BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Friday, April 18, 2014—Yonkers Raceways Good Friday festivities
featured the fifth and final round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker for Open Mare
pacers. A $40,000 divisions went postward.
Series points leader Yagonnakissmeornot
(Dan Dube, $3.20) did nothing to diminish her reputation, winning the opening
event with solid, two-move effort.
Leaving outside her six rivals, the
people’s choice settled in fourth as series-debuting Scandalous Hanover (Brian
Sears) found the lead. After early intervals of :28 and :57.3, “Yagonna” was again
on the move.
She tackled Scandalous Hanover just past
the 1:25 three-quarters, taking a short lead into the lane. Yagonnakissmeornot
never relinquished the baton, winning a by a length in 1:53.2. Camille (Yannick
Gingras), shuffled when the leader tired, closed inside for second, with
Ramalama (Matt Kakaley) third
For Yagonnakissmeornot, a 5-year-old
daughter of The Panderosa co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard,
Yves Sarazin and Kapildeo Singh, she’s now 7-for-11 this season (4-for-5 in
Matchmaker). The exacta paid $16.80, with the triple returning $89.50.
“It was two moves, but she did it all on her own,” Dube said, before echoing
his assignment from earlier in this series that “she doesn’t know where the end
of the mile is, but I hope we draw well in (next Saturday night’s $371,400)
final.”
Late to the dance, but making up for lost time has been the millionaires Monkey
on My Wheel (Gingras, $29.40). She authored the 13-1 upset in the second
Matchmaker elim, going by a tiring 15-cents-on-the-dollar Somwherovrarainbow
(Sears) in mid-stretch.
In play early from post position No. 4,
Monkey on My Wheel was pocketed early to defending champ Feeling You (Tyler
Buter). That was before “Somwhr” moved from third, taking the lead just after a
:28.1 opening quarter-mile. It was another :28.1 subsection (:56.2 half) before
Shelliscape (Tim Tetrick)–who had left for a seat—took out from fourth.
With nothing keeping up with Shelliscape
in the outer flow, “Monkey” slipped out to race second-over. The battle was on
in and out of the 1:24.2 three-quarters, with Somwherovrarainbow up a length
entering the lane.
However, she would not be able to close
the sale, with Monkey on My Wheel going by, then holding off 75-1 rank outsider
Summertime Lea (Kakaley) by a head in 1:53.2. The favorite had to settle for
third, beaten three-quarters of a length.
“I just didn’t want to have to race her
first-up,” Gingras said of “Monkey.” “I was able to drop in early, then
get out again. It worked out very well and Brian’s horse (Somwherovrarainbow)
wasn’t able to get away from us.”
For Monkey in My Wheel, a 6-year-old
Mach Three Mac Nichol homebred, it was her third win in nine seasonal starts (a
win and a second in this series). The exacta paid $706, with the triple
returning $2,241.
Friday’s $38,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by favored D W’s NY Yank (Brennan,
$3.80) in 1:56.
The George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing
Series continues Saturday night, with three, $50,000 divisions (races 4,5 and
11 on the 12-race card) in that fifth and final prelim round. The $567,000
final of the series also goes next Saturday night, Apr. 26.
(Note…Matchmaker standings after the
five prelim rounds accompany this release, though the first eight in order are
not necessarily the finalists until determined by the race office.)
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.
