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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

MATCHMAKER BEGINS FRIDAY NIGHT WITH QUARTET

BY FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway

YONKERS, NY, Monday, March 17, 2014—Yonkers Raceway’s six-week fairer-sex festival, otherwise known as the Blue Chip Matchmaker, begins Friday night.

Twenty-nine (of the 39) eligible Free-For-All pacing mares made their intentions known, resulting in four, $40,000, opening-round divisions.  They go as races 4,6,9 and 10 on the 12-race card.

Defending series champion Feeling You drew into the third event, landing post position No. 5 for co-owner driver Tyler Buter. The 7-year-old daughter of Cambest, a career millionairess-in-waiting (nearly $987,000), comes off a 12-win, $407,000-plus season in 2013.

She hooks seven-figure performers Krispy Apple (Tim Tetrick, post 3) and Royal Cee Cee N (Brian Sears, post 4), as well as the sharp-on-seasonal debut Somwherovrarainbow (Sears also listed, post 6).

Standout lass Anndrovette—second to Feeling You in last season’s edition--begins her 7-year-old purse season from post No. 3 in the second Matchmaker grouping.  The $2.5 million miss, with seven wins and more than $556 on account in ’13, has Tetrick driving for trainer P J Fraley.

Rocklamation, winner of this event in 2012, drew post No. 4 in the first division. Yannick Gingras drives for trainer Ron Burke, who is representing by six ladies in the four divisions.

Friday’s final series event includes weekly Open Handicap standouts Economy Terror (Mark MacDonald, post 3) and Yagonnakissmeornot (Dan Dube, post 4).  

Saturday’s opening round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series shall be drawn Tuesday afternoon.  

The Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues, with first post every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available daily.

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