50,125). "Isabella," a daughter of RC
Royalty co-owned by (trainer) Jeffrey Long, Bob and Lynn Brooks and John
Buettner, has five wins in eight tries ($86,083), with one of those wins coming
here last month.
The Raceway continues
its normal five-night-per-week live schedule, with first post every Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting
accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available around the
NYRA schedule.
