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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s Monday (July 27) program played no gender favorites. Driver Jason Bartlett won seven races, while trainer Jennifer Sabot won four.

The two successfully crossed paths three times, the first with odds-on choice Little Joke ($2.20), who won the $20,000 third race pace by 8-1/2 lengths in a maiden-breaking 1:55.

Tom Berg photo

Rock My World was one of Jason Bartlett’s seven wins on Monday.

Bartlett/Sabot then prevailed with American Venture ($7.20), who won the $19,000 seventh race by 10-1/2 widening lengths (life-best 1:50.4). Then it was Rock My World ($3.70) in the $25,000 ninth race pace (season’s-best 1:55.2).

Bartlett authored his own personal Pick-5, which included favored Midnight Dylan ($4.50) in the $19,000 sixth race pace (1:53.4, matching a season’s-best), American Venture in the seventh, Yes You Can ($8.60) in the $25,000 eighth race pace (life-best 1:53.2), Rock My World in the ninth and Secretsoftheknight ($14) in the $22,000 10th race pace (season’s-best 1:53).

Bartlett, who had nary a race off during the dozen races, wrapped it with a first-up Villager Beat ($34.60) in the $25,000 pacing finale (season’s-best 1:52.2).

Sabot’s other training victory was JC Kingdom ($10) in the fifth race pace (1:53.1, a season’s-best). She won with all but one of her starters Monday evening.

The Monday wagering Pick-5 — as opposed to the Monday Bartlett Pick-5 — attracted $20,902.74 of new money with a $10,000 guaranteed pool and a carryover of just over $4,100. The winning combination of 4-1-2-5-3 returned $618 for every correct 50 cent wager.