BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, January 7,
2018—Yonkers Raceway took the bow off its 2018 season Sunday (Jan. 7th),
with lone lass Consolidator (catch-driver Jim Marohn Jr., $16.60) winning a
chilly $50,000 Open Handicap Trot.
Originally drawn with nine entrants, the
field was pared to seven after the eight-hole (Melady’s Monet, sick) and
nine-hole (Tight Lines, weather) assignees were scratched.
Consolidator, from post position No. 4,
worked out a third-over trip. She set it up after Mostinterestingman
(Brent Holland) stuffed Money Maven (Yannick Gingras) into the pocket
before eventually yielding to 9-10 choice Cash Me Out (Eric Goodell).
All this took place through early
intervals of :29.4, 1:00 and 1:30.2. Money Maven then made his second move,
going right at Cash Me Out at the 1:59.3 milepost.
A second-up Luminosity (George Brennan)
wasn’t the problem, but Consolidator was. She closed fastest, picking off
Money Maven by a head while getting the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:29. Cash Me Out
faded to third, with Home’n Dry (Matt Kakaley) and Luminosity settling for the
remainder.
A casualty of the demise of the passing
lane was Mostinterestingman, pocketed behind a tiring leader and ending up sixth.
For fourth
choice Consolidator, a now-5-year-old daughter of Triumphant Caviar co-owned
(as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby, Laura Baker and
Alan Weisenberg, the winning ’18 debut pushed her career earnings over
$488,000. The exacta paid $79.50, with triple returned $256.50.
