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

Yonkers, NY — The first weekend of Yonkers Raceway’s 2015 season plays no gait favorites, with 14 paces and 10 trots.

Saturday night’s (Jan. 10) program includes the $35,000 Open Handicap Pace (sixth race), with any number of formful foes. Take It Back Terry (George Brennan, post three) has won twice in his last four starts, Mickey Hanover (Dan Dube, post four) thrice in his last five and Sapphire City (Eric Carlson, post seven) had won four races in a row before finishing second in his 2014 finale.

Sunday’s (Jan. 11) first matinee goes postward at 11:55 a.m. (note change from originally-listed 11:25 post time). The dozen-race card features the first seven events — two 12-horse fields and five 10-horse fields — going at the mile and one-quarter distance for the French-hubbed audience.

The weekly marquee trot, a $44,000 blind-draw Open, is carded as the eighth race. The two lasses, Backstreet Hanover (Tyler Buter, post two) and Dancehall Mistress (Dan Dube, post seven), figure to be players.

This is the lone January Sunday program.

Note the post times for the upcoming season:

• Mondays/Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays-first post 7:10 p.m.
• Tuesdays-first post 1 p.m.
• this Sunday-first post 11:55 a.m. (next one is Feb. 22)

Save for a six-card first full week, Yonkers generally offers a five program per week schedule. Included in that is a proposed 31 days (174 races) simulcast to a French-based audience.

A stakes schedule shall be announced shortly.

The complete 2015 schedule is pending approval of the New York State Gaming Commission.