Lean Hanover makes fat score at Yonkers

YONKERS, NY, Sunday, November 4, 2018-Yonkers Raceway's all-trot Sunday (Nov. 4th) matinee saw a second-over Lean Hanover (Jordan Stratton, $19.60) winning the featured $44,000 Open Handicap.

The six-horse feature went at the flat mile, one race after the seven added-distance 'French' trots.

Trying to leave from assigned post position No. 5, Lean Hanover could not match strides early before retreating into a four-hole.

It was Gruden (Jason Bartlett, five winners during the 10-race card) vaulting over his quintet of inside rivals. He went past DW's NY Yank (George Brennan) and led through early intervals of :28 and :57.4.

Polester Sortie (Brian Sears), as the tepid 3-2 favorite, then moved from third with Lean Hanover hitching a ride behind that one. Sortie drew even with Gruden in and out of a 1:26 three-quarters before being dismissed.

Gruden owned a length lead off the final turn, but the walls were closing in. Lean Hanover rolled right by, defeating a third-over Jack Vernon (Dan Dube) by a length-and-three-quarters in 1:55.4. Gruden faded to third, with DW's NY Yank and Sortie relegated to the minor moolah.

Bioness (Eric Goodell) misbehaved early and was outrun.

For fourth choice Lean Hanover, a 5-year-old Donato Hanover gelding co-owned (as P C Wellwood Enterprises) by (trainer) Paula Wellwood and Karen Carroll, it was his fifth win in 18 seasonal starts. The exacta paid $159, the triple returned $748 and the superfecta paid $1,433.

The winner was third as an odds-on favorite in his previous try.

Sunday's version of the 'New York, New York Double' featured a chalky winning combination of 1-Big Muddy (Aqueduct's 1st race) and 3-Undici (Yonkers' 3rd race), returning $6.40 for every correct $1 ticket. Total pool was $3,560.

Sunday afternoon's 10-race, all-sources handle was $1,092,113.

The next Sunday matinee is Nov. 18th (post time TBA).

A friendly reminder from Yonkers Raceway that Monday evening’s (Nov. 5^th) Pick 5 wager starts with a carryover of $1,406.29 and a $10,000 guaranteed pool. The guarantee is in conjunction with the U.S. Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.

The Pick 5 is a 50-cent base wager comprising races 5 through 9 Monday night. It has no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners (as was the case Sunday afternoon), the entire pool (minus takeout) moves to the next racing program.

Monday‘s program may be downloaded at http://www.empirecitycasino.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mon_program.pdf.

by Frank Drucker, for Yonkers Raceway