Driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke teamed up for a dominant performance, capturing victories in all three $42,857 divisions of the second leg of the John Brennan Trotting Series at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Wednesday, April 9.
Each of the three winners took a front-end approach to the race. Antognoni S, a five-year-old gelding by Father Patrick out of Bouncing Bax, was the only repeat winner in the event. He led through fractions of :28.3, :57.4, and 1:26.1 to secure a seven-length victory for co-owners Burke Racing Stable LLC., Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Fac Racing LLC., and Gingras.
In the second division, Blockchain, a four-year-old gelding by International Moni out of Mixed Metaphor, moved to the lead at the :29 opening quarter and held on for a 1:57.3 victory, winning by 1-1/4 lengths. He is co-owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
The third division saw Busy Making Moni, a five-year-old gelding by International Moni out of Too Busy To Care, go wire-to-wire in 1:57. He hit the quarter in :28.1, half in :57.4, and three-quarters in 1:27.2, maintaining a strong hold to win for the same ownership group.
Named in honour of longtime Standardbred Owners Association of New York (SOANY) horsemen's representative, who passed away from COVID-19 complications in March 2020, the John Brennan Trotting Series will have a third round on April 16 before a $100,000 USD guaranteed final and $50,000 USD guaranteed consolation on April 23.
Looking ahead, MGM Yonkers Raceway will feature the third preliminary round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series on Friday, April 11, with four $50,000 USD divisions. Beautiful Seaside (post seven, race five) and Aardie B Miki N (post four, race six) are both undefeated in the series but face tough competition, with High Flyin Filly (post three) and Silk Cloud A(post five) challenging Beautiful Seaside, while Walkin On Sunshine (post one) and Grace Hill (post five) pose a threat to Aardie B Miki N.
The third leg of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series will take place on Monday, April 14, featuring four $50,000 USD divisions. For Once Inmy Life, undefeated in the series, will take the week off, while Mossdale Ben N aims for a third straight win in the final division (race eight).
MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently operating with live racing Monday through Friday, with post time each night at 6:45 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)