BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Thursday, March 9,
2017—Defending champion Bit of a Legend N leads 40 Free-For-All nominees into
Yonkers Raceway’s 2017 edition of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing
Series. The event again honors the Hall-of-Fame founder of Roosevelt Raceway.
The five weeks of preliminaries begin next
Saturday, March, 18th, with each race in each leg worth $50,000.
Bit of a Legend N, an 8-year-old Down
Under son of Bettor’s Delight, swept through the series a season ago. He won
the $609,000 final (1:51, matching stakes record) a week after his
scintillating, dead-heat with Wiggle It Jiggleit (world-record ‘heater’ of
1:51.2).
Peter Tritton trains and Jordan Stratton
drives for owner Harry von Knoblauch.
Other notable eligibles (alphabetically)
include…All Bets Off, Bettor’s Edge, Caviart Luca, Mach it So, McWicked,
Missile J, Provocativeprincen, Rockin’ Ron, Soto, Take it Back Terry, Vegas
Vacation and Wakizashi Hanover.
The Levy’s companion event, the
ladies-only Blue Chip Matchmaker, seduced 28 of the best distaffers in
training.
Among the fast femmes (alphabetically)
are…Bedroomconfessions, Devil Child, Krispy Apple, Mach it a Par and Sell a Bit
N. The ’17 edition was guaranteed a new leading lady after
Yagonnakissmeornot, last season’s victress, has begun her second career as a
broodmare.
That series, also with five prelim legs
(at $40,000 per race), begins Friday night, March 17th.
Finals (and consolations) for both the
Levy and Matchmaker are set for Saturday night, Apr. 22 (purses
TBA).
Blue Chip Matchmaker Nominees.
| Name of Horse | Sire | Dam | Age | Nominator |
| Al Raza N | Gotta Go Collect | Al Zahra | 7 | A. Abbatiello |
| American Girl | Art's Chip | L Dees Lourdes | 8 | Hoosier Hoofprints |
| Bedroom Confessions | American Ideal | Turnoffthelights | 5 | Chapmans Stkg. |
| Betabcool N | Bettors Delight | Cool Sandy | 7 | Blindswitch Racing |
| Change the Rulz N | Changeover | Victoria Rulz | 6 | L. Fischer |
| Delightful Dragon | Bettors Delight | Little Miss Dragon | 6 | N. Daley |
| Devil Child | American Ideal | Kattimon | 5 | Bluegrass Stkg. |
| Diva's Image | Bettors Delight | Rocknroll Diva | 4 | Bluegrass Stkg. |
| Empress Deo | Rocknrollhanover | Little Miss K | 6 | Joannes Stkg. |
| For the Ladies N | Jeremes Jet | For the Don | 8 | E. Annunziata |
| Givemeyourheart | Badlands Hanover | Artists Flower | 4 | C. Costello |
| Hidden Land | Badlands Hanover | Armbro O'Casey | 6 | S. Finkelstein |
| Krispy Apple | Western Ideal | Apple Krisp | 9 | Bamond Racing |
| Lispatty | McArdle | Lisbella | 4 | GG Herrera |
| Lyons River Pride | Somebeachsomewhere | Mississippi River | 4 | Joannes Stkg. |
| Mach it a Par | Mach Three | Taylorlane Action | 7 | D'Elegance Stb. IX |
| Mackenzie A | Rocknrollheaven | Kept for Pleasure | 5 | P. Tritton |
| Medusa | Bettors Delight | Mythical | 6 | Bluegrass Stkg. |
| Nike Franco N | McArdle | Nearea Franco | 7 | Bluegrass Stkg. |
| Purrfect Bags | Roddy's Bags Again | Purrfectly Bad | 5 | J. King |
| Quick Draft A | Art Major | Quick Comment | 7 | Blindswitch Racing |
| Regil Elektra | Mach Three | Top Time Notcher | 7 | Joannes Stkg. |
| Sail to the Beach | Somebeachsomewhere | Sail Away | 4 | C. Orzell Jr. |
| Sandbetweenurtoes | Somebeachsomewhere | Als Girl | 6 | Joannes Stkg. |
| Sellabit N | Julius Caesar | Nomorenuki | 7 | P. Tritton |
| She's Just A Delight N | Bettors Delight | Love the Look | 7 | RHM Racing |
| Tessa Seelster | Shadow Play | Titania Seelster | 5 | Bluegrass Stkg. |
| Wrangler Magic | Mach Three | JA EL Shamrock | 5 | R. Allard |
George Morton Levy Memorial Pace Nominees
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