from the SOA of New York

Yonkers, NY —- A true barometer of the health of any racing program is the frequency with which horsemen drop claim slips in the box. If quality is in doubt, trainers often err on the side of caution, fearful that the decision to put a halter on the animal will come back to hurt them when the campaigner picks up more in vet bills than checks.

Night after night, the strength of Yonkers’ racing program is continually exhibited by the number of tagged horses changing hands. In just the first four months of 2010, a total of 217 horses were claimed for a total price of over $6 million. This trend continues in May.

For example, on the May 10 card, a total of nine horses were claimed. A staggering number of claims, four out of the eight horses, came in the tenth race alone, with trainers Casie Coleman, Mike Sorentino, Jr., Patrick Lachance and Tom Fanning each putting an extra pacer on their vans after Monday evening’s races. With only eight horses on the gate, the claims meant that 50 percent of the field changed hands.

As the seasonal stakes action heats up at Yonkers and elsewhere, it’s great to know that the track’s overnight program remains one of the strongest in the country.