Warrawee Yang will be the only horse with a chance to sweep the 2024 edition of the John Brennan Trotting Series at MGM Yonkers Raceway as he took the first of three $34,247 divisions of the final preliminary round on Wednesday night (April 24).
Facing off against Royalty Beer (Pat Lachance), who was also two-for-two in the series coming in, Warrawee Yang cleared him for the top before the :28.1 opening quarter, backed down the tempo to :58.3 at the half and 1:27.4 at three-quarters, and sprinted home in :28.2 to defeat Royalty Beer by a length and a quarter in 1:56.1. Bontoni Degato S (George Brennan) collected third.
A four-year-old son of Trixton, Warrawee Yang scored his seventh straight victory for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. He is a 15-time winner overall and has pocketed $222,983.
Warrawee Yang paid $4.10 to win as the even-money second choice. The exacta was $5.60 and the trifecta kicked back $17.40.
Gingras and Burke also won the second split with Sea Can in 1:55.2. The winner made his way to the top from post three, carved out fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:26.3 and trotted a :28.4 final panel to tally by a length and three-quarters over By The Book (Jay Randall). Coventry Hall (Jason Bartlett) checked in third.
Also owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Sea Can is a five-year-old Muscle Mass gelding. He has a summary of 12-11-3 from 49 trips behind the gate and has earned $270,660.
Sea Can returned $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favourite. He was atop a $10.60 exacta and a $42.20 trifecta.
Tachyon was the 1-5 favourite in the final flight as Gingras looked for the sweep, but he came up empty in the lane off panels of :28, :57 and 1:25.3, paving the way for 41-1 shot Crazy Brother Jim (Jim Marohn Jr.) to rally off cover in the lane and prevail by a neck in 1:56.2. Ferretti (Matt Kakaley) was next, followed by Deadline Hall (Tyler Buter).
Rock Vinci owns and trains Crazy Brother Jim, a three-year-old gelded son of Crazy Wow. He made his third appearance in the winner's circle and has put away $46,747.
Crazy Brother Jim paid $85 to win and led a $1,170 exacta and a $13,122 trifecta.
The John Brennan Trotting Series concludes next Thursday, May 2 with a $78,000 USD final and $35,000 USD consolation. The John Brennan Trotting Series is named in honour of the longtime Standardbred Owners Association of New York horsemen's representative who passed away from complications of COVID-19 in March 2020. The series is for three-year-olds and older who were non-winners of six pari-mutuel races or $200,000 USD through Feb. 1, 2024, with winners over $250,000 USD as of that date not eligible.
Live harness racing resumes on Thursday, April 25 with post time at 7 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)