YONKERS, NY, Thursday, July 4, 2013--Yonkers Raceway’s upcoming calendar offers
stakes from both the open and statebred sides of the menu.
Friday night. the $291,475 New York Sire
Stakes Armand Palatucci Pace for 3-year-old colts and geldings has three
divisions--worth $96,025, $97,725 and $97,725, respectively--carded as races
1,10 and 11.
The opening event asks the musical question, “Is Bettor Than You Better Than Them?”
Bettor Than You (George Brennan, post 3), eyes a sire stakes repeat after his off-the-pace win at Vernon. The Bettor’s Delight gelding, co-owned by (trainer) Tony O’Sullivan and John & Jim Fielding, has hit the board in six of his seven tries this season.
Bet the Moon (Jim Morrill Jr., post 4), a bit player in the Art Rooney Pace, was a NYSS winner here last month.
The middle grouping boasts three of the Empire’s best in Hail the Taxi (Jordan Stratton, post 3), Fool Me Once (Scott Zeron, post 5) and Doctor Butch (Brennan, post 6). All three are Art Major colts, as is the first-time-out-of-Toronto Captive Audience (Brian Sears, post 4).
“Taxi,” the Sheppard winner here as a 2-year-old, threw down a life-best 1:51 effort at Vernon in his latest. Fool Me Once joined the sire stakes ranks at Vernon and promptly won in 1:50, while Doctor Butch, winner of the $275,000 final of the Rooney (life-best 1:51.2), has been in-the-money in all of his 16 lifetime efforts.
As for Captive Audience, making his first start in three weeks, he sat pocked through wicked fractions in both his elim and $980,000 final of the North America Cup (finishing second and sixth, respectively).
Friday night’s final NYSS event offers a match-up of Source of Pride (Sears, post 2), a winner in his elim for the Rooney, opposes, among others, Olde Time Hockey (Morrill Jr., post 3), a sire stakes bridesmaid in his latest two tries.
Saturday night, it’s the $155,624 final of the Hudson Filly Trot. Usually
an annual Yonkers Trot companion event, it gets a three-week jump on that race
this time around, going as the sixth race on the baker’s-dozen buffet.
Lady Broadway (Eric Goodell, post 2), the lone $15,000 supplemental entrant,
was a handy winner (1:55.3) in last week’s nine-to-oust-one elimination event.
The daughter of Broadway Hall, trained by Chris Oakes for co-owners Susan
Oakes, Hauser Brothers Racing and Conrad Zurich, is five-for-10 this season and
18-for-28 lifetime.
Among the “Lady’s” rivals are the ones who were closest to her a week ago,
Andie Sophia (Larry Stalbaum, post 7) and Royal Assets (Ray Schnittker, post
5), The former, daughter of Donato Hanover, earned more than $307,000 a
season ago, while the latter, a Like a Prayer miss, was best of the Bluegrass,
champion of the Kentucky Sire Stakes.
Monday night, it’s the 358,857 New York Sire Stakes Mike Cipriani Trot for
3-year-old fillies.
A trio of pay-the-bills $119,619 division go as races 3,4 and
10.
The opening event is led by Barn Babe
(John Cummings Jr., post 8), who has won half of her 18 career starts while
approaching $200,000 in earnings. The daughter Cash Hall enters off a pair of
sire stakes victories (Tioga and Buffalo), the former in a life-best 1:54.3.
The lass is co-owned by (trainer) Steve and Nancy Pratt.
The second division includes the formful
Lola De Vie (Morrill Jr., post 1), who won the draw while searching for a
fourth consecutive victory. The homebred (Joie De Vie Farm) daughter of Credit
Winner, trained by Chris Ryder. won the $237,600 final of the Empire Breeders
Classic at Vernon to showcase her season to date. “Lola” is 5-for-7 this
season.
Palm Beach Chic (Jeff Gregory, post 7) has a pair of wins and a second in five seasonal starts, while Isabella Gal (Sean Bier, post 4) is trying to regain some of her $163,000 frosh form.
The evening’s final statebred event finds Proclaiming April (Trond Smedshammer, post 2), a NYSS winner (Tioga) in her latest work night, meeting up with Wygant Lady (Cat Manzi, post 6), herself also a sire stakes winner (Buffalo).
The former is a White Birch Farm homebred trained by Smedshammer, while the latter, a Credit Winner miss, is co-owned her trainer (Taylor Gower) and her breeder (Alan Stull).
The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, 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.
