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

Yonkers, NY — Red Hot Herbie (Jason Bartlett, $5.50) and Guantanamo Bay (Scott Zeron, $15) earned the praise of the populace Saturday night (Feb. 11), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Open Handicaps.

Mike Lizzi photo

Red Hot Herbie captures the featured trotting contest at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday.

Favored ‘Herbie’—from post position five in the week’s marquee trot—stalked the second-choice, eight-baller Allerage Star (Andy Miller) through moderate intervals of :28, :58.4 and 1:27. The lass Allerage Star, having put away a first-up Military Blue (Brent Holland), owned a 1-1/2 length lead into the lane.

Red Hot Herbie, though, was all dressed up, zipping up the inside and drawing off to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:55.4. Allerage Star saved second over a third-over Dot Dot Dot Dash (Steve Smith), with Rock of Cashel (Zeron) and Tag Up and Go (Matt Kakaley) settling for the remainder.

For Red Hot Herbie, a 7-year-old Here Comes Herbie gelding co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby and Edward Reppucci, it was his second win in four seasonal starts and 35rd in a career now exceeding $600,000.

The exacta paid $23.20, with the triple returning $138.50.

The weekly featured pace saw 9-5 fave Roland N Rock (Stratton) leap over P H Supercam (Bartlett) just after a :27.2 opening quarter-mile. Then, subsequent sub-stations of :56.1 and 1:24.3 with Sapphire City (George Brennan) unable to sustain a second move.

‘Roland’ had a 1-1/2 length advantage in and out of the final turn, but company was coming. It was Guantanamo Bay—operating second-over from post position three—powering by from fifth. He won by a 1-1/4 lengths in 1:52.2. Roland N Rock, 72-1 rank outsider Sports Bettor (Holland), P H Supercam and Somewhere In L A (Kakaley) picked up the minors.

For fourth choice Guantanamo Bay, a 5-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding trained by Daniel Renaud for co-owners Brian & Ira Wallach and Leonard Sorge, it was his second win in five 2017 tries.

The exacta paid $64, with the triple returning $1,000.