by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — It’s the night before The Night Of Champions Friday at Yonkers Raceway, and two $20,000 New York Bred Late Closers for freshman pacers lead the parade. Post time for the 11 race card is 7:40 p.m., with the pair of $20,000 Late Closers going as races six (filles) and eight (colts and geldings). Ladies first finds the Goalie Jeff for frosh lasses, with So Are You Hanover (Josh Marks, post four) eyeing a fifth consecutive (Late Closer) victory. The Magical Mike ma’am, owned by Dominick Rosato and trained by Dave Dewhurst, has two wins each at Monticello and Saratoga. The common trainer (Jimmy Cruise, Jr.) entry of Magical Carol (Jeff Gregory, post five) and Miss Paper Wazotwo (Jack Rice, post seven) both have been competitive in this series. The former was an upstate winner two starts ago, while the latter has been thrice third in her last three tries. Reska (Ray Schnittker, post eight) has a win, a second and a third in her seven ’04 tries. The Empire’s frosh colts and geldings do battle in the Storm Damage (race eight), where Smoky Bonz (Clint Galbraith, post six) and Pembroke Inky (Jim Bailey, post eight) loom among the choices. “Bonz,” a Kassa Branca gelding trained by Galbraith for Purple Haze Stables and George Wyman, has won five of his dozen seasonal starts. He was a handy Late Closer winner in his most recent try at Monticello. “Inky,” meanwhile, has hit the board in nine of his 12 efforts (four wins) this summer for owner William Varney and trainer Jack Bailey. The On The Road Again colt does enter after a pair scratch lines (both sick), so he’s been out of the box 23 days leading up to the series final. The usual pair of $15,000 Open Handicaps, for trotters (seventh race) and distaff pacers (ninth race), are also part of the Friday frolics. T W Rambo (Mike Forte, post eight), who easily won last week’s Open Trot, was given the outside starting location, while Approved Action (Rejean Daigneault, post seven) is back for his first local visit in three weeks. Lady Matawai N (Gregory, post eight), going after her 11th win of the season, starts outside her seven rivals in the ladies’ luncheon. Friday’s evening simulcast schedule includes the Meadows (post time 4:00), Bay Meadows (4:15), Buffalo (6:30), Northfield (7:00), Raceway (7:00), Saratoga (7:10), Penn National (7:20) and Red Mile (7:30). New York Night of Champions set for Saturday The 15th New York Night Of Champions, at $1.2 million annually the richest night of racing in the state, goes Saturday night. Eight $150,000 New York Sires Stakes finals, for two and three-year-olds of both sexes and gaits, are on the schedule. Here’s the rundown for the finals, each sponsored by a prominent New York breeding facility: Fourth race: Morrisville Coll. Equine Institute Two-Year-Old Filly Trot Yonkers’ current four night per week schedule (Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) has a first post of 7:40 p.m. Afternoon simulcasting continues to be offered around the NYRA schedule. September’s evening/harness simulcast schedule includes Buffalo Raceway, Delaware (OH) County Fair, Freehold Raceway, Harrington Raceway, Hazel Park, the Meadows, Monticello Raceway, Northfield Park, Penn National, Pocono Downs, Pompano Park, Raceway Park, Red Mile and Saratoga Raceway. For more information, or to obtain a calendar, please contact the Raceway at (914) 968-4200.
Fifth race: Winbak Farm Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
Sixth race: Crawford Farm Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot
Seventh race: Parks’ Breezy Knoll Farm Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
Eighth race: Cameo Hills Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace
Ninth race: Genesee Valley Farm Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Tenth race: Rodney Farms Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot
Eleventh race: Blue Chip Farms Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace