by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — After three preliminary rounds and sufficient whittling, the field is set for Tuesday night’s (April 24) $85,000 final of the Bonus Trotting Series at Yonkers Raceway.
The event, co-sponsored by Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of the New York, goes as the ninth of 11 races. Post time is the usual 6:50 p.m.
Mike Castellano photo
Seasoned Saint was the only perfect participant, winning all three of his series starts.
Seasoned Saint (Jim Marohn Jr., post two) was the only perfect participant, winning all three of his series starts. The 5-year-old Dewycheatumnhowe gelding, co-owned by trainer Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby and Alan Weisenberg, has won six of his 10 seasonal starts and half of his 32 career efforts.
Allard also co-owns (with Blue Chip Bloodstock and John Lengacher) and trains the lone lass, Romancing Rachel (Mark MacDonald, post three). The 4-year-old daughter of Muscle Hill won her first two starts before a tiring pocket third in the final leg. She has hit the board in nine of her 11 2018 tries.
Due to overlapping ownership, Optimist Blue Chip (Andy Miller, post four) completes this three-pronged posse. The 4-year-old Dewycheatumnhowe gelding, owned by Blue Chip Bloodstock and trained by Julie Miller, has gone 1-2-3 in his series starts.
Bluebird Jesse (George Brennan, post one) was another prelim ‘two-timer,’ the wins sandwiching a race mired by incessant road trouble. The 4-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding is trained by Scott DiDomenico for co-owners Brian Carsey, John McGill and Adam Friedland.
Ei Ei O (Scott Zeron, post eight) also won twice before being victimized by an interference break a week ago. The 4-year-old son of pacing stallion Cam’s Rocket is owned and trained by Arlene Cameron.
Aces And Eights (Ray Schnittker, post five), Icanflylikeanangel (Jeff Gregory, post six) and Tyson (Yannick Gingras, post seven) each had a win in the series, the first two of this set at 14-1 odds.
The ‘bonus’ portion of the series title is an additional $10,000 SOA payday to the winner, provided the owner(s), trainer and driver(s) of the horse throughout the series were association members before the first draw of the series.
A $35,000 series consolation goes as the fourth race.