Yonkers: Nuncio an easy Yonkers Trot winner

Nuncio came into the $500,000 Yonkers Trot as the obvious horse to beat and did nothing to dispel that notion with an extremely easy 1:56 walk-in-the-park victory on Saturday evening at Yonkers Raceway.

Nuncio watched as Don Dorado gunned to the front before taking over control at the quarter in 29 seconds. From there driver John Campbell was just a passenger, sitting chilly through fractions of 58 4/5, 1:27 3/5 without any challengers.

Don Dorado broke in the pocket on the final turn and Nuncio opened up while drifting through the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths over Datsyuk.

“He hasn’t been drifting out, he usually goes the other way. He must have a little ache or pain on that side that Jimmy (Takter, trainer) will have to address,” said Campbell on Nuncio drifting to the middle of the track.

Nuncio has won 10 of 15 races this year good for $1,297,896, second best in the 3-year-old trotting colt division behind stablemate Father Patrick. The Stall Tz Inc-owned son of Andover Hall has never finished worse than second in 25 career starts.

Expected second choice Gural Hanover scratched from the race due to sickness, but Campbell didn’t think that was a major help.

“Gural Hanover would have been pretty good to even get within a couple of lengths of my horse,” said Campbell.

Nuncio returned $2.10 to win.

In the $124,590 Hudson Trot, a filly companion race for sophomores, the favorite didn’t quite have the same positive results.

Sent off at 25 cents on-the-dollar, Market Rally and Avalicious both broke during the mile as Highest Peak got away with two soft 30 second opening quarters. Market Rally did make a quick charge from last to take over at the half and led past three quarters in 1:29, but in the lane she had nothing left and faded to fifth.

Highest Peak came up the pylons to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Mistresswithmuscle and Bambino Supreme in 1:58 2/5.

“She takes the half mile pretty good,” said assistant trainer Bernie Noren.

Highest Peak is owned, trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt. She now has five wins in 14 starts this year.

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