by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Always At My Place (George Brennan, $3.40) and Consolidator (Greg Merton, $14.40) were the standouts Saturday night (Oct. 7) winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 co-featured Open Handicaps.

Chris Brokate photo

Always At My Place collects his eighth win of the year at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday evening.

The weekly featured pace had odds-on, pole-sitting Always At My Place stuff Thisjetsabookin’ (Brent Holland) in behind, get no pressure early, then finish what he started with splits of :27, :56.2, 1:23.4 and 1:51.4.

He defeated a solid, first-up Scott Rocks (Eric Goodell) by three-quarters of a length, with Gratian Hanover (Dan Dube), 66-1 outsider Theartofconfusion A (Steve Smith) and Cooperstown (Merton) settling for the minors.

For Always My Place, a 6-year-old Always a Virgin gelding co-owned as Burke Racing by trainer Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Phil Collura, it was his eighth win in 22 seasonal starts (career 35-for-99). The exacta paid $7.70, with the triple returning $39.80.

The week’s marquee trot saw a well-driven Consolidator—from post position two—use a parked-out Money Maven (Holland) as a pick through intervals of :28.1, :57.1, and 1:26.4, then hold off a pocketed Cash Me Out (Goodell) by a desperate nose in 1:55.2.

Ameliosi (Jordan Stratton), In Secret (Brennan) and Lookslikeachpndale (Dube) came away with the lesser envelopes, with International Trot-bound In Secret having his winning streak end at six. Even-money Rubber Duck (Jason Bartlett) raced parked with cover, fading to sixth. .

For fourth choice Consolidator, a 4-year-old daughter of Triumphant Caviar co-owned as Allard Racing by trainer Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby, Laura Baker and Alan Weisenberg, it was her fifth win in 19 ’17 tries. The exacta paid $113.50, with triple returned $1,061.

Consolidator, making her local Open Handicap debut, has three wins, a second and third in five Westchester starts…after beginning at the rock-bottom level.