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

Yonkers, NY — A late-afternoon downpour forced the cancelation (unsafe track conditions) of Yonkers Raceway’s final two races during Sunday afternoon’s (Oct. 30) scheduled 11-race card.

After a lengthy delay, the horses did parade for the 10th race, but returned to the paddock during more track maintenance. The surface was eventually deemed ‘unplayable’ and the last two races were scrapped.

Live racing is scheduled to resume Monday night (Oct. 31), with a Trick or Treat first post of 7:10 p.m.

The abbreviated card resulted in some abridged multi-race payouts:

• Pick-3 (races eight through 10) – winning combination (1-6-all) – $2 payout of $43.80
• Pick-5 (races seven through 11) – winning combination (1-1-6-all-all) – 50-cent payout of $55.87

Tweet Me (Pat Lachance, $17.20) was given a perfect trip Sunday afternoon, winning Yonkers Raceway’s $56,000 Open Handicap Trot.

Jelena Gerga photo

Tweet Me won by a neck in 2:24.4, breaking her own track record for an older mare at the 10-furlong distance.

Leaving from the pole in a field of 10 going 1-1/4 miles, Tweet Me was pocketed to the quick start of Cash Me Out (Tyler Buter). That one led through early intervals of :28 and :57.1, with Lily’s Swan Pond (Joe Bongiorno) managing to get parked out from post position No. 2.

Cash Me Out maintained the lead at the 1:26.3 three-quarters, with Lily’s Swan Pond dropping anchor. Luminosity (George Brennan) went wide around that one, but couldn’t sustain a bid.

After a snappy 1:55.2 mile, the leader was in trouble. Tweet Me edged from the cones and went by, getting the jump on her main threats, stout closers by a ninth-early Wind Of The North (Jason Bartlett) and a last-early Dot Dot Dot Dash (Steve Smith).

Tweet Me parlayed the route to win by a neck in 2:24.4, breaking (by a tick) her own track record for an older mare at the 10-furlong distance. Dot Dot Dot Dash snapped second over Wind Of The North, with Luminosity and Springbank Sam N (Jordan Stratton) settling for the remainder.

For Tweet Me, a 5-year-old daughter of Andover Hall owned by Bridget McNeese and trained by Nicholas Devita, it was her fifth win in 21 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $157, with the triple returning $897.

This was the first of a half-dozen Sunday matinees leading to the end of the season. Post times for the remainder (next one is Nov. 11) are TBA as of this writing.