Hambletonian Champ Marion Marauder Leads Nine Into 62nd Yonkers Trot

Hambletonian winner Marion Marauder goes after the second jewel of the Trotting Triple Crown, leading nine 3-year-olds in the 62nd Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway.

A $500,000 final purse is guaranteed on Saturday night, September 3, for the track’s signature trotting event, and nine trotters will vie to determine the eight finalists in a $40,000 single elimination this Saturday night, August 27.

Marion Marauder won his elimination heat and final of the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands on August 6 with Scott Zeron driving for trainer Paula Wellwood.

The nine entrants for the Yonkers Trot elimination listed alphabetically are as follows: Celebrity Express, Cufflink Hanover (gelding), Gleaming Memory, Hititoutofthepark (ridgling), Iron Mine Bucky, Lagerfeld, Marion Marauder, Smalltownthrowdown, and Steed (gelding).

Marion Marauder, a Muscle Hill colt, enters with six wins a second in eight seasonal starts for a total bankroll of $854,905. He had won five consecutive starts a runner up finish in last weekend’s Colonial at Pocono. The three-year-old is owned by Marion Wellwood and Devin Keeling.

The Yonkers Trot winner also gets an automatic berth to the $1 million Yonkers International Trot slated for Saturday afternoon, October 15.

The 61st Messenger Stakes, second leg of the Pacing Triple Crown, is also worth $500,000 on September 3 and is led by Racing Hill. A career earner of more than $1 million, the son of Roll with Joe has hit the board in all 10 starts this season with four wins, five seconds and a third. The $500,000 Hempt Memorial (Pocono) and the $400,000 Adios (Meadows) were among his victories. Tony Alagna trains the Tom Hill homebred, who is making his half-mile track debut.

The Messenger entrants alphabetically are: Another Daily Copy, Don’tcallmefrancis (gelding), Dr. J. Hanover, Fernando Hanover (gelding), Manny, Racing Hill, Stonebridge Beach, and Western Fame.