A repeating Red Hot Herbie (Dan Dube, $5.90) won both the draw and the dash Sunday morning, annexing Yonkers Raceway’s $50,000 Open Trot.
Seating everyone early from the pole, “Herbie” led through a :28.3 opening quarter-mile. Zooming (Tyler Buter), as the 7-5 choice, then moved from third, picking up the gauntlet toward and :58.1 next station. After a 1:27.3 three-quarters, Summer Indian (George Brennan) offered a weak, first-up bid, with Sumatra (Jordan Stratton) was forced wide around that one.
Zooming maintained his advantage in and out of the 1:57.2 mile marker, taking a length and a quarter lead into the lane, However, the early hour apparently proved too much for him, as he caved mid-stretch. Red Hot Herbie ducked inside and went by handily, getting the 1-1/4 mile in 2:26.3. The margin was a length and quarter.
Cray About Pat (Brian Sears), racing from a three-hole, chased “Herbie” home to grab second, with Sumatra, Zooming and Rock Of Cashel (Jeff Gregory) settling for the minor awards.
For second choice Red Hot Herbie, the win was his 10th in 26 seasonal starts (five wins in last seven tries). The five-year-old Here Comes Herbie gelding is trained by Rene Allard and owned by Allard Racing, Albert Abdala III, Bruce Soulsby and Michael Reppucci,
The exacta paid $51.20, with the triple returning $324.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)