BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Thursday, June 21, 2018—For
those of who may have missed the first go-round, Yonkers Raceway is offering a
redux of the 2016 Yonkers Trot…in 2018.
Hey, you buy the premise, you buy the bit.
Saturday night’s (June 23rd)
co-featured $44,000 Open Handicap Trot is highlighted by the return of one
Marion Marauder.
The Trotting Triple Crown winner and
career $2.5 million earner invades Westchester for the first time since a
second-place effort in Twister Bi’s world-record Yonkers International Trot
romp last October.
Marion Marauder was remanded behind the
eight-ball Saturday night, complete with new escort. Jordan Stratton gets the
assignment as regular date Scott Zeron is off to Pocono and eliminations for
the Sun Stakes.
When Marion Marauder looks to his
immediate left, he shall see his nemesis from that Tour de Trot, one
Smalltownthrowdown.
According to the U.S. Trotting
Association’s Anne Chunko, the pair only opposed one another in the elim and
final of the ’16 Trot, with Smalltownthrowdown the bridesmaid in both. Marion
Marauder won the half-million-dollar finale by a hard-fought head in 1:56.1
(photo accompanies) after winning by a length-and-a-quarter the week before.
The third round was supposed to be at
Scioto’s Charlie Hill Memorial earlier this month, but Marion Marauder came up
ill.
This season, the now 5-year-old son of
Muscle Hill has a win (Philly, 1:52.1) and pair of seconds in three starts.
He’s 15-for-41 lifetime, hitting the board 33 times. Marion Marauder is
co-owned by Marion Wellwood and Devin Keeling & trained by the tandem of
Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling (Ms. Wellwood is listed stateside).
Smalltownthrowdown, no slouch he, tries to
exact some revenge, albeit with somewhat less riding on this outcome. The
5-year-old statebred Cash Hall gelding has won 19 career races (2-for-6 this
season) and more than $700,000. Trained and driven by Dan Daley at 2 and 3,
he’s now co-owned and trained by Rene Allard. Dan Dube takes a seat.
Smalltownthrowdown, the New York Sire
Stakes champ as a sophomore, won a local Open Handicap in late
May.
The weekly trotting features goes as the
seventh of a dozen races. First post is the usual 6:50 PM.
Oh, and so as not to short shrift the
other gait, Saturday night’s $44,000 Open Handicap Pace finds Bit of a Legend N
back at it for the first time since his win (life-best 1:49.4) in Northfield’s
$200,000 Battle of Lake Erie three weeks ago.
If you’re keeping score at home, this is
another outside getaway for Stratton, as in post No. 7.
The Open ‘Cap Pace goes as the sixth
race.
