Yonkers, NY —– Yonkers Raceway’s all-trot Sunday (Nov. 4) matinee saw a second-over Lean Hanover (Jordan Stratton, $19.60) wing the featured $44,000 Open Handicap.

The six-horse feature went at the flat mile, one race after the seven added-distance ‘French’ trots.

Lean Hanover was a 1:55.4 winner on Sunday. Katy Gazzini photo.

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 1-3/4  lengths 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 first race) and 3-Undici (Yonkers’ third 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. 18 (post time TBA).