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

Yonkers, NY — The New York Sire Stakes’ sublet of Yonkers Raceway continued Thursday night, September 4, with four divisions of the $233,863 Tuckahoe Pace for sophomore colts and geldings.

Mike Lizzi photo

Corner Blitz (Yannick Gingras) rolled to a 1:53 score in his NYSS split.

Popular pari-mutuel proposition Corner Blitz (Yannick Gingras) celebrated the start of the NFL regular season. He took matters into his own hands early in the first ($57,640) division, making an immediate lead from post position three and making his five rivals pay. The son of Pro Bono Best-Ms Blitzen rolled through intervals of :27.4, :56.3 and 1:25.3 before handily winning by three lengths in 1:53. Grab Your Keys (Greg Grismore) chased from a loose pocket, with Bettor Sweet (Stephane Bouchard) third.

Ed Hart trained the winner — now with threee consecutive victories and five wins in his dozen seasonal starts — for Tripoli Stable. Corner Blitz paid $3.10, leading a $6.20 exacta and $12.20 triple.

The second ($58,740) sire stakes event saw On The Brink (Pat Lachance) two-move to the lead down the backside the second time, then open from there. He defeated Capote (Jason Bartlett) by 4-3/4 lengths in 1:54.2, with The Race Is On (Jordan Stratton) grabbing the bottom of the ticket. Riggins (Ray Schnittker), leaving from the outside seven hole as the even-money favorite, had too much work to do and was a non-factor fourth.

On The Brink, a Dream Away-Tiburon Jane colt trained by Lachance for the Ontario outfit of Aaron Waxman, Duane Marfisi and Alan Alber, returned $17.60 (fourth choice) for his second win in 11 ’08 tries. The exacta paid $226.50, with the triple worth $1,893.

Thursday’s third ($58,740) Tuckahoe grouping found Final Curtain (Jim Morrill, Jr.) making the lead just before intermission, then holding sway. Leaving from post seven, he grabbed an early seat, then stepped around Four Starz Louie (Dan Dube) for the lead before recess. Share The Delight (Bouchard) tried it first-up from fifth, but the prohibitive — as in 30-cents-on-the-dollar — choice never threatened the leader. Final Curtain defeated “Louie” by a head in 1:53.4, with Art Glass (Bartlett) snatching third from a faltering favorite.

Final Curtain, a son of Pro Bono Best-Lola trained by Tracy Brainard for Bulletproof Enterprises, paid $9.70 (second choice), with the exacta returning $67 and the triple good for $422.50.

Bouchard and pole-sitting Bullville Powerful won the final ($58,740) NYSS event in 1:54.3, retaking from Lislea Miles (Morrill Jr.) passing the :28.4 opening quarter-mile. The 15-cents-on-the-dollar choice then led through remaining rest stops of :58 and 1:26.4 before finishing two lengths in front of the early leader. Sailing Cruise (Dube) was third.

Bullville Powerful, a Bettor’s Delight-Bullville Gabettie colt owned by Bullville Farms and trained by Steve Crevani, paid $2.30 for his ninth win in 17 ’08 tries. He led a $5 exacta and $10.60 triple.

New York Sire Stakes action continues here Friday night (September 5) with the $197,500 Jim Meagher Pace, quartered for 2-year-old colts and geldings.