Harness racing's Grand Circuit begins for 2025 on Friday, March 28 at MGM Yonkers Raceway with four $50,000 USD divisions of the first round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series for older pacing mares.

Last year's Matchmaker champion Lit De Rose (pictured above) will start her season in the second division of the evening (race six), with trainer Pat Lachance listed to drive from post three. Owned and bred by Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, Que., the 10-year-old Leader Bayama-Intense mare will take on six others in her opening leg division, including the likes of Walkin On Sunshine (post five), who is three-for-three in the Fillies & Mares Invitational at Yonkers thus far in 2025 for trainer Brett Pelling.

The series starts in race four with Coachellabound N (post five), who was second in last year's Matchmaker final, among the entrants in the first division for trainer Ricky Bucci. She'll face five rivals, including Aardie B Miki N (post six), a Group 1 race winner in Australia who will make her U.S. debut off a strong qualifier at The Meadowlands for trainer Per Engblom.

Rocket Deo (post four), whose stakes wins a year ago included the Shady Daisy on Hambletonian Day at The Meadowlands, will make her four-year-old debut in the third flight (race seven). The Pelling trainee is matched up against six foes, among them Silk Cloud A (post five), a two-time runner-up in the Mares Invitational at Yonkers this year for trainer Peter Tritton.

The last Matchmaker tilt is race eight and former Dan Patch Award winner Grace Hill headlines the field of seven from post five in her season's debut for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Looking to defeat the double millionairess will be the likes of Ohio Sires Stakes champion Seaside Diva (post one), who will make her first start on the East Coast from post one for the Ron Burke stable.

Here are the Blue Chip Matchmaker fields in their entirety with listed drivers:

Blue Chip Matchmaker Series - Division #1 (Race 4)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Talk Curdy To Me - Todd McCarthy - Jeff Cullipher
2. Magical Maya A - Matthew Athearn - Larry Stalbaum
3. Factory Girl - Tim Tetrick - Scott Di Domenico
4. Easy To Please - Jordan Stratton - Cory Stratton
5. Coachellabound N - Jason Bartlett - Ricky Bucci
6. Aardie B Miki N - Jason Bartlett - Per Engblom

Blue Chip Matchmaker Series - Division #2 (Race 6)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Millwood Bliss N - David Miller - Nifty Norman
2. Cheryls Shadow - Brent Holland - Doug Dilloian Jr.
3. Lit De Rose - Pat Lachance - Pat Lachance
4. Turn The Page N - Ron Cushing - Heidi Cushing
5. Walkin On Sunshine - Jason Bartlett - Brett Pelling
6. Intothemysticmoon - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
7. Tarapasta - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander

Blue Chip Matchmaker Series - Division #3 (Race 7)
Post - Horse - Listed Driver - Trainer
1. Lloyds Loves - Brent Holland - Edwin Quevedo
2. High Flyin Filly - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
3. Dougs Babe A - Austin Siegelman - Nifty Norman
4. Rocket Deo - Jason Bartlett - Brett Pelling
5. Silk Cloud A - Jordan Stratton - Peter Tritton
6. One Last Wish - Jordan Stratton - Jeff Gillis
7. Arizona - Jordan Stratton - Melissa Beckwith

Blue Chip Matchmaker Series - Division #4 (Race 8)
Post - Horse - Listed  Driver - Trainer
1. Seaside Diva - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
2. Lydeo - Jason Bartlett - Doug Dilloian Jr.
3. Uptown Hanover - Todd McCarthy - Jeff Cullipher
4. Beautiful Seaside - Tim Tetrick - Scott DiDomenico
5. Grace Hill - Jason Bartlett - Virgil Morgan Jr.
6. True Blue Hanover - Matt Kakaley - John Balzer
7. My Red Sea - Jason Bartlett - Joe Bongiorno

The preliminary rounds of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series will continue through Friday, April 25 with the leading point earners advancing to the final on Friday, May 9. A major change in 2025 revolves around the added money for the final of the Matchmaker, which gets a boost from $125,000 USD to $200,000 USD, equalling the MGM Borgata Pacing Series total. With that increase, the Matchmaker final will certainly offer the richest purse in recent history and far eclipse the $276,200 USD purse from 2024.

Speaking of the Borgata Series, that event kicks off on Monday, March 31, and the draw for the first round will take place on Tuesday, March 25.

Yonkers is currently racing Monday through Friday nights with post time at 6:45 p.m. 

(With files from Yonkers Raceway)