Yonkers Trot winner looks to rebound in NYSS

Sir Pinocchio (Met’s Hall) is aiming for a bounce back after his break in stride, and first off-the-board finish, of the season last time as he returns to Yonkers Raceway for the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) fourth leg for three-year-old trotting colts today (Jul. 18).

The gelding won the Yonkers Trot, the first jewel in the Trotting Triple Crown, in wire-to-wire fashion two starts back by a half-length while lowering his lifetime mark to 1:54.4. He had finished in the exactor in every start prior to his last, the Zweig Memorial, when he broke from a second-over position on the final turn and finished last. The Ed Hart-trained sophomore also won the Dexter Cup at Freehold earlier this year and a New York Sire Stakes leg at Monticello.

Sir Pinocchio has made large strides this season for owner/breeder Carolyn Atherton. He was an Excelsior Series type at two and capped off his campaign by winning the championship of the second tier of the NYSS. The homebred enters Thursday’s fourth leg with four wins and $293,426 in earnings this year. He has led at the first station in three of his past four outings and will likely look for another front-end trip. The morning line oddsmaker has assigned him a billing of 4/5 with Jason Bartlett at the lines.

He’ll face off against Nottingham (E L Titan, Marcus Miller, 15-1), Thinker Monkey (Chapter Seven, Scott Zeron, 5-1), Keep Asking (Chapter Seven, Tyler Buter, 7/2), and It Wasnt Me (Chapter Seven, Yannick Gingras, 4-1). Keep Asking is the only winner among them this year, having taken an NYSS division on Jun. 3. He was also second in the most recent leg on Jun. 26 and figures to be the biggest challenge to the choice.

Fly By (Chapter Seven, Zeron) and Super Duper Cooper (E L Titan, Jordan Stratton) head the second division at morning line odds of 6/5 and 7/5, respectively. The field of six also features Crazy Brother Jim (Crazy Wow, Jim Marohn Jr., 20-1), Voss Blue Chip (E L Titan, Gingras, 9/2), Robert Michael (Crazy Wow, Buter, 20-1), and Victor Laszlo (Chapter Seven, Mark MacDonald, 15-1).

Fly By is yet to land in the winner’s circle this season, but he has placed in an NYSS leg, the Empire Breeders Classic (placed up from third), and his Yonkers Trot elim. The Tony Alagna-trained colt took his mark of 1:53.4 at two in the Kentucky Sires Stakes and is two-for-17 lifetime. The colt, regularly driven by Zeron, has typically raced off a helmet this season but showed speed to land the pocket in his Yonkers Trot elimination. The sophomore will start from the rail for owners Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld, and Pryde Stables in this evening’s tilt.

Super Duper Cooper is three-for-seven on the season with wins in the NYSS and two overnight events. His Sire Stakes victory came on Jun. 26 at a sloppy Buffalo Raceway, when he went all the way in 1:57.4. The John Butenschoen trainee followed that up with a sixth-place finish in the Zweig Memorial last out on Jul. 4. The gelding has won four of 16 lifetime tries and has earned $173,326 for owners Timothy Drag, James Crawford, and Carl Austin Jr. He has shown speed in his past two NYSS starts and will likely aim for the top from post two.

Victor Laszlo, from post six, represents a possible improver. The colt was third behind Super Duper Cooper on Jun. 26 and produced a similar mile to that rival in the Zweig Consolation. The Ray Schnittker-trained colt swept the Weiss Series preliminary legs at Pocono earlier this year and has tallied four wins in nine appearances. He should be right with the favourites this time.

The 12-race card will also feature a Fillies and Mares Invitational with P L Notsonice a 5/2 favourite as she looks for her seventh win this year. There are also three Excelsior Series splits carded as races one, three, and four.

First post is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting results.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink