Yonkers: Tough night for favorites in New York Sire Stakes

Yonkers Raceway Monday night (Sept. 18th) hosted the $157,600 New York Sire Stakes Lew Barasch Trot for 2-year-old colts and geldings. The race again honored the memory of ‘Tootie,’ the iconic Hall of Fame harness publicist from the sport's golden age. A pair of equally-parsed, $78,800 divisions comprised the event, which, as it turned out, was not for the squeamish.

Fourth Dimension (Brian Sears), who entered the opener a perfect four-for-four, was sent off as the 3-10 choice from post position five. He was away third, only to break twice in the back half. The second- (Tito [Andy Miller]) and third-choice (My Lindy Winner [Jim Morrill Jr.]) also misbehaved, a problem not shared by Six Pack (Ake Svanstedt, $31).

Going right down the road (29, 59 4/5, 1:28 4/5, and 1:57 3/5) from outside post seven, Six Pack never had any anxious moment. He opened 3 1/2 lengths into the lane, then widened to defeat 49-1 shot Purpose Blue Chip (Dan Daley) by 4 3/4 lengths. Tito recovered to finish third, while Fourth Dimension wound up a well-beaten sixth.

For fifth choice Six Pack, a Muscle Mass colt co-owned (with Stall Kallmar, Little E LLC. and Lars Berg) by his trainer/driver, it was his second win in six seasonal starts. The exacta paid $353.50, with the triple returning $1,705.

Monday evening’s second Barasch division saw Ronnie Goldstein (Kim Crawford, $24.20) prevail from the pocket. From post three, he made the first lead (after another leaver broke), then gave it up to 9-10 choice Perlucky just past a 29 2/5 opening quarter-mile.

After a 59 1/5 intermission, Perlucky engaged the second move of second choice Don (Miller), toward the 1:29 1/5 three-quarters. Don then jumped it off, leaving Perlucky with 2 1/4 length lead in and out of the final turn.

He couldn’t finish it off, though, as Ronnie Goldstein surged by. The margin was a neck in a life-best 1:59 1/5. Seven Iron (Sears) was third.

For fourth choice ‘Ronnie,’ a homebred son of Muscle Mass trained by his driver for owner Steven Goldstein, it was his second win in eight 2017 tries. The exacta paid $66, with the triple returning $297.

--press release (Yonkers)--