by Paul Ramlow, assistant publicity director, The U.S. Trotting Association

A field of 12 horses has been spilt into two eliminations for the Yonkers Trot, the second leg of trotting’s Triple Crown for three-year-olds. The pair of $49,635 eliminations will be carded as races two and four on the Saturday, August 13 program at Freehold Raceway. The top four in each elimination will advance to the $292,000 (est.) final on August 20 at the New Jersey half-miler.

Heading up the first elimination is 2004 Dan Patch Award winner Ken Warkentin. The career winner of $707,215 is coming into the Yonkers Trot off a second place finish in the $50,000 Townsend-Ackerman on August 5 at The Meadowlands. Owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Tie Domi and Windsor Stable, the Yankee Glide lad has two wins, one second and one third in five trips to the post in ’05. Trained by Jimmy Takter, Ken Warkentin has drawn post two and will be driven by David Miller.

Among the challengers in the first elimination is Strong Yankee Stable’s Strong Yankee, who finished fourth in last Saturday’s $1.5 million Hambletonian Final. The Trond Smedshammer-trained son of Muscles Yankee has banked $456,519 in 12 lifetime trips behind the gate. He also earned another big check earlier this summer when he finished second in the $350,000 Stanley Dancer Trot Final. Smedshammer will be in the sulky when Strong Yankee starts from post four on Saturday.

Ray Schnittker, Frank Baldassare and Stephen Demeter’s Clearaway, who defeated Ken Warkentin by a half length in the Townsend-Ackerman, is also in the opening elimination. The Yankee Glide gelding lowered his mark to 1:54.2 with that victory, his fourth in 15 trips to the post in 2005. The career winner of $157,092, trained by Paul Doherty for the Ray Schnittker Stable, will have to overcome the outside post six on Saturday, with Schnittker in the bike.

Team Schnittker also drew the outside six slot in the second elimination with Lindy Five Hundred. Owned by Jones For President Stable, K R Breeding LLC and Edward Pachuta, the Lindy Lane colt was a big winner earlier this year at Freehold, capturing the $184,425 Dexter Cup Final in May. A winner of $174,975 in his career, Lindy Five Hundred has hit the board in 11 of his 14 lifetime starts.

Here are the complete fields:

First elimination – Purse $49,635 – second race
Post — Horse — Driver
1. Maximum Return — Cat Manzi
2. Ken Warkentin — David Miller
3. Haunting — Mike Simons
4. Strong Yankee — Trond Smedshammer
5. Vino Camielle — George Brennan
6. Clearaway — Ray Schnittker

Second elimination – Purse $49,635 – fourth race
Post — Horse — Driver
1. Yankee Slugfest — John Campbell
2. Keaton Zet — Jimmy Takter
3. Strongbow — Cat Manzi
4. Worship — Stephane Bouchard
5. Med Vac — Daniel Dube
6. Lindy Five Hundred — Ray Schnittker