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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s Friday night (May 18) festivities include a pair of $35,000 Open Handicaps and a visit from the Mildred Williams Driving Series.

Post time for the 10-race card is 7:40 p.m., and since they’re chronologically first — and we strongly believe in chivalry — we shall begin with the ladies of the Mildred Williams Driving Series.

Eight members of the fairer sex compete in the $4,000, third race pace for distaff claimers. The Mildred Williams Series is a North American tour raising money for breast cancer research and other charitable endeavors. Each host track is making a contribution, the ladies are all donating their driving fees and many of the other owners and horsemen have indicated their desire to lend a hand.

Linda Toscano, who has earned her well-deserved reputation as one of the sport’s leading trainers, takes a seat behind morning line choice Viressa from post positon four. Ms. Toscano has nine career driving victories. The 13-year-old daughter of Pershing Square, with career earnings ine excess of $402,000, has hit the board in her last four efforts.

Twinky’s Star (Whitney Bell-Goodblood, 27 career wins, post 7), a 16-1 upset winner in her latest try, has won three of her nine ’07 tries. That matches her win total from 25 starts a season ago.

Remember May A (Karyn Malinowski, 1 career win, post 5) has been a bridesmaid in each of her last three tries, while Pee Em Ess (Kelly Case, 748 career wins, post 3) has made money in her last seven work nights.

Fancy Muffler (Jody Riedel, 33 career wins, post 2) makes her first start for new connections in search of her third win of the season, while Princess Nikki (Ann Karin Larsen, 8 career wins, post 6) was a winner at this level in central Jersey three start ago.

Pegomydart (Joey Ayotte, 11 career wins, post 1) and Dream Around Johny (Betsy Phillips, 540 career wins, post 8) bookend the starting car.

Ladies Night continues with the co-featured, $35,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace, carded as the seventh race.

Miss Galvinator A (Jim Marohn, post 8) returns to Westchester for her first visit since early March. The 8-year-old Down Under daughter of Fake Left had won 13 races in a row and 14-of-15 from the latter part of ’06 into early ’07, but hasn’t seen the winner’s circle in her last eight appearances. Her last victory came in the $81,000 final of the Cape and Cutter at the Meadowlands in late February. Marohn has won his last nine assignements behind Miss Galvinator A, who is owned by Richard Annunziata and trained by Ettore Annunziata.

Friday night’s co-featured, $35,000 Open ‘Cap Trot (eighth race) finds a pair of mares — Racsan Jenny (Victor Kirby, post 2) and Designable (Tim Tetrick, post 5) — among the octet.

The former cut the mile and finished second in a high-conditioned event here two weeks prior, while the latter whipped the Jersey afternoon featured trot crowd a fortnight ago.

Live racing is currently offered at Yonkers with six programs per week — Monday through Saturday nights at 7:40 p.m. The ’07 stakes season continues next Friday and Saturday night, with eliminations for the Lismore and Art Rooney Paces for 3-year-olds.

Harness and Thoroughbred simulcasting is available seven days a week, while Empire City’s nearly 5,500 video gaming machines are in play daily from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.