Yonkers: Bartlett eyes Night of Champions success

Yonkers Raceway's leading driver Jason Bartlett has been traveling throughout New York State this summer following the New York Sire Stakes program from track to track. His work has landed him some coveted drives this Saturday night when Yonkers hosts its $1.8 million New York Night of Champions.

Bartlett earned his way into the spotlight this Saturday but early on Tuesday had wondered where he would be driving after Saturday's card. "It's up in the air right now," Bartlett said before it was revealed late Tuesday that the track would remain open, as MGM finalized its plans for re-opening the accompanying casino.

The news simplified Bartlett's travel plans and certainly will give him time to focus on matters at hand, particularly winning a few of the $225,000 championship finals, eight of which dominate Saturday's program with just nine races slated.

The first championship is for juvenile pacing fillies, with the Brett Pelling-trained Test Of Faith the probable choice. Bartlett will drive Heart Of Mine (post 3) for trainer Linda Toscano. In her last Sire Stakes start, Bartlett guided her to a 3 3/4 length win in 1:53 2/5 over the Saratoga surface. The final time was two-fifths faster than Test The Faith, who bested the Bartlett-driven Albergita Hanover (post 8) by four lengths. Scott Zeron guides Albergita Hanover on Saturday.

Bartlett believes he's got a serious chance to take down the top prize in race four, the $225,000 final for juvenile trotting colts and geldings. Ahundredollarbill has captured two of three races since joining force with Bartlett and enters the final following a race where he never had a chance.

"He broke at the start and I really don't know why," said Bartlett of Ahundreddollarbill's last race at Tioga on August 30. "He's broken twice at the start and both times it was from post seven at Tioga."

On Saturday, Ahundreddollarbill returns to the half-mile track and lands post five, and that gives Bartlett the confidence he'll need in a field that includes the unbeaten Ambassador Hanover (post 3).

"It's a decent spot for this horse," said Bartlett. "He's really good on a half mile track and is very quick." That fleetness of foot was in full display when Ahundreddollarbill and Bartlett met for the first time in a NYSS event at Saratoga Harnesss on August 10. The Dan Daley-trained son of Chapter Seven made a brisk move on the third turn and overtook the pacesetter coming out of that bend on his way to a dominant 1:57 4/5 victory. In his next start, Ahundreddollarbill rallied from off the pace with a career-best clocking of 1:56 at Vernon Downs. Two NYSS leg winners - Incommunicado (post 6) and three-time winner Dee's Red Delicious (post 7) - drew outside and are expected to contest the early pace in this division.

Ordinarily an unbeaten 2-year-old entering the Sire Stakes final would be a lock but there's a bit more mystery to the $225,000 final for pacing colts and geldings with American Courage (post 5) entering the final after missing his August 28 start due to sickness. Still, Bartlett wasn't sounding overconfident in any way about King James Express (post 6), his mount in the evening's fifth race.

"He's a horse that has gotten better with each start," said Bartlett. "Right now, he's a horse that's best racing from off the pace. There's a lot of good horses inside, so I'm hoping they mix it up." King James Express is an Art Major-sired gelding trained by Mark Harder. He was a 1:56 3/5 winner in Sire Stakes action at Saratoga and enters the final following a career-best 1:52 mile at Vernon Downs on August 28.

The aforementioned American Courage has won all three of his starts at Yonkers this year including the Springfield on July 13 against open company. For the most part his victories on the NYSS circuit have been by open lengths, but his last on August 18 at Yonkers was just a half-length margin.

Also in the field, multiple Sire Stakes winner Town Gossip (post 2) has done some of his best racing over the half-mile track this season for the brother and sister team of Joseph and Jenn Bongiorno. He's been five times first or second in six career starts with earnings approaching $100K.

One of the most intriguing matchups of the Night of Champions has to be race six, the $225,000 final for 3-year-old pacing fillies, with division leader Hen Party (post 3), a winner in six of her last seven starts, sandwiched between So Rude (post 2) and Bartlett's mount, Racine Bell (post 4).

"Most of the talent is inside of me," said Bartlett of the contest. "She's a very nice filly and definitely at her best over the half-mile track." Bartlett knows that much of the outcome will be decided by where horses are positioned out of the opening bend. So Rude, Hen Party and Racine Bell have all shown extreme quickness leaving the gate. "It just may come down to whether I can get an angle on the other two," said Bartlett, hoping that the mid-gate post can catapult him around the inside speed.

David Dewhurst trains Racine Bell, a daughter of So Surreal who enters the final on a four-race winning streak and actually meets Hen Party for the first time in 2020 on Saturday.

Things couldn't have worked out better in the post position department for Bartlett than finding his mount Hobbs from the pole position in the $225,000 NYSS final for 3-year-old colts and geldings. "He's just a very handy horse and the rail is a big edge," said Bartlett.

Hobbs, a gelded son of Credit Winner from the Jim Campbell stable, has won four of his last five starts including a 1:55 4/5 victory over the Yonkers surface on July 14. Hobbs will have to contend with Chaptiama, also a winner in four of his last five outings for trainer Trond Smedshammer. Brian Sears is listed to drive the altered son of Chapter Seven from post four.

Before stakes season began, Bartlett was very high on Save Me A Dance, his mount in the final NYSS of the card, an event for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings. Save Me A Dance drew post seven and that pretty much sums up his racing luck. "This horse has made tremendous strides from where he was last year to this year," said Bartlett. "In the Empire Breeders (August 28, Tioga Downs) I got stuck behind a horse that just stopped suddenly." Save Me A Dance has been second four times and third once in five NYSS appearances.

"There's a lot of quality horses in there. Splash Brother (post 1) had a few races where he wasn't at the top of his game but he's been better the last few starts. Major Betts (post 6) is pretty solid. There are four or five who can mix it up in here and be on the wire," said Bartlett. As always racing luck will play a major part, but it would be wise not to count Bartlett or Save Me A Dance out of this final.