by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Repeating In Secret (George Brennan, $4.10) gave nothing else a chance Sunday afternoon (Aug. 27), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Open Handicap Trot.

With a seven-horse field (after a defection), the weekly trotting feature went at the flat mile.

Georgia Panagi photo

In Secret trots a life-best effort and swiftest mile of the season (1:54.1) in the feature at Yonkers.

The scratch moved the eight-hole assigned In Secret in one notch, and he was long gone (:27.4, :56.4, 1:24.4, 1:54.1). The life-best effort was also the fastest local trotting mile of the season.

Taco Tuesday (Jordan Stratton) tried to stay within sniffing distance from a loose pocket, but tired. In Secret, dismissed at 12-1 in winning a week ago, fooled very few here. He opened a trio of lengths in and out the final turn, winning by 3-1/4 lengths.

Georgie’s Pockets (Jim Marohn Jr.) extricated himself from third to chase home the runaway, with Dewycolorintheline (Jeff Gregory), Taco Tuesday and Sumatra (Eric Goodell) rounding out the payees.

For In Secret, a 5-year-old Dewycheatumnhowe gelding co-owned as Burke Racing by trainer Ron Burke, J&T Silva Stables, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi, it was his seventh win in 18 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $30.40, with the triple returning $122.

Sunday’s installment of the ‘New York, New York Double’ offered a winning combination of 5-Portfolio Manager (Saratoga’s third race) and 2-Madman Hall (Yonkers’ fifth race) returning $8 for every correct $1 wager. Total pool was $5,688.

Note the Raceway’s post time next Sunday (Sept. 3) is 12:30 p.m.