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

Yonkers, NY — There is never an admission charge to visit Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, either to try one’s luck with the video games or to handicap the horses. However, some folks just feel compelled to the pay for the privilege.

A year ago, Blair Burgess and friends ponied up $60,000 to buy a seat at the table for the Yonkers Trot. Worked out pretty well, as Glidemaster fought off a stubborn Algiers Hall to win in 1:55.4, the fastest Trot ever contested at Yonkers…and, oh yes, the final jewel in Glidemaster’s Triple Crown.

In part hoping to have history repeat itself, and in part because he’s playing with house money, Jim Raymer has gone the same route with the 3-year-old Green Day for the 2007 edition of the Yonkers Trot.

Raymer plunked down the same 60-large to make the lone gelding the lone supplemental entry, joining 14 colts behind a pair of $40,000 elimination race starting gates this Saturday night, August 18.

The first four finishers in each elim get an invite for next Saturday night’s $644,770 final of the 53rd Yonkers Trot — which costs Raymer (and any other participant) another $10,000 to start.

At least the first $60,000 was enough to bribe the maitre d’ for a good table. Green Day drew the pylons in the second elimination (ninth race), with Catello Manzi — who won this race in both 1994 (Bullville Victory) and 2003 (Sugar Trader) — taking the seat.

‘Twas a humble beginning for Green Day, who sold for just $6,000 at Lexington.

“I had come to the sale looking for a filly, and I was the only bidder on him,” Raymer said. “I remembered another son of Enjoy Lavec (Magic Swan, out of a Lindy Lane mare) that I had bid the same figuure on a few years before.

“Well, a friend of mine bid $6,500 and he walked away with the horse, and that horse made about $300,000.”

Actually, Magic Swan earned more than $382,000, but that’s not important right now.

Gelded before his racing career began (“There’s not much demand for sons of Enjoy Lavec,” Raymer said), Green Day showed promise as a freshman. Though he won just one of his nine rookie starts — a $26,300 New Jersey Sires Stakes event at Freehold with Raymer doing the honors — he did earn $44,370, more than countering his purchase price and providing some optimism for his sophomore season.

Green Day, performing for Raymer’s Trillium Racing Stable, opened some eyes in early June of this season, winning a NJSS event at the Meadowlands in a lifetime best 1:54.1.

“That surprised me,” Raymer said. “I wasn’t sure he could carry his speed over the big track like that.”

Next came Green Day’s biggest payday (to date, anyway), busting the Borscht Belt in Monticello’s inaugural edition of the Nevele Pride.

Drawing post position seven in both the $25,000 elimination and $338,000 final, Green Day easily overcame the pair of lousy locations, taking the finale in 1:57.1.

With his charge not staked to a whole lot, Raymer wanted to give Green Day a start in Westchester before deciding about the Yonkers Trot.

He arrived for last week’s $30,000 Open Handicap Trot and was immediately accorded the true Fun City experience…the privilege of having to draw for one of the four outside venues against seven older foes.

Welcome to the eight hole, where he wound up fourth, but showed his trainer enough to cut the Yonkers Racing Corp. a check. Seven wins in a dozen seasonal starts, with earnings of $221,690, tends to do that.

“I just think he can get around the corners about as fast as any trotter,” Raymer said, adding that his decision to attend was in no way influenced by the connections of Hambletonian winner Donato Hanover to abstain.

“Actually, I was hoping he’d come,” Raymer said, “but we were showing up, regardless.”

The fields for Saturday night’s Yonkers Trot eliminations, with drivers and morning-line odds, are below.

First elimination (eighth race); 1-Adrian Chip, Robert Bergh, 9-5; 2-Sullivan’s Travels, Greg Grismore, 10-1; 3-Too Salty, Jeff Gregory, 5-1; 4-Quite Easy, Jimmy Takter, 4-1; 5-Cayenne Turbo, Jim Meittinis, 6-1; 6-Stargate Hanover, Andy Miller, 15-1; 7-Up Front Larry, Yannick Gingras, 3-1.

Second elimination (ninth race); 1-Green Day, Catello Manzi, 5-2; 2-Got That Look, Andy Miller, 8-1; 3-Nate K, Yannick Gingras, 6-1; 4-Anderberg, Steve Smith, 4-1; 5-The Liquidator, Jeff Gregory, 5-1; 6-Primary AS, Trond Smedshammer, 3-1; 7-Up Front Ben, Stephane Bouchard, 15-1; 8-Manfinity, Jim Meittinis, 12-1.