Yonkers $50,000 co-featured Open Handicaps

YONKERS, NY, Saturday, October 7, 2017 – Always at My Place (George Brennan, $3.40) and Consolidator (Greg Merton, $14.40) were the harness racing standouts Saturday night (Oct. 7th), winning Yonkers Raceway's $50,000 co-featured Open Handicaps.

The weekly featured pace had odds-on, pole-sitting Always at My Place stuff Thisjetsabookin' (Brent Holland) in behind, get no pressure early, then finish what he started (:27, :56.2, 1:23.4, 1:51.4).

Hel defeated a solid, first-up Scott Rocks (Eric Goodell) by three-quarters of a length, with Gratian Hanover (Dan Dube), 66-1 outsider Theartofconfusion A (Steve Smith) and Cooperstown (Merton) settling for the minors.

For 'Always,' a 6-year-old Always a Virgin gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by (trainer) Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi, Larry Karr and Phil Collura, it was his eighth win in 22 seasonal starts (career 35-for-99). The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $7.70, with the triple returning $39.80.

The week's marquee trot saw a well-driven Consolidator-from post position No. 2-use a parked-out Money Maven (Holland) as a pick through intervals of (:28.1, :57.1, 1:26.4), then hold off a pocketed Cash Me Out (Goodell) by a desperate nose in 1:55.2.

Ameliosi (Jordan Stratton), In Secret (Brennan) and Lookslikeachpndale (Dube) came away with the lesser envelopes, with International Trot-bound In Secret having his winning streak end at six. Even-money Rubber Duck (Jason Bartlett) raced parked with cover, fading to sixth. .

For fourth choice Consolidator, a 4-year-old daughter of Triumphant Caviar co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Bruce Soulsby, Laura Baker and Alan Weisenberg, it was his fifth win in 19 '17 tries. The exacta paid $113.50, with triple returned $1,061.

Consolidator, making her local Open Handicap debut, has three wins, a second and third in five Westchester starts…after beginning at the rock-bottom level.

Frank Drucker