Having gained enormous respect from her blowout victory in the opening leg of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series, Alexa Skye had a much easier time putting away her rivals on Friday night, capturing the first of three $35,000 divisions at Yonkers Raceway in a 1:53.4 clocking.
Sent off as the prohibitive 1-10 betting favourite, Todd McCarthy wasted little time seizing command on the opening bend from an accommodating My Ruebe Star N and driver Jordan Stratton. McCarthy kept an easy clip, going to the quarter in :28.4 and reaching the half unchallenged in :58.1. From there, the field of six stayed very much in line as Alexa Skye picked up the pace on the backstretch, hitting three quarters in 1:26 on her own power.
McCarthy hardly moved a muscle edging into the homestretch, and the powerful 4-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere finished out her mile with a :27.4 final quarter as the rest of the field battled hard for the place spot. My Ruebe Star N held her ground and won the competition for the second position, while Siesta Beach (Matt Kakaley) closed along the pylons and finished in a dead-heat with Keep Rockin A (Tim Tetrick) for show.
Alexa Skye, who picked up her 14th victory overall and has now banked $192,390, is owned in partnership by Pollack Racing LLC. and trainer Jeff Cullipher. The dead heat for third crunched the payoffs a bit, with Alexa Skye returning $2.20 for win.
Seaswift Joy N and driver Andrew McCarthy pulled the upset in the second division, using the wire-to-wire approach as an 11-1 offering. Bettors Heart N (Dexter Dunn), the even-money choice, left quickly and parked Seaswift Joy N for early command, yielding her advantage into the opening bend. After clearing, McCarthy had Seaswift Joy N in control reaching the quarter in :28.1 and slowing the half to :57.3 while the favoured Bettors Heart N struggled to maintain close contact with the leader throughout.
Lady Dela Renta A and Stratton were first to pull into the third turn but were unable to
advance as Seaswift Joy N extended her lead through three-quarters, which went on the board in 1:26. On the final turn, McCarthy kept his mare alert, and she closed out the mile with a :27.4 quarter, easily holding the hard-charging Blue Ivy (Tyler Buter) off in a 1:53.4 mile. Blue Ivy, the 6-5 second choice, was a clear second, with Lady Dela Renta A holding third.
Owned by Brad Grant, Seaswift Joy N, an eight-year-old Bettors Delight mare, improved on her second-place finish in the opening leg for her third victory in 2021 for trainer Tony Alagna. Seaswift Joy N, who is now a 28-time winner and earner of $465,035 lifetime, returned $24.20 to win.
Favoured Machnhope, with Andrew McCarthy, in the bike took the overland route to victory in the third Blue Chip Matchmaker division, scoring in 1:53.4, the same exact time of the first two winners.
Snobbytown, second choice in the field, jetted to command at the outset for George Brennan and had control late on the opening bend. Snobbytown cruised to the quarter in :27.4 and continued to control the action after that point, hitting the halfway mark in :57.2. McCarthy took Machnhope off the pylons heading past the half, and the 2-5 public choice grinded her way up to second as Snobbytown passed three-quarters in 1:25.4.
It was a match race from there, with McCarthy getting the most out of Machnhope in the stretch and taking the duel in the late stages. Snobbytown was well clear for second, with Dbldelitebrigade N (Todd McCarthy) finishing in a dead-heat for third with Caviart Cherie (Kakaley).
Trainer Noel Daley also co-owns Machnhope, a six-year-old by Mach Three, with Deo Volente Farms LLC., Tom Pontone, and L.A. Express Stable LLC. Machnhope scored her 29th career win and has now pocketed $392,044. She returned $2.90 to win.
Third round action in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series will take place on Friday, March 26. On Monday (March 22), the second round of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series has four $40,000 divisions, with first leg winners Leonidas A and San Domino A meeting in one split and fellow round one victors Hesa Kingslayer N and Let It Ride N meeting in another.
Yonkers Raceway hosts live harness racing Monday through Friday nights, with first post at 7:15 p.m.
(Yonkers)