For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Saturday, April 13, 2019

PRELIMS DONE FOR BLUE CHIP MATCHMAKER


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

YONKERS, NY, Friday, April 12, 2019—Yonkers Raceway’s Blue Chip Matchmaker saw its fifth and  final preliminary round go Friday night (Apr. 12th), with three, $40,000 groupings of Free-For-All mares.
Any number of well-positioned points leaders earned this week off for good behavior.  
Here was the last-chance-to-impress ledger…
First division—Another wet week for the lasses, though not as much moisture as last Friday. 
Undaunted, 3-10 lass Seaswift Joy N (Jim Marohn Jr., $2.60) was the lone leaver and the easiest of winners. From what became the outside post position in this scratched-reduced quintet, Seaswift Joy N worked around Camera Lady (Matt Kakaley), then was a drifting, three-length victress (:27.2, :57, 1:25.2, 1:52.3).
Camera Lady chased the around the oval for second, with Delightfulmemphisn (Tim Tetrick), Gold Orchid N (Jason Bartlett) and Itty Bitty (Dan Dube) rounding out the finishers/payees.
For Seaswift Joy N, a 6-year-old Down Under Bettor’s Delight ma’am owned by Brad Grant and trained by Tony Alagna, it was her fifth win in eight seasonal starts (3-for-5 in Matchmaker). The exacta paid $6.20, with triple and superfecta wagering both cancelled.
“She’s getting better every week,” Marohn Jr. said.
Second division—An uncovered Kaitlyn N (Kakaley, $9) ground down 1-2 choice Feelin’ Red Hot (George Brennan) in 1:52.2.
The former played leapfrog with Twinkle (Scott Zeron), reclaiming the lead right at a :26.4 opening quarter-mile.. After a :56.1 intermission, it was Kaitlyn N—from post No. 4—moving from third. She hooked the leader between the 1:24 three-quarters and the final turn, putting her away midway through the lane.
Kaitlyn N drew out to win by a length-and-a-quarter. Feelin’ Red Hot held second, with Caviart Cherie (Joe Bongiorno) third. Odds outsiders Angel’s Pride (Bent Holland) and Write Me a Song (Bartlett) came away with the minors.   
For second choice Kaitlyn N, a 6-year-old Down Under daughter of American Ideal co-owned by (trainer) Richard Banca and Barbara & James Boese, it was her first win in eight ’19 tries (1-for-5 in Matchmaker). The exacta paid $13.80, the triple returned $52.50 and the superfecta paid $184.
“Did not want to be first-up, but she was so good, it didn’t matter,” Kakaley said.
Third division—Looped leaving, but short-priced Apple Bottom Jeans (Corey Callahan, $2.60) had few issues thereafter (:27.2, :56, 1:24.3, 1:53).
From post No. 2, she eventually worked around Newborn Sassy (Tetrick) before whipping that one by 2½ lengths for her escort’s 5,998th career driving victory.
A second-up Magic Forces (Brennan), a first-up Medusa (Bartlett) and Freakonomics (Zeron) settled for the small change.
For Apple Bottom Jeans, a 6-year-old daughter of Mr. Apples co-owned by Ed Gold, Howard Taylor, Thomas Lazzaro & Robert Cooper Stables and trained by Dylan Davis, it was her fifth win in eight seasonal starts (3-for-4 in Matchmaker). The exacta (two wagering choices) paid $8.80, the triple returned $68 and the superfecta paid $168.50.
“She was as good as she’s ever been,” said Callahan, who a race earlier won No. 5,997 with catch-drive Odds on Delray ($12.40) in a mile-and-a-sixteenth overnight event.   
Updated Matchmaker standings accompany this release. The final is set for Saturday night, Apr. 20th (approximate purse $400,000). Note that the leaders are not necessarily the finalists until ‘finalized’ by the race office after an examination of the series conditions.
Saturday evening’s (Apr. 13th) fifth and final round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series features four, $50,000 Free-For-All divisions.