Yankee Dealer Back to His Winning Ways in Black Tie Affair Handicap
Greco Racing Stable and trainer Mike Reavis’ Yankee Dealer returned to his winning ways when the Illinois-bred 6-year-old son of Yankee Gentleman claimed the $54,500 Black Tie Affair Handicap as the co-highweight Saturday afternoon at Arlington International Racecourse. After breaking well from post five in the nine-horse field, the chestnut charge settled in last into a nice rhythm for jockey Tim Thornton before advancing on the final turn, splitting horses beautifully at the top of the stretch and out-accelerating Fortino, Inc.’s Chris Block-trained Sweet Luca, who was returning on one weeks’ rest, to the wire by a head. The win was Yankee Dealer’s third in his last four races for his third different rider.
The Illinois-bred traveled the grassy 1 1/16-miles distance in 1:42.85 after earlier fractions of 24.02, 49.05, 1:13.41 and 1:36.95 were set by Cherrywood Racing’sSuper Soldier. Sent off at 6.50-1, Yankee Dealer returned $15, $7 and $4.40, earning $31,719 to boost his career bankroll to $367,452. The win was Yankee Dealer’s first stakes victory in a 33-race career that has seen him in the winner’s circle 11 times.
“It’s always great to come back and win races right away. A big thanks to Mike and others for still having faith in me that I can still ride like a can,” Thornton said. “Actually going into the race I wanted to be laying fourth or fifth, but things change once the gates open. I just let him settle and picked through and got up just in time.”
“We’re not sure what we’ll do with him next,” Reavis said. “We may go to Kentucky Downs with him, but the Claiming Crown is in the back of my mind down the road.”
Sweet Luca, with Eduardo Perez aboard, returned $5 and $3, while Super Soldier, under Julio Felix, returned $3.60. Morning-line and 5-2 post-time favoriteUltimo Trago, under Francisco Torres, finished fourth.
“It was a good trip, he just got beat by (Yankee Dealer),” said Perez. “Last week he didn’t really run, but today he was feeling good. He was on his game today.”
“He was off for six months, and there's only so much you can do with a horse being laid up that long,” Felix said. “He ran against the best on the grounds today and he just came up a little tired and a little short, but he gave me his heart and responded when I asked him. I just needed a little more, but next time he'll be ready."
“I'm disappointed,” Torres said. “He was coming into this race 100 percent, he warmed up good and everything, he just never fired. Why that is, I don't know, that's just how horse racing is. You scratch your head at times and sometimes pat yourself on the back. That's the way the game goes."
Source - Arlington Park