Yonkers Trot Winner Out of Triple Crown

Lord Stormont, winner of the Yonkers Trot, the first leg of trotting’s Triple Crown, isn’t eligible for the remaining two legs--the Hambletonian Aug. 9 at the Meadowlands, and the Kentucky Futurity Oct. 3 at the Red Mile in Lexington.

A $35,000 supplemental entry, Lord Stormont won his ninth consecutive race, beating Yeehaw Junction by three lengths in 1:58 4/5 for the mile Friday night. He has now won 10 times in 11 starts this year after only one start as a 2-year-old, when he was often sick.

“The horse was sick as a 2-year-old,” driver Doug Brown said. “His biggest problem was breathing. The owners didn’t think he would amount to much.”

As a result, his owners, Ontario’s Stormont Farm, didn’t nominate him for the Triple Crown races before deciding to pay the supplemental fee for the Yonkers Trot.

Brown said Lord Stormont’s next start is likely to be in the Zweig next month in Syracuse. “That will be one of the few cracks we have to prove Stormont can go against the best,” he said.

The Yonkers win was worth $145,948.