Yonkers: Helpisontheway, The Veteran deliver in soggy New York Sire Stakes splits

It was a dark and stormy Friday night (July 27th), under which Yonkers Raceway hosted the $173,500 New York Sire Stakes Dick McGuire Trot for 3-year-old colts and geldings. The pair of $86,750 events were named for the late New York Knickerbocker standout, Hall of Famer and avid horseplayer.

The opening division saw Helpisontheway (Brian Sears, $2.60) do his bidding from off-the-pace. From post position three, he chased Winning Shadow (Mike Simons) as that one chased Chasin’ Dreams (Jason Bartlett).

Chasin’ Dreams had taken over from Purpose Blue Chip (Dan Daley), all this through early intervals of 28 3/5 and 57 4/5. A 30-1, two-move Cruising In Style (George Brennan) then grabbed the lead at the 1:26 2/5 three-quarters, widening to 2 1/4 lengths entering the lane.

However, Helpisontheway wound up widest and closed fastest, edging by the longshot late. The margin was three-quarters of a length in 1:55 3/5. Winning Shadow held third, with Purpose Blue Chip and Clive Bigsby (Mark MacDonald) coming away with the remainder.

For Helpisontheway, a son of Chapter Seven trained by Linda Toscano for Camelot and Bays Stables & Little E LLC., it was his fourth win in eight seasonal starts. The exacta paid $41.80, the triple returned $211.50 and the superfecta paid a grand.

“He was just green last season,” Toscano said. “Now, he’s figured it out.”

Friday night’s second and final division was Veterans Night, as The Veteran (Jordan Stratton, $3.50) proved best in a race with four breakers and arguably his own late exodus.

Away third from post two, he improved early position when Fashion Forever (Dan Dube) and Yuge (Breannan) both misbehaved in from of him. That left the lead to Troller (Sears) through soggy subsections of 29 and 58 4/5. Nearing the intermission, On The Ropes (Ake Svanstedt) was moving from fifth, doing so in a hurry. The Veteran then left the cones, forcing On the Ropes three-wide.

Meanwhile, Troller maintained his advantage in and out of a 1:27 4/5 three-quarters, though The Veteran was coming. The people’s preference soon displaced the leader—who eventually jumped it off—and opened a 2 1/4-length lead in and out of the final turn.

The Veteran defeated Perlucky (Trond Smedshammer) by a length-and-a-quarter in 1:56 3/5, with a compromised On The Ropes, Don (Bartlett) and Yuge settling for the minors.

For The Veteran, a Muscle Mass colt co-owned by (trainer) George Ducharme, Steven Michaels, W.J. Donovan and Jim Winske, it was his fifth win in eight seasonal starts. The exacta paid $23, the triple returned $96 and the superfecta paid $392.50. The winner has been an odds-on choice in his last five tries.

--press release (Yonkers)--