A total of 16 three-year-old colts and geldings, led by Kentucky Futurity winner Nuncio, have been entered for Yonkers Raceway’s Yonkers Trot, final jewel of the Trotting Triple Crown.
The number, which also includes New York Sire Stakes champ—and $30,000 supplemental entrant - Gural Hanover - necessitated a pair of eliminations this Saturday night.
The Trot offers a total purse of $580,000, with each of this weekend’s elims going for $40,000 each. The first four finishers in each qualify the final.
Here are the elimination fields in alphabetical order:
Yonkers Trot – 1st elimination
Datsyuk
E L Titan
Flyhawk El Durado
Gural Hanover
Hillustrious
King City
Muscles And Spice
Resolve
Yonkers Trot – 2nd elimination
Amped Up Hanover
DDs Hitman
Don Dorado
Expressive Action
Journey
Nuncio
Skates N Plates
Way Outta Here
Speaking of Triple Crowns, the pacing version of same wraps up with the $540,000 Messenger Stakes, which saw nine three-year-old pacers enter. Leading the way are stakes-winning All Bets Off (Art Rooney, NYSS, Millstein), Lyonssomewhere (Cane) and Mcwicked (Hempt, Adios, PA Sire Stakes)
This Saturday night, there’s a $40,000 “musical chairs” elim, with all but one horse returning for the $500,000 final.
Here are the horses for the elimination in alphabetical order:
Messenger Stakes elimination
All Bets Off
Double Your Bet
Forty Five Red
Luck Be Withyou
Lyonssomewhere
Mcwicked
National Debt
Stevensville
Western Conquest
This is the 60th edition of Yonkers Raceway’s premier trotting event, while it’s the 59th installment of the Messenger Stakes.
The distaff companion stakes to the Trot and the Messenger — the $124,590 Hudson Filly and $190,854 Lady Maud — attracted six and 11 ladies, respectively. The Hudson is a single-dash finale, while the Maud offers two $20,000 elims this Saturday to extract the eight finalists.
All four stakes finals, plus the $250,000, mile-and-one-quarter International Trot Preview, are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25.
(Yonkers Raceway)