Sunday, May 20, 2018 – by Frank Drucker, Publicity Director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers, NY — Smalltownthrowdown (Brian Sears, $8.50) was a two-move titan Sunday afternoon (May 20), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $54,800 Open Handicap Trot.
The field of eight (seven with nose-to-gate, one in back of bus) went as the opener and the first of four ‘French’ trots. Smalltownthrowdown, three-wide from post position No. 6 — in one notch after the programmed pylon number was removed– found an early four-hole.
He watched Buen Camino (Jim Marohn Jr.) and longshot Bluebird Jesse (catch-driver Brent Holland) duel early, with the latter — out two turns — making the lead between a :28.1 opening quarter-mile and :57.2 half.
Smalltownthrowdown was then ready for his cue, extricating himself from the cones and busting the race wide open. The lead was 3-1/2 lengths at the 1:27 three-quarters. After a 1:55.2 milepost, Smalltownthrowdown finished the mile and a quarter in 2:25.3. Buen Camino found room late to grab a best-of-the-rest second, beaten 3-3/4 lengths. Bluebird Jesse easily held third, with Kinetic King (Jordan Stratton) and Gural Hanover (George Brennan) relegated to the minors. Seasoned Saint (Jason Bartlett) was a never-in-it sixth as the 19-10 favorite.
For third choice Smalltownthrowdown, a 5-year-old statebred Cash Hall gelding co-owned as Allard Racing by trainer Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby, Yves Sarazin and VIP Internet Stable, it was his second win in three seasonal starts. The exacta paid $26.80, the triple returned $124 and the superfecta paid $439.50.
Sunday’s return of the ‘New York, New York Double’ offered a winning combination of 9-Forest Blue (Belmont’s third race) and 1-Noble Warrawee (Yonkers’ seventh race) and paid $50.75 for every correct $1 wager. Total pool was $6,254.
The next Sunday matinee is June 17 (post time TBA).