Yonkers Raceway’s all-trot matinee on Sunday, Nov. 4 saw a second-over Lean Hanover 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 five, Lean Hanover could not match strides early before retreating into a four-hole.

Instead Gruden vaulted over his quintet of inside rivals. He went past DWs NY Yank and led through early intervals of :28 and :57.4.

Polester Sortie, as the tepid 3-2 favourite, 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 Lean Hanover rolled right by in the lane, defeating a third-over Jack Vernon by a length and three quarters in 1:55.4. Gruden faded to third with DWs NY Yank and Sortie relegated to the minor moolah.

Bioness misbehaved early and was outrun.

For fourth choice Lean Hanover, a five-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 starts this season. Driven by Jordan Stratton, he paid $19.60 to win. 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 first race) and (3) Undici (Yonkers’ third race), returning $6.40 for every correct $1 ticket. The pool handled $3,560.

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

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

(With files from Yonkers Raceway)