June 30, 2008
On Saturday night a field of eight 3-year-old trotters lined up behind the gate in the $645,854 Yonkers Trot, the first leg of the Trotting Triple Crown, on a warm clear night at Yonkers Raceway, contested at the standard 1 mile distance, two circuits of the half-mile oval. 9-5 Holiday Credit was the favorite over Napoleon at 2-1 and Make It Happen at 7-2.
Napoleon was sent to the front immediately by driver Stephane Bouchard and he set a pace of 28 1/5, 58 2/5, and 1:27 over the fast track. Ron Pierce kept favorite Holiday Credit wide in 4th for the first lap of the track. With 3 furlongs remaining, Pierce asked Holiday Credit to challenge on the far outside as he moved alongside Napoleon, who got 3/4 in 1:27. Holiday Credit passed Napoleon at the top of the stretch and opened up a 1 1/4 length lead in mid stretch. However, while all alone out front with an easy win in sight, he broke stride with just 50 yards left to run, which ended his chances at victory. Napoleon came back along the inside to gain a short lead and was all out to hold off the late-running Make It Happen at the line by a head, completing the distance in 1:57 1/5. It was another head back to 5-1 fourth choice Big Apple Deli in third. Holiday Credit finished another 1/2 length behind in fourth but was disqualified down to sixth for breaking stride in the lane.
Results chart from USTA
Winning co-owner Sid Korn said, "It's unbelievable. I can't tell you how excited I am. Every time you come up to a big race like this, you wonder what's going to happen. You dream of all the possibilities and when it's over, it's such a weight off you. Of all the possibilities, this was the best. I'm happy for everyone involved. It couldn't happen to nicer guys. For my partner, (the late) Alvin (Jacobsen, breeder), I hope to heck he was up there listening somewhere and knows what happens. All his life he was breeding and now he's not here to see this."
Winning driver Stephane Bouchard, a perennial leading rider at Yonkers but celebrating his first Yonkers Trot win, said, "I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's a lifetime dream. This was for my son, Oliver, who is in Canada. He just turned 18 today. I was on the phone with him (earlier yesterday) and he told me, 'You're going to win the race.' So I won the race. He's a nice trotter. He races hard. I thought I had enough horse to keep him up there for a while. At the top of the stretch, I thought (Holiday Credit) was going to win the race. Halfway down the stretch I saw his horse get weak and rough a little bit there. In a race like that, you need a good horse and all the luck you can get to win it. We got it."
Eight 3-year-old trotting fillies contested the $364,694 Hudson Trot on the undercard. 3-5 Creamy Mimi was the heavy favorite over 3-1 Epangeline and 7-2 Flower Lane.
Trainer and driver Trond Smedshammer sent Creamy Mimi to the lead immediately and she set a pace of 29 2/5, 1:00 2/5, and 1:29 3/5 while as many as 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Flower Lane who stalked her in second. On the final turn, Flower Lane broke stride which allowed Creamy Mimi to open up a 2 length lead in the stretch. Epangeline, who raced in fourth early, put in a late run but the race was over, as Creamy Mimi cruised under the line 3 lengths clear for the gate-to-wire victory in 1:58 1/5. It was another 6 1/2 lengths back to 46-1 longshot There's A Way in third.
Results chart from USTA
Winning trainer and driver Trond Smedshammer said, "When I saw she drew the rail, that was a big advantage. She is a nice filly. On paper, she was the filly to beat. Even if she didn't draw the rail I think she would have been the one to beat, but it certainly helps on a 1/2 mile track. She's got a big race coming up six days at the Meadowlands, so we were debating whether we were going to come here. But I told (co-owner) Marvin (Katz) it might be easier to win this race than the Delvin Miller. Right now we're happy we came."
