The phrase ‘small but select’ has been invoked for Saturday night’s (July 14) $100,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace, which is Yonkers Raceway’s premier event for ‘open’ two-year-old colts and geldings.
With just six entrants (down from 20 a season ago), all will head straight to the gate for the finale, as Yonkers will again paying homage to the Hall of Fame founder of Hanover Shoe Farms. The inaugural edition of the race took place in 1964, with iconic Bret Hanover its first winner. The event continued, sometimes contested as a split stakes, through 2003, before being resurrected in 2012.
This season’s Sheppard has been carded as the sixth dash during the dozen-race card, which will see the first race head behind the gate at the usual 6:50 p.m.
There appears to be some aptitude among the happy half-dozen, which is led by the state-bred World On Edge (George Brennan, Post 5). The son of Roll With Joe is co-owned (as Burke Racing) by (trainer) Ron Burke, Joe DiScala Jr., J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Adriano Sorella. He made a successful purse debut at Yonkers, as he won his $53,000 division of the New York Sire Stakes late last month (in a down-the-road 1:57.1).
At $50,000 (Harrisburg), he was the priciest of the participants.
Another member of the Empire set is pole-sitting Hurrikane Kingklee (Dan Dube), who’s been third in both of his sire stakes dashes.
The Art Major colt is trained by John McDermott for co-owners Jonathan Klee Racing, Kuhen Racing and George Vierno.
Just Plain Loco (Jim Marohn Jr., Post 3) was a 14-1 upsetter in his first race for money, which was a 1:54 effort at the Meadowlands. The gelded son of Well Said is co-owned by (trainer) Tom Fanning and Paul Lang.
“He’s a small horse—maybe the smallest I’ve ever trained—but doesn’t know it,” Fanning said. “He’s athletic and handy and should move forward off that start.”
Treasure Tom (Jason Bartlett, Post 4), a Mach Three gelding – the other in the field – will enter the Sheppard off of a pair of Pocono qualifiers, both of which featured Bartlett in the bike.
Officials can’t guarantee that Larry Bird will be in and around Westchester on Saturday night, but his ‘nickname-namesake’ will be. Hickfromfrenchlick (Mark MacDonald, Post 2) was a blowout winner in the $11,000 division of Goshen’s Landmark Stakes (1:57.3, back half :56.3).
The statebred son of So Surreal is co-owned by (trainer) Ray Schnittker, Nolamaura Racing and Thomas Spatorico.
Can We Dance (Greg Merton, Post 6), trained by Nancy Johansson, is another that will be making his first purse try. The son of A Rocknroll Dance is a half-brother to Sweet Rock, a career earner of more than $611,000.
(Yonkers Raceway)