Yonkers: Posts drawn for pair of $500k stakes

The two lads with Triple Crown aspirations—Pinkman and Dealt a Winner—are going to have to work for their respective second jewels Saturday night, with Yonkers Raceway hosting both the half-million dollar Yonkers Trot and the equally-pursed Messenger Stakes.

Post time for the 13-race card is the customary 7:10 PM, with the 61st Trot going as the sixth race (approximate post 9 PM) and Messenger No. 60 as race No. 8 (approx. 9:40 PM).

Hambletonian champion Pinkman drew post position No. 7, with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Jimmy Takter. Gingras is looking for his first Trot victory, while Takter, who for years couldn’t win this race, now seemingly can’t lose it. He trained last season’s winner (Nuncio), his fourth Yonkers Trot win in the past six editions.

Pinkman, a 3-year-old gelded son of Explosive Matter, was second in his elimination race a week ago after getting babied around the final turn.

His chief combatant, defending New York Sire Stakes champ Crazy Wow, landed right inside at post No. 6. Crazy Wow defeated Pinkman by a length a week ago in 1:55 4/5. George Brennan gets the finale assignment for trainer Ron Burke, whose other entrant, Habitat (Brian Sears, post 2) won last week’s second elim (1:55 3/5) with Gingras doing the honors.

The field for Yonkers Trot No. 61 is as follows: 1-Buen Camino (Trond Smedshammer), 2-French Laundry (Sears also listed), 3-Southwind Mozart (Ake Svanstedt), 4-Billy Flynn (Jason Bartlett), 5-Habitat (Sears), 6-Crazy Wow (Brennan), 7-Pinkman (Gingras), 8-Workout Wonder (Dube).

Note French Laundry and Pinkman coupled, as are Habitat and Crazy Wow.

Dealt a Winner, he of the 26-1 upset in the Cane Pace, drew post No. 5 in the Messenger Stakes. The 3-year-old Cam’s Card Shark gelding is trained by Mark Silva for owner Jeff Snyder.

He’s partnered Saturday with Rock N’ Roll World (Dube, post 6). Adios winner Dude’s the Man (Brennan) starts from the pylons here, with Art Rooney Pace champ In the Arsenal (Sears) landing the three-hole.

The entire Messenger field shapes up as: 1-Dude’s the Man (Brennan), 2-Revenge Shark (Gingras), 3-In the Arsenal (Sears), 4-Roland N Rock (Dube also listed), 5-Dealt a Winner (Bartlett), 6-Rock N’ Roll World (Dube), 7-Rollin’ Ring Afire (Tim Tetrick), 8-National Seelster (Eric Carlson).

Program changes are scheduled to be made Wednesday morning

-edited release