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With a sweeping three-wide move approaching the final turn, Norway’s Cokstile (Quite Easy) and harness racing driver Vincenzo Dell’Annuziata were able to collar USA’s Back Of The Neck and then pull away in the stretch to win the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot Saturday (Oct. 15) at MGM Yonkers Raceway.
The 7th race feature was held at a distance of 1 and ¼ mile and had ten starters in the race representing seven countries.
Denmark’s Ecurie D and trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt shot out of the starting gate and opened up a six-length lead on the field to the first quarter in :27.4.
Ecurie D continued his suicide fractions, trotting to the half mile in :55.2 and the three-quarters in 1:24 with no one able to gain on his big lead.
Then by the mile marker, Ecurie D began to run out of steam. Making a move first-over was Back Of The Neck and driver Tim Tetrick with Cokstile following their move. The mile time was 1:54.2.
It became a two-horse race on the final turn with Cokstile on the outside and Back Of The Neck. As they started down the stretch, Cokstile was too strong and pulled away to win by four lengths in 2:23. Back Of The Neck was second with USA’s It’s Academic (David Miller) third.
MGM YONKERS INTERNATIONAL TROT REPLAY
The time of the race was four fifths of a second off of the world record of 2:22.1 set by Twister Bi at Yonkers in 2017.
For Cokstile, it was the nine-year-old stallion’s fifth win of the year for trainer Mattia Orlando and the Scuderia Santese Stable of Italy. He was bred by Per Erik Hagen and paid $42.60 to win.
For his career, Cokstile now has 28 wins in 77 starts and surpassed the $2 million mark in earnings.
“I am very satisfied and full of joy right now,” said winning driver Vincenzo Dell’Annuziata. “I am very proud that we were able to show how good Cokstile is. He was not very good in his last start in Italy. We were able to resolve some of those issues and now we were able to show how good he really is.”
In the $250,000 MGM Robert Mecuna Invitational Trot it was the lady leading the men around the track as When Dovescry (Muscle Hill) and driver David Miller who went right out to the lead and never looked back.
With Hillexotic (Yannick Gingras) sitting on their backs, When Dovescry cut mild fractions of :30.1, 1:01.1, 1:30.2 and 1:58 at the mile. Take All Comers (Jordan Stratton) made a three-wide move to come first-over but could not keep it going.
On the turn for home, Gingras came after When Dovescry with Hillexotic but they could not catch the mare as she went on to win by one- and one-half lengths in 2:26.4. Amigo Volo (Todd McCarthy) was third.
WHEN DOVESCRY REPLAY
It was the third win this year for When Dovescry. She is trained by Brett Pelling for owner John Lengacher of Grabill, IN and paid $3.80 to win as the betting favorite. When Dovescry surpassed the $2 million in career earnings.
For complete race results, click here.
by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink
