from the Standardbred Owners Association of New York

Yonkers, NY — The 2011 edition of the first leg of Trotting’s Triple Crown, The Yonkers Trot, will be contested over the Hilltop oval on Saturday evening, July 9. In anticipation of this year’s event, harness statistician-extraordinaire Bob ‘Hollywood’ Heyden has compiled some interesting facts about this legendary event and the Triple Crown.

Jimmy Takter is looking for an unprecedented third straight Yonkers Trot, after winning the last two editions. Jimmy’s in good company with the likes of Trond Smedshammer who won this back-to-back (2004-2005), as did Soren Nordin (1984-1985) and the legendary Billy Haughton who captured the events in 1976-1977.

In 2010, Takter became the third trainer to win the Yonkers Trot and the Hambletonian in the same year — two different colts! He scored with On The Tab at Yonkers and with Muscle Massive in the second fastest Hambletonian ever contested — 1:51. Previously, Berndt Lindstedt and Jan Johnson did it in 1988 with Southern Newton on the four turns and Armbro Goal on the two turns in the Hambo; Stanley Dancer did it once as a driver and once training — in the bike with both Surefire Hanover in 1975 in the Yonkers Trot and Bonefish winning a four-heat Hambo and on the conditioning and driving end with Noble Victory in the 1965 Yonkers Trot — but training only with Egyptian Candor in the Hambletonian that same year. Del Cameron got the catch-driving assignment.

Cat Manzi has a most unique Triple Crown record. He owns four Triple Crown wins — all at Yonkers Raceway! The Cane Pace in 1996 with Scoot To Power, and the Yonkers Trot three times; first in 1994 with Bullville Victory; second in 2003 with Sugar Trader and in 2007 with Green Dot.

The immortal Stanley Dancer is the only driver to win the Yonkers Trot over three different decades: the fifties (1959); the sixties (1965, 1968) and the seventies (1971, 1972 and 1975). How about someone trying to duplicate that feat!

The Yonkers Trot was actually raced at three different tracks three straight years during the construction of the Video Gaming Parlor. In 2004 it was hosted at Hawthorne; in 2005, with concessions from the Yonkers’ horsemen Freehold was the host; then the race came home in 2006 to its namesake, Yonkers.

This year the Yonkers Trot has only seven entered in the prestigious event. The last year that harness racing had a Triple Crown winner was in 2006 when Glidemaster won the event with John Campbell’s replacement George Brennan taking the helm for the absent master teamster. The Yonkers Trot is the toughest of the three legs of the events, as it is contested on the half-mile track. Many horsemen seem to shy away from the challenge, but those few who have faced the challenge like Smedshammer, Lindstedt, Haughton, Dancer, and Nordin have earned the respect due them for taking the chance.

Quiz: Which two consecutive Yonkers Trot runner-ups went on later (in another year) to be named a Horse of the Year? 1971-Savoir (1975 HOY) and 1972-Delmonice Hanover (1974 HOY).

Yonkers Raceway fireworks started early with red hot handicapping

While July 4 is the date traditionally celebrated with fireworks, this year the holiday was preceded by a pyrotechnic display of first rate handicapping.

On Saturday, July 2, SOA of NY Vice President Peter Venaglia, who regularly produces a Saturday night handicapping sheet posted on the YR website and distributed by SOA volunteers free of charge, set off some firecrackers of his own. Peter’s red-hot Hilltop Helper tip sheet simply blasted open the evening’s 12-race card by picking seven winners on top; one cold Pick-3; one cold Pick-4 ($79.50); four cold exactas (including $30.40); one box exacta ($33.00); four cold triples (including $120.50); two box triples ($168.00/$219.50); and two cold superfectas ($92.50 and $230.00).

In addition to the Raceway’s website, Peter’s Saturday night-only work product may now be followed on Twitter, and is presently being sought after by Nassau County’s OTB Corporation.

Peter has served on the Board of Directors of both the SOA and the USTA. His volunteer handicapping duties on the Yonkers Raceway scene started last year. Peter received his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in 1981 (Summa Cum Laude) and his law degree from Harvard University in 1984; testament to the fact that his prowess at solving complicated matters isn’t limited to harness handicapping.

Currently, Peter is gearing up for the Wednesday draw of the Yonkers Trot, harness racing’s first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown. Post time for the entire exciting Saturday July 9 race card is 7:10 p.m.