Raymers hoping to find Yonkers green with Green Day

Nevele Pride winner Green Day was forced to watch the Hambletonian from the sidelines as he was not eligible, but with conditions providing for supplemental entries into the Yonkers Trot he will now get his chance to win a jewel of trotting’s Triple Crown.

Jim and Mary Raymer have paid the $60,000 supplemental fee for Green Day to start in the Yonkers Trot, which has eliminations this Saturday night at Yonkers Raceway. Jim Raymer told harnessracing.com the decision was made before it was announced Hambletonian winner Donato Hanover was passing on the Yonkers Trot and instead heading to Du Quoin for the World Trotting Derby.

“If the race was on a mile track, there’s no way we would have supplemented. His forte is he can get around a half-mile track,” said Raymer, noting the son of Enjoy Lavec’s 1:57.1, track-record win in the $338,000 Nevele Pride final June 25 at Monticello Raceway. “The reason I supplemented is because it’s on a half-mile track, although it would have been nice to race for a million (dollars).”

The Yonkers Trot, which had an advertised estimated purse of $1 million, will actually race for a total purse of $724,770. Each of two eliminations Saturday will go for $40,000, with the Aug. 25 final raced for $644,770. Green Day drew the rail in the second of the two elims, with driver Cat Manzi getting the call.

“(Raymer) knew very close what we were going to be racing for, so there was nothing misleading there,” said Yonkers’ race secretary Steve Starr. “He chose to put up the supplement knowing exactly where we were at.”

“The purse is still more than we could for anywhere else,” added Raymer. “Where else can we race for that kind of money? He’s not eligible to the other races. He made more money that I ever expected at Monticello, so we had the money to (supplement).”

Since his Nevele Pride victory, Green Day has started at the Meadowlands, Pocono Downs, Harrah’s Chester and Yonkers. His lone victory in those four starts—he was favored in each—came Aug. 1 at Harrah’s Chester. Overall, he has seven wins in 13 starts this year and $221,690 in earnings.

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