BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY,
Wednesday, April 17, 2019—When Dexter Dunn left New Zealand to try his driving
luck stateside, he didn’t necessarily think he’d be seeing an old flame.
Such is the
romance of Yonkers Raceway’s Blue Chip Matchmaker…where even the two- and
four-legged can become an item.
In the case of
Dunn, his ‘old flame’ is Bettor Joy N, who did a pretty fair job racing in the
long shadow cast by her stablemate, defending series champion Shartin N.
Bettor Joy N, who
landed post position No. 5 in Saturday night’s $401,600 final for Free-For-All
ladies, enters off three consecutive preliminary-round wins. For the season,
the 5-year-old Down Under daughter of Bettor’s Delight has won four of her six
races ($85,030) for co-owners Jo Ann Looney-King, Richard Poillucci & Tim
Tetrick (aka Shartin N’s date) and trainer Jim King Jr.
Shartin N is
directly outside in post No. 6, looking to become the first mare to win this
series twice.
“I drove her as a
3- and 4-year-old and she did a good job,” Dunn said of Bettor Joy N.
“She made about $200,000 racing against some good mares (fillies).
“She had the speed
and the attitude, and obviously, was very good in the heats here (Yonkers).
Dunn laughed the
laugh of someone asked a rhetorically-inane question of how long it took him to
accept this catch-drive from the trainer.
“Not very.
“I’ve seen her
races and spoken with Tim (Tetrick) about her, and he’s been pleased. This is
going to be her toughest test, since she hasn’t had to race Shartin (N).
Tetrick drove Bettor Joy N through the prelims.
As for starting
directly inside of Shartin N in the final, “I haven’t really thought about it
and probably won’t until later in the week.
“You try and have
a plan, but once the gates opens, it doesn’t always go that way,” Dunn said.
“I’m just happy to
have a shot at it.”
The 11th
Matchmakers goes as race No. 9 during Yonkers’ dozen-race card Along with
the $662,800 final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series (11th
race), they are by far 2019’s richest North American harness races to date.
Post time for the
12-race card is the usual 6:50 PM.
The Matchmaker
draw…
1-Kaitlyn N (Matt
Kakaley), 2-Apple Bottom Jeans (Corey Callahan), 3-Feelin’ Red Hot (George
Brennan), 4-Don’t Think Twice A (Jason Bartlett), 5-Bettor Joy N (Dexter Dunn),
6-Shartin N (Tim Tetrick), 7-Ideal Lifestyle A (Driver TBA), 8-Seaswift Joy N
(Jim Marohn Jr.). All the ladies race uncoupled.
Saturday’s card
shall be finalized Thursday afternoon (Apr. 18th).
