Favoured In Secret won in style Sunday, June 17, fashioning a track record on the Father's Day card in Yonkers Raceway’s $54,800 Open Handicap Trot.
The overflow field of 10—including two in the back of the bus—went as the opener and the first of four ‘French’ trots.
Quite eager from assigned post-position 7, In Secret worked around Fearless Man before a :27.3 opening quarter-mile. From there, he let the good times roll, trotting splits of :56.1 and 1:25, widening his lead while losing Fearless Man down the backside the final time.
Dewycolorintheline took up the chase nearing the 1:53.3 milepost (note the all-age, flat-mile trot record is 1:53.2), as did a handful of other closers.
Meanwhile, In Secret had a two-and-one-half-length lead off the final turn. With a wide enough margin, he held off a late rally from Tight Lines by a neck in 2:23.2, a track record for aged geldings at a mile and a quarter. Back markers Bluebird Jesse and Buen Camino were third and fourth, respectively, with Dewycolorintheline salvaging the final pay envelope.
For In Secret, a six-year-old Dewycheatumnhowe gelding co-owned (as Burke Racing) by trainer Ron Burke, Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva Stables and Larry Karr, it was his fourth win in 13 starts this season. Driven by George Brennan, he paid $6.60.
Sunday’s return of the ‘New York, New York Double’ offered a winning combination of 6-Tombelaine (Belmont’s 3rd race) and 2-Windsong Leo (Yonkers’ 7th race) paid $11.90 for every correct $1 wager. Total pool was $4,651.
The next Sunday matinee is July 1st (post time TBA).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)