BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Monday, August 26, 2019—Post
positions have been drawn for Yonkers Raceway’s pair of $500,000 Triple Crown
events, set for the Saturday night (Aug. 31st).
The 65th Yonkers Trot required
no eliminations, as just eight 3-year-olds entered. Hambletonian winner
Forbidden Trade drew post position No. 6 in what was carded as the sixth
race.
“It wasn’t in our original plan, but plans
change,” trainer Luc Blais said. “We let him tell us what to do and he’s been
training so well.”
Forbidden Trade, a son of Kadabra,
supplemented to the Trot after his 2-year-old season. He has won six of his
nine starts at 3 ($671,484), the latest an Ontario Sire Stakes Gold event at
Mohawk. The colt, has who made two half-mile-track OSS starts in his career, is
owned by Serge Godin’s Determination and driven by Bob McClure.
“Always such a professional,” McClure said
in advance of his—and his date’s—first trip to Westchester. “Just from Day One,
he was mentally ahead of the other trotters.”:
Defending the honor of the Empire State is
Gimpanzee (Brian Sears, post 4), a perfect 4-for-4 here including last season’s
$225,000 New York Sire Stakes title.
The Chapter Seven colt, trained Marcus
Melander for co-owners Courant Inc. and S R F Stable, has won 13 of his 15
career starts ($895,996). He enters off a paid sire stakes workout last weekend
at Batavia where every other horse in the field went off at
triple-figures-to-one.
The draw for Trot entrants, with declared
drivers…1- Osterc (Dexter Dunn), 2-Soul Strong (g) (Dunn also listed), 3-
Sheena’s Boy (g) (Andy Miller), 4-Gimpanzee (Brian Sears), 5- Livinonthedash
(Marcus Miller), 6-Forbidden Trade (Bob McClure), 7-HL Revadon (g) (Jim Marohn
Jr.), 8-No Drama Please (Jason Bartlett)
(g) – gelding
Messenger Stakes No. 64, which began with
soph pacers, found elim winners Bettor’s Wish (Dunn, post 1) and Aflame Hanover
(Corey Callahan, post 8) starting from the pole and the polar opposite,
respectively.
Bettor’s Wish, a Bettor’s Delight colt—the
lone $30,000 supplement into this race—has hit the board in 22-of-23 career
tries (13 wins, 7 seconds, 2 thirds, $1,131,600). He has eight wins and three
seconds) in 11 ’19 tries ($859,544). Chris Ryder co-owns (with Bella Racing,
Fair Island Farm & Bettor’s Wish Partners) and trains.
The field for the Messenger (7th
race)…1-Bettor’s Wish (Dunn), 2-Branquinho (Bartlett), 3-American Mercury (g)
(Tyler Buter), 4-U S Captain (Bartlett also listed), 5-Reigning Deo (George
Brennan), 6-Waterway (Joe Bongiorno), 7-Escapetothebeach (g) (Callahan) and
8-Aflame Hanover (g) (Callahan also listed).
(g) – gelding.
Saturday night’s dozen-race card also
includes companion events, the $124,334 Hudson Filly Trot (4th race)
and $122,224 Lady Maud (5th race).
First post is the usual 6:50 PM.
