Sunday, November 26, 2017 – by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — Last season’s New York Sire Stakes champion and Yonkers Trot runner-up, Smalltownthrowdown (Yannick Gingras, $6.40) maintained this season’s form spree Sunday afternoon (Nov. 26), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $40,000 Open Handicap Trot.
With just a happy half-dozen, the weekly trotting feature went at the flat mile, after the first seven ‘French’ trots.
Pole-assigned Buen Camino (Brian Sears) chased from the pocket and saved second over Melady’s Monet (Jason Bartlett). ‘Melady,’ as the 2-5 favorite, was content to sit third until the three-quarters, when he left the cones but never seriously threatened.Smalltownthrowdown, having won his last six races out of town, made short work of his inside five rivals in his local return. As the only leaver, he toured the terrain (:27.3, :59, 1:28, 1:56.4), taking no pressure whatsoever. Smalltownthrowdown lead by 1-1/4 lengths in and out of the final turn, with the final margin a length.
Wings of Royalty (Steve Smith) crossed the line fourth, but was set down to fifth (behind DW’s NY Yank [George Brennan]) for picking off a pylon early in the lane. Home’n Dry (Matt Kakaley) brought up the rear.
For second choice Smalltownthrowdown, a 4-year-old Cash Hall gelding co-owned as Allard Racing by trainer Rene Allard, Yves Sarazin, VIP Internet Stable and Bruce Soulsby, it was his eighth win in 14 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $50, the triple returned $100 and the superfecta paid $508.
If you were a shrewd, late-morning handicapper, you made some holiday coin and then some. Time Outa Jail (Bartlett, $67) and Dressed To Impress (Gingras, $29.80) combined for a $1,162 early double, while the winners led respective fat exotics…$600 exacta/$2,210 triple (first race) & $633 exacta/$6,495 triple (second race).
This ‘New York, New York Double’ saw a winning combination of 4-Archival (Aqueduct’s 3rd race) and 5-I C Caviar (Yonkers’ 6th race) returned $8.20 for every correct $1 wager. Total pool was $3,073.