Yonkers Raceway hosted the opening round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, its premier series for Open Mare pacers, on Friday night. Four $40,000 divisions went postward.
The first event saw Angels Delight (George Brennan, $16.40) pop from a perfect second-over trip in 1:53.2. Leaving from post position No. 5, she watched Shelliscape (Tim Tetrick) take over from Handsoffmycookie (Dan Dube), then deal with Rocklamation (Yannick Gingras).
After fractions of :27.4, :56.4, 1:24.3, Angels Delight was ready to move. She whipped Rocklamation -- part of a 2-5 favoured entry -- by a length, with Shelliscape another length back in third.
“I saw her race last week, and when Matt [Kakaley] tipped her wide in the lane, she just took off,” Brennan said. “It was the same thing here.
“She’d been racing, while the other ones are just starting back, so maybe that was an advantage. Those other mares, it never takes them long to be ready. It’s going to be a good series and I certainly wouldn’t discount mine."
For third choice Angels Delight, a four-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover owned by Joseph Pennacchio and trained by Kevin Carr, the win was her fifth (to go along with four seconds) in nine seasonal starts. The exacta paid $27.60, with the triple returning $82.50.
Brennan doubled his pleasure in the second division, when former New York Stakes champ Summertime Lea ($4.40) won the draw and the race (:27.1, :56.3, 1:25, 1:53.4) in down-the-road fashion. Season-debuting 'Lea' -- the season-debuting half of the 6-5 favoured entry -- lasted by a neck over a charging Ramalama (Kakaley), with Cocoa Beach (Brian Sears) third. Swinging Beauty (Gingras), parimutuelly partnered with the winner, was a weak first-over fifth.
Three-time divisional champion Anndrovette (Tetrick), making her 2014 bow, never left the cones and finished fourth.
For 'Lea,' a four-year-old daughter of Lislea co-owned by trainer Ron Burke (as Burke Racing), Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr and Frank Baldachino, the win was her 17th in 26 career starts. The exacta paid $23.20, with the triple returning $68.50.
The event third division was its best, with odds-on choice Somwherovrarainbow (Sears, $3.80) going first-up to hold off her rivals in 1:52.4.
Trying to leave from post No. 6, she landed in a four-hole as Royal Cee Cee N (Ron Pierce) laid down the law through a :27.1 opening quarter-mile and a :57.2 half. Somwherovrarainbow was then out and moving, engaging the leader through a 1:25 three-quarters.
She put Royal Cee Cee N away mid-stretch then held off both the horse on her back (Krispy Apple [Tetrick]) and a pocket-sitting Charisma Hanover (Gingras). The margin was scant nose over Krispy Apple, with 'Charisma' a shorter schnoz back in third.
Somwherovrarainbow is a four-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere trained by Joe Holloway for co-owners Diamond Creek Racing and Ted Gewertz. She’s now two-for-two this season and up over $900,000 for her career.
It was a far cry from the lass who stopped on a dime the last time she was here for last October’s elimination of the Lady Maud Pace.
“She’s bigger, she’s stronger and I’m just happy to have her,” Holloway said. “There’s not much half-mile experience with her so I changed the equipment a bit and she was very good.”
The final Matchmaker grouping was nothing more than a public workout for 1-4 fave Yagonnakissmeornot (Dube, $2.50).
Sent right to the lead from post No. 4, she had nary an anxious moment though intervals of :27.3, :56.4, 1:25.1 and 1:52.4. The final margin was four and a quarter lengths over Lets Go Higher (Jason Bartlett), with Economy Terror (Mark MacDonald) a pocket third and Bettor B Lucky (Gingras) fourth.
For Yagonnakissmeornot, a five-year-old daughter of The Panderosa co-owned by trainer Rene Allard (as Allard Racing) and Kapildeo Singh, the win was her fourth in seven 14 tries. The exacta paid $13, the triple returned $38.60 and the superfecta paid $155.
“She’d make anybody look good,” Dube said. “She does it all on her own and doesn’t know where the end of the mile is.”
Friday’s $38,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by Lorenzo Dream (Sears, $19) in a season’s-best 1:55.2, also the fast local mile of 2014.
The George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series begins Saturday night, with five $50,000 divisions (Races 2, 4, 5, 9 and 11) on the 12-race card.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)