by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Let’s invoke the only two words a handicapper really wants to hear.

Free money.

Since no one took down Yonkers Raceway’s Saturday night Pick-5 — complete with its $10,000 guarantee and $2,700-plus carryover — the entire pool (minus takeout) of $9,381 and change gets rolled over. That two-day carryover turns into a $25,000 guaranteed pool for Monday night’s (June 30) program.

The Pick-5 is a 50 cent base wager offered on races five through nine nightly. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Friday/Saturday), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

The Pick-5 regularly offers a $10,000 guaranteed pool (though it is indeed 25-large this Monday) every Monday and Tuesday (in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program), with program pages for those “guarantee” days available for perusal at www.yonkersraceway.com.