BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Thursday, April 19, 2018—Sometime about a decade ago, a meeting of the minds
took place. The purpose of the skull session was to put an end to rampant
equine gender discrimination and ‘invent’ a companion event for Yonkers
Raceway’s George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series.
The Levy, honoring
the memory of harness-racing visionary and Hall of Fame founder of Roosevelt
Raceway, was and remains a staple stop for the sport’s best Free-For-Allers.
The event, started in 1978 (as a one-dash affair), had been resurrected in 2007
after a decade-long hiatus, and the brain trust decided there was no reason the
guys should have all the fun.
Accordingly, Yonkers Raceway race secretary Steve Starr reached out to the good
folks at Blue Chip Farms in not-too-far-away Wallkill, NY, with the idea of
putting together a ‘ladies only’ Levy companion event for standout pacing
mares.
Hence, 2009 saw the beginning of the Blue Chip Matchmaker.
It was/is as long (five preliminary legs) as the Levy Series, also for serious
coin ($40,000 per division, per leg) with an rich, added-money final. Then,
there’s the ‘Matchmaker’ part of the equation, a lovely carrot at the end of
the stick where the first three finishers in the final get a free breeding to
one of the farm’s pre-selected roster of world-class stallions. The winner gets
first choice, runner-up gets second choice, third gets third.
With this Saturday night’s (Apr. 21st) $373,000 final going as the
10th Matchmaker, what better time—with apologies to Mr. Peabody and
Sherman—to make use the WABAC Machine?
It was the first Saturday in May, 2009, merely hours after Mine That Bird
pulled off a 50-1 stunner in the Kentucky Derby.
The first Belle of the Ball turned out to be a 5-year-old daughter of Noble
Ability named Pancleefandarpels.
“First time I drove her came after Jason (Bartlett) picked off in an Open
Handicap here,” Jordan Stratton said.
“She was a fairly big mare who could take air and was easy on herself.”
Stratton and
Pancleefandarpels won consecutive local distaff derbies—the latter from an
assigned eight-hole—leading into the ’09 Matchmaker. Competing in the all five
prelims, the duo went 1-3-1-5-1 before drawing post position No. 3 in the
$229,000 final.
Stratton, who
hadn’t turned 22 years of age, remembered that night.
“There was an
early breaker (2-5 favorite Chancey Lady [Cat Manzi]) and I had to go a bit
wide,” he said. “I was able to get in (fourth), then moved first-up.
“As I said, she
could take air. She put away the leader (Omen Hanover [Eric Abbatiello]) and
was sharp.”
Pancleefandarpels
defeated Double Dream N (Brent Holland) by a length-and-a-quarter in 1:54.4,
becoming the first name in the annals.
After winning his
second Matchmaker last season with Mackenzie A, Stratton tries for the hat
trick Saturday with Sell a Bit N from post position No. 2.
Now an
‘over-the-hill’ 30, Stratton has fond memories of Pancleefandarpels.
“It was my first
big stakes win, so definitely” he said. “People sort of forget about her, but
she was very talented.”
Pancleefandarpels, a Peter Pan Stables homebred trained by
Erv Miller, raced through 2012, ending her career with 35 wins and earnings of
$1,057,244.
This Saturday’s Matchmaker goes as the ninth of a dozen
races, right before the 31st finale of the Levy, worth $532,000.
First post for the $1.3 million card is the usual 6:50 PM.
