Yonkers: Better late than never for Yonkers Trot contender Creampuff Macdaddy

Risk plays a major part in horse racing. Take Creampuff Macdaddy, the 4-1 third choice in the morning line for Saturday’s $450,000 Yonkers Trot. The Ontario-bred was an expensive purchase last year by owners Howard Taylor, Ted Gewertz, Ed Gold and Judith Taylor. The group was hoping to make hay quickly on the lucrative Ontario-bred circuit.

“We gave the horse to Bjorn Noren and he just couldn’t get the horse to go,” recalled Howard Taylor of the initial experience. “We purchased the horse from trainer Brad Maxwell.”

Maxwell had been conditioning for owner Doug Millard and the group saw potential and made the deal following an impressive runner-up performance in an Ontario Gold leg at Mohawk in late August.

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“I had never had any horses with Maxwell, but after a few races I called and asked if he could take the horse back to get him ready for the $300,000 Superfinal,” said Taylor. [bc_video_id:299126:]

Maxwell did a great job to bring the colt to top form and Creampuff Macdaddy trotted a huge mile but got caught late in the race on November 10 at Woodbine. “We caught a break in that race when the winner was disqualified and he was placed first. That got us out,” said Taylor.

Creampuff Macdaddy hit another speed bump on the road to return this year as Maxwell and four other Ontario-trainers came up with positive tests. In Ontario that meant the horse would be suspended 90 days.

“All of the trainers were exonerated,” said Taylor. “They were all using feed that was cross contaminated. The Ontario commission recognized that.”

Unfortunately, Creampuff Macdaddy’s schedule would take a hit with him missing important stakes races while the matter was adjudicated. Finally he would get to race in the Canadian Breeders Championship elimination at Mohawk on July 12, finishing third and qualifying for the final.

That set up a conflict that Taylor and his associates hadn’t counted on.

“I seriously thought there would be no eliminations for the Yonkers Trot; there generally aren’t,” said Taylor. “Brad had told us the horse would be great on a half-mile track and that’s why we supplemented (before his three-year-old season) to the race. I didn’t think we’d see many of the Hambletonian horses in this race.”

With the favorable draw in the Yonkers Trot elimination, the owners elected to ship to Yonkers and witnessed Creampuff Macdaddy make two moves to victory for catch-driver Jason Bartlett in the 1:56 3/5 mile.

The final could shake out a little differently, with Creampuff Macdaddy landing post six in the eight-horse field, race seven on the 13-race program with a first post of 7:10 p.m.

Dontyourforgetit, with catch-driver Brian Sears, was made the 8-5 favorite in the Yonkers Trot after landing post four. The consistent colt has won four of seven starts this year racing primarily in Pennsylvania. He had a long journey in his elimination but still prevailed for trainer Takter in a 1:57 2/5 mile.

“I expect him to be better,” said Taylor of his main opposition.

Dewycolorintheline, second to Creampuff Macdaddy in last week’s elimination, drew post two for trainer-driver Ray Schnittker and was tabbed at 3-1 in the early line.

The Yonkers Trot is the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown, which continues with the Hambletonian on August 3 at the Meadowlands and concludes with the Kentucky Futurity at the Red Mile on October 6.

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$450,000 Yonkers Trot Final - Race 7

Post	Horse	Driver	Morning Line
1	FICO	G.Brennan	6-1
2	DEWYCOLORINTHELINE	R.Schnittker	3-1
3	CELEBRITY STIMULUS	T.Jackson	10-1
4	DONTYOUFORGETIT	B.Sears	8-5
5	BOFFIN	C.Norris	8-1
6	CREAMPUFF MACDADDY	J.Bartlett	4-1
7	LAUDERDALE	B.Holland	8-1
8	CANTAB ABS	T.Smedshammer	20-1