YR - CHARISMA HANOVER WINS 178G LADY MAUD PACE

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

            YONKERS, NY, Saturday, November 2, 2013--Charisma Hanover (Yannick Gingras) romped to a stakes

record Saturday night, winning Yonkers Raceway's $178,684 final of the Lady Maud pace for 3-year-old fillies with the greatest of ease.

            A week removed from her 1:51.4 divisional track record in an elimination romp, "Charisma" was sent postward with the hopes and dreams of those who took 45-cents-on-the-dollar.

            Even though her escort said "she's not at her best on the front," Gingras took matters into his own hands early. As the only leaver--from post position No. 4--Charisma Hanover worked around 58-1 pole-sitter Certified Ideal (Jim Pantaleano) well before a :27.3 opening quarter-mile.

            After a :56.2 intermission, Scandalous Hanover (Dave Miller)--last week's other elim winner and the lone $15,000 supplemental entrant--tried it first-up from fifth. That one couldn't get close to "Charisma," who found a 1:24 three-quarters. The people's preference owned a length-and-three-quarter lead into the lane, then widened.

            The final margin was 3½ lengths in 1:52...a tick slower than her effort of a week ago, but a tick faster than Bettor B Lucky's Maud win from a season ago. Certified Ideal managed to hold second from a very loose pocket, with Scandalous Hanover, Handsoffmycupcake (Dan Dube) and Antigua Hanover (Jason Bartlett) rounding out the payees.

            Live Entertainment (Brian Sears), Jerseylicious (Corey Callahan) and Parleee Beach (Tim Tetrick), entrymate

of Scandalous Hanover, completed the order. 

            For "Charisma," a daughter of Dragon Again co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke and Weaver

Bruscemi, she returned $2.90 for her 11th win in 17 '13 tries. The exacta paid $51.50, with the triple returning $96.50.

            Gingras won this race for a second time, seven seasons after the double-millionairess Darlin's Delight.

            “When I saw the half in ‘56 and 2’, I felt pretty good from there,” Gingras said. “I thought it was her race to lose and drove her that way. Even though she went so fast last week, I never had to pull the plugs and I knew I'd have a lot for the final."

YR - RONNY BUGATTI WINS 58TH MESSENGER STAKES

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

            YONKERS, NY, Saturday, November 2, 2013--Jason Bartlett won five races Saturday night...oh, including a stakes race of substance.

            Bartlett and the New York-bred Ronny Bugatti outgamed a stubborn Sunfire Blue Chip (Yannick Gingras) on the money, winning Yonkers Raceway's $450,000 final of the Messenger Stakes--final jewel of the Pacing Triple Crown--for 3-year-old colts and geldings.

            Leaving from post position No. 2 as the one of the two geldings in the group (Lucan Hanover), "Ronny" made the first lead before yielding to 11-10 choice Word Power (George Brennan).

While that was happening, last week's two elimination winners, Sunfire Blue Chip and Lucan Hanover (Dave Miller), leaving from posts 7 and 8, respectively, were looking for seats.

            Sunfire Blue Chip found one in third, while there was no room at the inn for "Lucan."

            Word Power made the lead just after a :27.1 opening quarter-mile, It was in Turn Two that "Sunfire" made

Move Two, going after the lead toward a soft :56.4 half.

            Word Power and Sunfire Blue Chip threw it down in a :26.4 third quarter (1:23.3), with Word Power taking a length-and-a-quarter lead into the lane.

            Despite the brutal trip, Sunfire Blue Chip put away the leader, but could not stall rival with the better trip. Ronny Bugatti ducked inside and outgamed "Sunfire" by a head in 1:51.4...a track record for 3-year-old pacing geldings.

            Twilight Bonfire (Tim Tetrick), next-to-last early, rallied for third, with an out-every-step Lucan Hanover and Odds On Equuleus (Corey Callahan) coming away with the minor spoils. Lonewolf Currier (Brian Sears), Good Day Mate (Eric Goodell) and a tiring Word Power completed the order.

            For Ronny Bugatti, an Art Major gelding trained by Allan Johnson for co-owners Eric Prevost, Bridget McNeese and Tom  Haughton, he returned $14.80 (fourth choice) for  his third win in 15 seasonal starts (all wins in last four starts). The exacta paid $93.50, the triple returned $652 and the superfecta paid $1,274. 

            “It's great to win a race like this,” Bartlett--who grabbed the drive when Miller stayed with Lucan Hanover--said . “I didn’t think it would be that close coming around the last turn, but George’s (Brennan) horse (Word Power) stalled and that allowed Yannick (Gingras and Sunfire Blue Chip) to gain momentum.

            "He gets around this track very well and we beat a talented horse."

            The $225,000 winner's share more than double "Ronny's" career earnings, which now stand at $365,058.

           

            The 13-race handle was a season-high $1,061,228 the second seven-figure handle in as many nights.

NAADA - BOB DAVIS WINS 2ND LEG OF NAADA FALL TROTTING SERIES BULLSEYE VALLEY IN THE POURING RAIN

Perhaps one shouldn’t expect the weather to be too nice on Halloween Day, October 31 and  Mother Nature  made sure  that it wasn’t  at Monticello Raceway and the surrounding area.

Although  the day started gloomy by the middle of the race card the weather turned was downright nasty. Nevertheless,  to paraphrase a Post Office motto, neither  rain, nor snow, nor gloom of day could keep Bob Davis from winning the second leg of the NAADA  Three Track Trotting Series with Bullseye Valley in a time of 2:02.4 over  the muddy race course.

On a day where track photographer Geri Schwarz went out of her way to decorate the winner’s circle with seasonal decor, the weather didn’t cooperate. Still she exercised her plan to give each winning driver on the Halloween Day card a bucket of assorted candies, which she alone paid for.

And with his driving victory Bob Davis was no exception. He got his Halloween treats also.

At the start of the NAADA Trot,  last week’s winner, Impressive Earl, had the pole position and driver Dr. John  Kokinos gunned him to the lead as the winds swirled and the rains fell.

They passed the first two furlongs in :29.4 and had a four length lead on Bullseye Valley who secured the two hole behind the leader.

Visibility was waning as the field moved toward the half way point in 1:01.3.  Paul Minore  was the first to move with Wygant Prince and they were out and challenging  for the lead as they raced  up alongside Impressive Earl . But Kokinos’ trotter rebuffed the challenge and  Impressive Earl had  nearly a two length lead at the three quarters in 1:31.1, as Bullseye Valley wallowed back  in fourth position five lengths off the leader.

Although he had  the front-end off the final turn , Impressive Earl’s lead  began to vanish  by mid stretch as Wygant Prince rallied and appeared to be a winner,  that is, until Davis and  Bullseye Valley came out of the fog with a rush to score a head victory in a 2:02.4 clocking.

“It was tough going out there and I laid back off the lead  up the backstretch trying to see through the flying mud. We were  still back s they headed for home when we found room  in  the stretch  all I did was aim him and he did the rest,” Davis said about Bullseye Valley.

There were others besides Davis who were happy with Bullseye Valley’s victory. Those who wagered on him most certainly were when  Bullseye Valley, a 34-1 shot, paid $70.00 for win. The trotter is owned by Davia, Vanvalkenburgh and De Gregory and trained by  Vernon Beachy.

The NAADA Three-Track  Trotting Series continues at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday, November 7

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