BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Sunday, December 3, 2017—Rank outsider Tight Lines (Jeff Gregory, $62.50) was
the ground-saving star Sunday morning (Dec. 3rd), winning Yonkers
Raceway’s $40,000 Open Handicap Trot.
With just a
seven-horse field, the weekly trotting feature went as the late-morning opener,
before the seven ‘French’ trots.
In play from post
position No. 5, Tight Lines actually surrendered an early pocket to lone lass
Charmed Life (Yannick Gingras), as both sat behind just-over-even-money
favorite Melady’s Monet (Jason Bartlett).
Meanwhile, Rubber
Duck (Joe Bongiorno) found himself in no man’s land and rushed up to prompt
early intervals of :27.3 and :56.4.
Going toward the
1:25.4 three-quarters, Rubber Duck was retreating. Melady’s Monet, meanwhile,
owned a length lead into the lane before Charmed Life pulled pocket. The lady
went past ‘Melady,’ but a cone-skimming Tight Lines went past both of ‘em.
Tight Lines
defeated Charmed Life by a half-length in 1:55.1. Melady’s Monet faded to
third. The minors went to DW’s NY Yank (Jordan Stratton) and Muscles on Fire
(Brent Holland).
For Tight
Lines, a 4-year-old Yankee Glide gelding co-owned by his trainer/driver,
Jesmeral Stable and William Richardson, it was his 10th win in 24
seasonal starts. The exacta paid $164.50, with the triple returning $530.
Those
sagacious handicappers who unearthed Tight Lines and Taco Tuesday (Dan Dube,
$41.80) in the $26,000, second-race trot took home a season-high $1,279 daily
double (last Sunday’s early double paid $1,162),
This ‘New
York, New York Double’ saw a winning combination of 4-Dream Pauline (Aqueduct’s
3rd race) and 3-Gruden (Yonkers’ 5th race) returned
$13.30 for every correct $1 wager. Total pool was $4,927.
Sunday
matinees, along with the ‘New York, New York Double,’ conclude Dec. 17th
(post time TBA). It’s the final program of the season.
