$85,000 final of the Bonus Trotting Series

YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, April 24, 2018 — Pole-sitting Bluebird Jesse with harness racing driver George Brennan in the bike went the distance, winning Tuesday night's (Apr. 24th) $85,000 final of the Bonus Trotting Series.

The event, co-sponsored by Yonkers Raceway and the Standardbred Owners Association of the New York, offered three preliminary legs leading to the final.

The field was reduced to seven after an injury defection, with three of those coupled due to the intersection of common trainer and cross-ownership.

At the outset, Bluebird Jessie was about to stuff Tyson (Yannick Gingras) in behind when the latter broke. That misdeed may have been the reason Optimist Blue Chip (Andy Miller) jumped it off. Tyson would eventually get back trotting, only to 'dance' again.

Meanwhile, Seasoned Saint (Jim Marohn Jr.), starting right next door to the leader, wound up pocketed as part of a the 15-cents-on-the-dollar favored troika. Bluebird Jesse was hard-used early (:27.4 opening quarter-mile), before rating a :58.1 intermission.

Lone lass Romancing Rachel (Mark MacDonald), another part of the entry, was third. However, the battle lines were drawn between the leader and his pursuer. Seasoned Saint, the only entrant to sweep all three prelims, pulled against Bluebird Jesse well before the 1:26.4 three-quarters.

The two were just about in tandem from the final turn to the wire, but Bluebird Jesse was both stubborn and swift. He defeated Seasoned Saint by a head in a life-best-matching 1:54.4. Romancing Rachel was another five lengths back in third, with Aces and Eights (Ray Schnittker) and Icanflylikeanangel (Jeff Gregory) settling for the minors.

For second choice Bluebird Jesse, a 4-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding trained by Scott DiDomenico for co-owners Brian Carsey, John McGill and Adam Friedland, it was his third win in six seasonal starts. The exacta paid $21.20, with triple wagering cancelled due to the limited number of wagering entrants.

The 'bonus' portion of the series was a $10,000 SOA-paid premium to the winner, all of whose humans were association members prior to the first draw of the series

A $35,000 series consolation was won by Chapter Too (Bartlett, $4.30) in 1:55.1.

Frank Drucker