by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — For those of you who may have missed the first go-round, Yonkers Raceway is offering a redux of the 2016 Yonkers Trot — in 2018.
Hey, you buy the premise, you buy the bit.
Saturday night’s (June 23) co-featured $44,000 Open Handicap Trot is highlighted by the return of one Marion Marauder. The Trotting Triple Crown winner and career $2.5 million earner invades Westchester for the first time since a second-place effort in Twister Bi’s world-record Yonkers International Trot romp last October. Marion Marauder was remanded behind the eight-ball Saturday night, complete with new escort. Jordan Stratton gets the assignment as regular date Scott Zeron is off to Pocono and eliminations for the Sun Stakes.
When Marion Marauder looks to his immediate left, he shall see his nemesis from that Tour de Trot, one Smalltownthrowdown. According to the U.S. Trotting Association’s Anne Chunko, the pair only opposed one another in the elimination and final of the ’16 Trot, with Smalltownthrowdown the bridesmaid in both. Marion Marauder won the half-million-dollar finale by a hard-fought head in 1:56.1 after winning by 1-1/4 lengths the week before.
The third round was supposed to be at Scioto’s Charlie Hill Memorial earlier this month, but Marion Marauder came up ill. This season, the now 5-year-old son of Muscle Hill has a win (Harrah’s Philadelphia, 1:52.1) and pair of seconds in three starts. He’s 15-for-41 lifetime, hitting the board 33 times. Marion Marauder is co-owned by Marion Wellwood and Devin Keeling and trained by the tandem of Paula Wellwood and Mike Keeling (Wellwood is listed stateside).
Smalltownthrowdown, no slouch he, tries to exact some revenge, albeit with somewhat less riding on this outcome. The 5-year-old statebred Cash Hall gelding has won 19 career races (two-for-six this season) and more than $700,000. Trained and driven by Dan Daley at 2 and 3, he’s now co-owned and trained by Rene Allard. Dan Dube takes a seat. Smalltownthrowdown, the New York Sire Stakes champ as a sophomore, won a local Open Handicap in late May.
The weekly trotting features goes as the seventh of a dozen races. First post is the usual 6:50 p.m.
Oh, and so as not to short shrift the other gait, Saturday night’s $44,000 Open Handicap Pace finds Bit Of A Legend N back at it for the first time since his win (life-best 1:49.4) in Northfield’s $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie three weeks ago. If you’re keeping score at home, this is another outside getaway for Stratton, as in post No. 7. The Open ‘Cap Pace goes as the sixth race.
- Marion Marauder one of Stratton’s half-dozen (Sunday, June 24, 2018)
Marion Marauder (Jordan Stratton, $3.40) returned to Westchester Saturday night (June 23), winning Yonkers Raceway’s co-featured $44,000 Open Handicap Trot. Katy Gazzini photo.