The new month featured Empire-breds, with Yonkers Raceway Monday night hosting the $167,864 Mike Cipriani Trot for three-year-old fillies.
The event honoured the memory of the Raceway’s long-time, award-winning photographer.
A pair of $83,937 divisions was contested, won by a longshot and a short shot.
The longie was 30-1 Earn Your Wings (Jason Bartlett, $63), who overcame her eight-ball venue with an aggressive effort. Making the first lead right at a :28.4 opening quarter-mile, Earn Your Wings then relented to last season’s divisional champ, Non Stick (Dan Dube).
The 3-10 choice found a :57.3 intermission and 1:27.1 three-quarters as Goosebump Hanover (Jim Morrill, Jr.) moved from fifth down the backside. That one blew past the odds-on fave, who subsequently went awry, leaving the course in the final turn.
Goosebump Hanover owned a two-length lead into the lane, but was unable to close the sale. Earn Your Wings, who had extricated herself from the pocket before Non Stick jumped it off, angled back inside the new leader won going away.
The margin was a length-and-an-half in 1:57, with Monarchs Sequel (Mark MacDonald)—last at the three-quarters—rallying for second. Goosebump Hanover, Open Access (Scott Zeron) and Zette Starlet (Brian Sears) completed the cheque cashers.
For sixth choice Earn Your Wings, a daughter of Credit Winner trained by Anette Lorentzon for owner SRF Stable, it was her third win in eight seasonal starts.
Monday night’s second Cipriani event turned out to be much more formful, as in a two-speed, two-favourite number.
Fad Finance (Morrill, Jr., $4.50), the 6-5 favourite from Post 5, left around second choice Swinging Royalty (Sears), the easily kept her at bay (:29, :57.3, 1:26.4, 1:56.1).
The former, with a couple of lengths in and out of the final turn, won by a handy length. Credit to Thelimit (George Brennan), Straight A Student (MacDonald) and Time To Talk (Dube) settled for the minor shares.
For Fad Finance, a Credit Winner ma’am co-owned by Purple Haze and Rojan Stables & Marc Goldberg and trained by Trond Smedshammer, she’s now 4-for-8 this season.
In addition to the Ciprianis, a few dozen guests from Equi Tours Sweden enjoyed dinner, the races and a tour.
(Yonkers Raceway)