Yonkers Offers Another Solid Saturday Night Card
While thoroughbred racing fans are already eagerly awaiting the post position draw for next Saturday's Grade I, $2 million Kentucky Derby, standardbred fans will still want to pay close attention to the program that evening at Yonkers Raceway one week after the lucrative George Morton Levy and Blue Chip Matchmaker series finals were conducted.
Just past the midway point of the card, Yonkers will offer the $55,000 Open Handicap for trotters and all eight post positions were assigned by the race office. Melady's Monet (Jason Bartlett) was fittingly handed the eight hole having won this event two weeks ago for trainer Kevin McDermott. On his best day the eight-year-old Revenue S gelding is among the best older trotters in the land, owning a 3-2-0 slate from five starts this year and a solid 43-30-21 slate and $1.1 million bankroll from 140 lifetime outings.
Aggressive, who won this event on March 19, was given the rail, while Luck O The Irish, who won the Preferred on March 12 and has yet to win the Open, got post two. Not Afraid, a longtime fixture in this event and winner of the top class on April 8, gets post three, just inside of In Secret, who has been second three times at this level but never won it. Lady's Dude, two-time winner of the Open, gets post four while Buen Camino, runner-up in the April 8 & 15 editions, is outside of him. Celebrity Pegasus, third in his Open debut after winning the top class at Dover, gets post seven.
Just past the midway point of the card, Yonkers will offer the $55,000 Open Handicap for trotters and all eight post positions were assigned by the race office. Melady's Monet (Jason Bartlett) was fittingly handed the eight hole having won this event two weeks ago for trainer Kevin McDermott. On his best day the eight-year-old Revenue S gelding is among the best older trotters in the land, owning a 3-2-0 slate from five starts this year and a solid 43-30-21 slate and $1.1 million bankroll from 140 lifetime outings.
Aggressive, who won this event on March 19, was given the rail, while Luck O The Irish, who won the Preferred on March 12 and has yet to win the Open, got post two. Not Afraid, a longtime fixture in this event and winner of the top class on April 8, gets post three, just inside of In Secret, who has been second three times at this level but never won it. Lady's Dude, two-time winner of the Open, gets post four while Buen Camino, runner-up in the April 8 & 15 editions, is outside of him. Celebrity Pegasus, third in his Open debut after winning the top class at Dover, gets post seven.
One race later in the $55,000 Open Handicap for older pacers, Levy final hero Keystone Velocity (Daniel Dube) gets assigned post eight and brings three wins and $323,000 banked from seven starts this year for trainer Rene Allard and owns a 22-16-8 slate and $884,000 banked from 95 career outings. Just to his inside is Clear Vision, sharp winner of the Levy consolation for trainer John Kokinos. Clear Vision bypassed the first two legs of the Levy then recorded one win, one second- and one third-place finish in the prelims and then wore down Mach It So to take the consolation and is perhaps as sharp as any horse in the land right now.
From the rail out the others include Luck Be With You, making his seasonal debut for trainer Chris Oakes, Lucan Hanover, a durable horse with ample back class, All Bets Off, who finished second once, third once, fourth once and sixth once in four Levy legs and missed the final and consolation; Santa Fe Beachboy, who exited the Levy series and won at the non-winners of $25,000 last five starts level last out; Roland N Rock, second in the winners over class last week after taking the non-winners of $25,000 condition one week earlier, and Ideal Cowboy, who has won his last three starts.
Then one race later in the Winners Over Handicap, ageless veteran Foiled Again, a winner three times in 11 tries this year with a stunning 94-63-41 slate and $7.5 million bankroll from 284 career outings, gets assigned the rail for trainer Ron Burke, while Nuclear Dragon (Brian Sears), who has won five times in 10 starts this year and three times in five starts since being claimed for $20,000 by trainer Chris Lakata, gets post eight despite a humble 13-7-5 slate and $135,000 bankroll from 55 lifetime outings.
Then one race later in the 10th, a non-winners of $20,000 last five starts class for aged pacers, Casimir Jitterbug drew the rail for trainer Andrew Harris and brings three wins from 11 starts this year and a solid 55-37-36 slate and $964,000 bankroll from 216 career outings and returns after posting two wins and a third-place finish at three tries over Pennsylvania five-eighths mile ovals. Dr J Hanover is still in quest of his first win this season after finishing third once, fourth once and sixth once in three modest tries in the Levy series for trainer Tony Alagna.
From the rail out the others include Luck Be With You, making his seasonal debut for trainer Chris Oakes, Lucan Hanover, a durable horse with ample back class, All Bets Off, who finished second once, third once, fourth once and sixth once in four Levy legs and missed the final and consolation; Santa Fe Beachboy, who exited the Levy series and won at the non-winners of $25,000 last five starts level last out; Roland N Rock, second in the winners over class last week after taking the non-winners of $25,000 condition one week earlier, and Ideal Cowboy, who has won his last three starts.
Then one race later in the Winners Over Handicap, ageless veteran Foiled Again, a winner three times in 11 tries this year with a stunning 94-63-41 slate and $7.5 million bankroll from 284 career outings, gets assigned the rail for trainer Ron Burke, while Nuclear Dragon (Brian Sears), who has won five times in 10 starts this year and three times in five starts since being claimed for $20,000 by trainer Chris Lakata, gets post eight despite a humble 13-7-5 slate and $135,000 bankroll from 55 lifetime outings.
Then one race later in the 10th, a non-winners of $20,000 last five starts class for aged pacers, Casimir Jitterbug drew the rail for trainer Andrew Harris and brings three wins from 11 starts this year and a solid 55-37-36 slate and $964,000 bankroll from 216 career outings and returns after posting two wins and a third-place finish at three tries over Pennsylvania five-eighths mile ovals. Dr J Hanover is still in quest of his first win this season after finishing third once, fourth once and sixth once in three modest tries in the Levy series for trainer Tony Alagna.
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