BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, July 22, 2018—Odds-on
Homicide Hunter (Brian Sears, $3.10) overcame the impost Sunday afternoon
(July 22nd), winning Yonkers Raceway’s featured $54,800 Open
Handicap Trot.
The weekly trotting feature went as the
late-morning opener, the first of four, mile-and-a-quarter, bigger-field
‘French’ forays.
Away sixth from his eight-ball
incarceration in the field of 10, Homicide Hunter saw Madhatter Bluechip (Brent
Holland) make the first lead. Gural Hanover (George Brennan) and lass NF
Happenstance (Jack Parker Jr.) found seats directly in behind.
After early subsections off :28, :57.2 and
1:25.4, there was a second helping of ‘Happenstance,’ as the mare was first-up.
While she began the outer tier, Gural Hanover broke in the pocket. Meanwhile,
Madhatter Bluechip was continuing to fight the good fight, with the lead the
1:55.1 milepost.
N F Happenstance had backed out, with
Smalltownthrowdown (Dan Dube) going wide, Homicide Hunter wider and 34-1 shot
Mostinterestingman (Jordan Stratton) even farther out.
Smalltownthrowdown took a short lead into
the lane, but couldn’t sustain it. Homicide Hunter rolled off his rival, then
held off a diving-inside Mosinterestingman by a neck in 2:24.2 for the added
distance. Buen Camino (Jim Marohn Jr.) was s ground-saving third, with a
solidly-closing Bluebird Jesse (Mark MacDonald) and a flattening
Smalltownthrowdown settling for the minors.
For Homicide
Hunter, a 6-year-old Mr. Cantab owned by Crawford Racing trained by Chris
Oakes, it was his fifth (consecutive) win in six seasonal starts (career
earnings now over $1.28 million). The exacta paid $47.60, the triple returned
$511 and the superfecta paid $3,625.
Sunday’s
incarnation of the ‘New York, New York Double’ featured a winning combination
of 1-La Moneda (Saratoga’s 3rd race) and 2–Coach Cummings (Yonkers’
5th race) and returning $11.50 for every correct $1 ticket. Total
pool was $5,488.
The next
Sunday matinee is July 29th (post time TBA).
