Yonkers Raceway Begins 2015 Season on Friday Night

Yonkers Raceway will begin its 238-program of live harness racing on Friday night, January 9th, as it rings in its new year on the historic half-mile oval at Empire City Casino.

Leading driver Jason Bartlett will commence on defending his crown, while top trainer Ron Burke looks to make it three straight conditioning titles.

Bartlett, 33, won his fourth Westchester driving title going away, with 485 wins from a meet-high 2,440 wins (19.9 percent). His $7,594,544 in purses also led the contingent. Brian Sears (402 wins), George Brennan (401), Eric Carlson (213) and Dan Dube (213) completed the leading five.

Burke, 45, successfully defended his Yonkers title, sending out 144 winners from 704 starters (20.5 percent), more than any other local trainer. Among his record-breaking total earnings season was a local-leading $4,646,539 in purses. PJ Fraley (118 wins), Gilberto Garcia-Herrera (112), Rene Allard (111) and Tracy Brainard (106) finished off the first quintet.

A 12-race card has been drawn for Friday, featuring a $35,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace (6th race), where a locally-debuting millionaires – now-10-year-old Voelz Hanover with Pat Lachance in the sulky —was assigned outside her five rivals.

The post times for the upcoming season are as follows:

Mondays/Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays - first post 7:10 PM; Tuesdays - first post 1 PM; --Sundays - first post 11:25 AM (only one [11th] in January)

Aside from the six-card first full week, Yonkers will offer a five-program-per-week schedule. Included in that is a proposed 31 days (174 races) simulcast to a French-hubbed audience. The “French races” begin this Sunday, January 11, and end with the final (Dec. 13) program of the season.