by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — A sort of quirk in the schedule finds the statebred frosh fillies back for the second time in 18 evenings, with Yonkers Raceway hosting Tuesday night’s (July 24) $159,000 New York Sire Stakes Frank Becerra Pace.
Post time for the dozen-race card is 6:50 p.m., with the sire stakes events going as races seven (purse $78,800) and eight (purse $80,200), respectively.
The opening event finds So Awesome (Tim Tetrick, post four) going after a Westchester repeat. The daughter of So Surreal went the distance (1:55.3) as the 3-4 favorite the last time she hit town from this exact same venue. The lass, who has that lone win in three tries, is owned by William Hartt and trained by Scott DiDomenico.
Crazy Cute (Jordan Stratton, post five) chased So Awesome around the oval from the pocket, while Boogie Roll (Tyler Buter, post seven) was a 12-1 upstetter when the ladies visited Tioga (1:54). American Marilyn (Jason Bartlett, post three) made an early break in her stateside/statebred debut (race won by Boogie Roll).
Tuesday night’s second and final division has St Somewhere (Yannick Gingras, post five) eying a sire stakes hat trick. She had no eight-hole issues here, finishing what she started by open lengths (1:54.4). She returns off a Tioga win (1:52.2). The daughter of American Ideal is co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke, Phil Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi.
Hurrikane Norakane (Dan Dube, post three) was placed first the last time this caravan stopped by, while Zero Tolerance (George Brennan, post eight) was snapped late at Tioga by St Somewhere in her first sire stakes try. Gia’s Surreal (Bartlett, post one) has been a bridesmaid in her two Empire soirees.