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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s fourth Sunday card (Feb. 26) of the season included seven ‘French’ trots, although the featured $50,000 Open Handicap wasn’t among them.

A field of seven, after a defection, were all nose-to-gate going the flat mile, with second choice B Yoyo (Joe Bongiorno, $7.90) picking off 11-10 choice Rose Run Parker (George Brennan) at the wire in 1:56.1.

Chris Brokate photo

B Yoyo ekes out a nose victory over Rose Run Parker in Sunday’s featured trotting contest at Yonkers Raceway.

The eventual winner—from post position two—was part of an early, three-way scrum also involving Zooming (Tyler Buter) and Red Hot Herbie (Jason Bartlett). It was ‘Herbie’ making the lead, but not the cones, right around a :28.1 opening quarter-mile.

Soon after, Rose Run Parker, who had tucked in behind the early speed, made his second move, taking his turn by a :58.4 half-mile. It was :28.2 down the back (1:27.1) as B Yoyo went after the leader from third.

Entering the stretch, Rose Run Parker owned a length lead, but the pursuer was relentless. B Yoyo was up by a nose, with Red Hot Herbie, Luck O The Irish (Jordan Stratton) and rank outsider Lou Man (Dan Dube) completing the cashers.

The winner hadn’t been seen in Westchester since October of 2015, while the runner-up jumped it off in his only previous local try (July, 2016).

For B Yoyo, a 7-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding trained by Richard Johnson for co-owners Bill Lambos and Dionisios Liberatos, it was his third win in eight seasonal starts.. The exacta paid $25.80, with the triple returning $79.50.

The Sunday ‘New York, New York Double’ offered up a winning combo of 2-Shesmyheartandsoul (Aqueduct’s 3rd race) and 1-Ontheroad De Vie (Yonkers’ 6th race), which paid $25.50 for every correct $1 ticket. Total pool was $5,769.