The King Wins with Cavalier Attitude - on Yonkers Raceway "Court"

The Art Rooney Pace on Saturday will bring great excitement to Empire City Casino's historic half mile oval when the Pittsburgh Steelers founder and family patriarch is honored. Harness fans got an early glimpse of that excitement on Tuesday, when ‎the 2016 hunch of the year – at least for basketball zealots – lit up the tote board at Yonkers Raceway. ‎

King’s Cavalier – as in the “King” LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers – put his head in front in the shadow of the wire for trainer-driver Eric Abbatiello to score an upset win in the 11th race at 28-1 odds.

The trotter returned $58.50 for a $2 win wager from post position 9, turning back the late challenge to defeat 39-1 shot Wygant Princess, driven by Marcus Melander from post two, keying a monstrous $3,498 exacta for the 9-2 number.

The 1 ¼ mile winning time was clocked in 2:30. Abbatiello is the son of the legendary Carmine Abbatiello, the fabled “Red Man” who was leading driver at Yonkers and Roosevelt in the 70’s and 80’s.

Dick McGuire, the Hall of Fame Knicks and St. John’s point guard who was a racing devotee, had to be smiling at the proceedings from heaven’s clubhouse. The Dick McGuire Trot, named in his honor, will be contested later on this summer at Yonkers Raceway.

Oh, yeah, LeBron’s Cavs try to get back on “track” tonight in Cleveland with the Eastern Conference Finals even at 2-2 with the Toronto Rapters desperately trying to reach the finish line first.