BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Saturday, October 20, 2018—There was good form for both Military Master A and
Gruden, and it continued Saturday night (Oct. 20th), winning Yonkers
Raceway’s pair of $44,000 Open Handicaps.
Military Master A
(Jordan Stratton, $5.80), from post position No. 6, prevailed from third-over
in the week’s featured pace that cried out for a closer.
Pole-assigned
Chantepleure (Austin Siegelman) inexplicably stuffed 7-5 choice Dr. J Hanover
(Mark MacDonald) in behind at the outset, paying a :26.2 opening quarter-mile
price for the privilege. The leader rated a :29.1 next substation (:55.3 half),
but that would be of small consequence when the wolves came calling.
Gokudo Hanover
(Jason Bartlett) moved from third, taking over past a 1:23.2 three-quarters as
Chantepleure stopped and Dr. J Hanover was trapped.
Gokudo Hanover
owned a short lead in and out of the final turn, but he, too, was inhaled. A
second-up I’m Some Graduate (George Brennan) went by, but he couldn’t match
strides with Military Master A. The latter, sixth entering the lane, won by a
length in 1:52.1.
I’m Some Graduate
was second, with Theartofconfusion A (Brent Holland) third. Scott Rocks (Eric
Goodell) and an exhumed-too-late Dr. J Hanover rounded out the payees.
Chantepleure
backpedaled to last in the seven-horse field.
For second choice
Military Master A, a 7-year-old Down Under Bettor’s Delight gelding owned by
William Hartt and trained by Lance Hudson, it was his seventh win (third
consecutive) in 15 seasonal starts The exacta paid $30, the triple
returned $283 and the superfecta paid $1,065.
The week’s marquee
trot saw Gruden (Bartlett, $4.50) leapfrog his half-dozen inner foes and easily
go the distance (:28.1, :57.4,
1:26, 1:55.3). The lead was 2½ lengths off the final turn, the exact same
margin at the wire
New Heaven (Brennan) slalomed the cones for second, with 9-10
favorite Lean Hanover (Stratton) a first-up third. Tober (Holland) and Kinetic
King (Jim Marohn Jr.) settled for the minors.
For second choice Gruden, a 5-year-old
Muscle Yankee gelding co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard,
Bruce Soulsby and VIP Internet Stable, it was his fifth win in 15 ’18 tries (4
wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds in last 10 efforts). The exacta paid $25.80, the triple
returned $72 and the superfecta paid $409.
