Yonkers Raceway’s Friday night $44,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by the greatest of ease by odds-on favourite Coraggioso (Brian Sears, $3.10).
In one notch after what figured to be his toughest challenger came up ill, Coraggioso — from post position No. 7 — settled in fourth as invading Rossini (Jordan Stratton) slogged through flat sub-sections of :28 seconds and :58-seconds.
Coraggioso eased out, gradually gaining on the leader in and out of a 1:26.3 three-quarters.
Rossini was about to surrender to the people’s choice early stretch and Coraggioso widened from there. The final margin was two and three-quarter lengths in 1:55.1. Awesome Valley (Eric Goodell) snatched second at 30-1, with Rossini, Tall Cotton (George Brennan) and Hoorayforvacation (Eric Carlson) rounding out the payees.
Coraggioso is a five-year-old homebred/statebred son of Conway Hall co-owned by Tom Durkin and Joe Spadaro, and trained by Julie Miller. He returned $4 for his sixth win in 14 seasonal starts (20-for-45 in his career). The exacta paid $45.80, with the triple returning $192.
Note that Saturday’s Pick 5 (50-cent base wager, races five through nine) shall offer a $10,000 guaranteed pool, spiced with a $2,223 carryover.
(Yonkers Raceway)