A pair of $60,000 series finals and $30,000 consolations headline the Monday (July 20) program at Yonkers Raceway.
The M Life Rewards Ladies and M Life Rewards Gents Pacing Series will each conclude Monday evening after having been interrupted and postponed by the efforts to contain the coronavirus in March.
The M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series was originally scheduled with three preliminary legs (March 2, 9, 16) with a $50,000 (added) final on March 23. However, due to the coronavirus lockdown that halted racing at Yonkers beginning March 10, only the first two preliminary legs were contested. A pair of four-year-old mares top the standings heading into the rescheduled final, Affluent Seelster and Im Very Special, who each won divisions of both preliminary legs.
Affluent Seelster took advantage of a pocket trip from the inside post position to post a 33-1 upset in her division of the first preliminary leg (March 2). The Paul Stafford trainee utilized a :28.2 final quarter to track down pacesetter North Star Ideal in a neck victory. Affluent Seelster proved the shocking result was no fluke when she repeated a week later as the 3-5 favourite.
Affluent Seelster has made three starts since harness racing resumed in the northeastern United States. She most recently recorded a head win on the front end in a $12,800 overnight at Harrah’s Philadelphia on July 8. Affluent Seelster drew Post 4 for the final of the M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series and is 9-2 on the morning line with Brent Holland programmed to drive.
Unlike Affluent Seelster, Im Very Special was heavily favoured in her divisions of both preliminary legs of the M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series and made good both times for trainer Peter Pellegrino and driver Jason Bartlett. The daughter of American Ideal scored by two lengths in the first leg and by three-quarters of a length in her second-leg split; each time clocking a 1:53.4 victory off of a :27.3 final quarter.
Im Very Special has recorded a pair of placings at the Meadowlands Racetrack (June 24) and Harrah’s Philadelphia (July 3) since returning to racing post-lockdown. In her latest start (July 16) at Yonkers, she finished sixth in the non-winners of $25,000 last five condition. Im Very Special drew Post 8 in the M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series Final and is 8-1 on the morning line.
Although sixth in the series standings after a narrow loss to Affluent Seelster in leg one and a fifth-place finish in the second leg, North Star Ideal was installed as the 6-5 morning line favourite in the final. The Tom Milici-owned and trained mare qualified an 11 and three-quarter-length winner locally on June 29, when she paced a 1:55.3 mile with a :27.3 final quarter. The daughter of Western Ideal then posted a front-stepping win in 1:53.4 in a $13,500 Yonkers overnight on July 13.
North Star Ideal drew the inside post in the $60,000 final and will employ the driving services of Matt Kakaley after Jason Bartlett opted for Im Very Special. Kakaley drove North Star Ideal to a pair of open-length victories at Yonkers earlier this year before Greg Merton piloted in the preliminaries and Bartlett drove last time out.
The field for the M Life Rewards Ladies Pacing Series Final also includes Platinum Pearl, who returns to Yonkers after racing in the overnights at Northfield Park since late May, and HP Xanadu, who enters off of a neck loss in a $7,500 Meadowlands overnight (July 3). Red River Jane, Triple Dip, and How About Murph complete the lineup.
Like its distaff companion series, the M Life Rewards Gents Pacing Series was originally scheduled with three preliminary legs beginning weekly on March 3 and culminating in a final March 24. As the March 10 Yonkers program was the first to fall to the coronavirus lockdown, only the first preliminary leg was contested. There were four divisions of the series first leg, and all four winners from those four splits entered the final.
Semi Tough overcame Post 7 in the first division of the preliminary leg to post a one and one-quarter-length victory in 1:54.2. Trained by Ron Burke, the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere competed in legs of the Graduate Pacing Series at Tioga Downs (June 21) and the Meadowlands (July 4) before posting a 1:51.1 win in a $10,400 Meadows overnight in his most recent start (July 13).
Semi Tough drew Post 6 in the M Life Rewards Gents Pacing Series Final and is 7-5 on the morning line for driver George Brennan.
The Andrew Harris-trained Tap Tap Tap took advantage of a pocket trip to track down heavily favoured rival East Beach in the second division of the preliminary leg to post a mild 4-1 upset in 1:54. A homebred for SSG Stable, Tap Tap Tap finished seventh from Post 7, beaten three and three-quarter lengths in the non-winners of $25,000 last five condition at Yonkers in his return (June 25). Tap Tap Tap was caught as the pacesetter in his most recent start in a $9,000 overnight at Harrington (July 13).
Tap Tap Tap and driver Jason Bartlett will start from Post 1 in the M Life Rewards Gents Pacing Series Final. The pair is 5-2 on the morning line.
The third M Life Rewards Gents Pacing Series preliminary leg division went to Razors Edge by a nose over Lying In Cash and Shamma Lamma, who dead-heated for second in a blanket finish. Razors Edge was trained by Ron Burke when last seen at Yonkers in the preliminary, but since moved to the Gilbert Garcia-Herrera stable.
Razors Edge finished second in a dead heat for his new conditioner in a $13,600 overnight at Pocono Downs June 27 and was up the track in his last start at Harrah’s Philadelphia July 12 after starting from Post 8. He is 20-1 on the morning line for Austin Siegelman and will start from Post 5.
Virgin Storm was the only wire-to-wire winner in the series preliminary, having scored by three quarters of a length for Jason Bartlett and Chris Marino. Now in the barn of Michael Spaccarelli Jr., Virgin Storm has been racing in the Pocono conditions and was most recently third on Independence Day. Mike Simons will drive Virgin Storm in the final at 12-1.
First leg runners-up Shamma Lamma, Ehrmantraut, Lying In Cash, and Apex Seelster comprise the field.
Yonkers Raceway returns to its normal five night per week live harness racing schedule beginning July 20 and continuing through December 19. First post time is 7:12 p.m.
(SOA of NY)