BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Sunday, November 4,
2018—Yonkers Raceway’s all-trot Sunday (Nov. 4th) matinee saw
a second-over Lean Hanover (Jordan Stratton, $19.60) winning the featured
$44,000 Open Handicap.
The six-horse feature went at the flat
mile, one race after the seven added-distance ‘French’ trots.
Trying to leave from assigned post
position No. 5, Lean Hanover could not match strides early before retreating
into a four-hole.
It was Gruden (Jason Bartlett, five
winners during the 10-race card) vaulting over his quintet of inside rivals. He
went past DW’s NY Yank (George Brennan) and led through early intervals of :28
and :57.4.
Polester Sortie (Brian Sears), as the
tepid 3-2 favorite, then moved from third with Lean Hanover hitching a ride
behind that one. Sortie drew even with Gruden in and out of a 1:26 three-quarters
before being dismissed.
Gruden owned a length lead off the final
turn, but the walls were closing in. Lean Hanover rolled right by, defeating a
third-over Jack Vernon (Dan Dube) by a length-and-three-quarters in 1:55.4.
Gruden faded to third, with DW’s NY Yank and Sortie relegated to the minor
moolah.
Bioness (Eric Goodell) misbehaved early
and was outrun.
For fourth
choice Lean Hanover, a 5-year-old Donato Hanover gelding co-owned (as P C
Wellwood Enterprises) by (trainer) Paula Wellwood and Karen Carroll, it was his
fifth win in 18 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $159, the triple returned $748
and the superfecta paid $1,433.
The winner
was third as an odds-on favorite in his previous try.
Sunday’s
version of the ‘New York, New York Double’ featured a chalky winning
combination of 1-Big Muddy (Aqueduct’s 1st race) and 3-Undici
(Yonkers’ 3rd race), returning $6.40 for every correct $1 ticket.
Total pool was $3,560.
Sunday
afternoon’s 10-race, all-sources handle was $1,092,113.
The next
Sunday matinee is Nov. 18th (post time TBA).
