Following a nose loss in the first leg of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series, Racine Bell came to play in the second round and obliterated her rivals, overcoming post seven and powering off to a 1:51.4 victory in the first of four $40,000 divisions on Friday night (March 25) at Yonkers Raceway.
Jason Bartlett had the whip out at the start and Racine Bell, sent off as the even-money second choice in the field, took control from 4-5 choice Scarlett Hanover off the opening bend. Racine Bell hit the opening quarter in 27 seconds flat with the field stretched out and the favourite on her back. Bartlett managed a :29.3 second fraction, putting the field to sleep with minimal dispute and from there, the race to catch her was on, with few getting within hailing distance.
Racine Bell hit three-quarters in 1:24.4 and after that, Bartlett asked her for a response. He got the one he was looking for, as the five-year-old by So Surreal flew around the final bend and coasted off to an open-lengths victory with a final quarter of 27 seconds flat. Scarlett Hanover and driver Yannick Gingras managed to hold second, with Lucky Artist A finishing well along the pylons for third. Mystifying finished fourth.
Owned by Chris Lawton and Dale Lawton, Racine Bell was a winner for the second time in five 2022 starts and returned $4.10, $2.10 and $2.10 across the board. Scarlett Hanover paid $2.10 and $2.10, with Lucky Artist A returning $4 to show. The exacta paid $5.40 and the triple was worth $27.80.
David Dewhurst trains Racine Bell, who won for the 23rd time in 55 lifetime starts.
Easy To Please and driver Jordan Stratton made it two straight in the series in the next division, catapulting off of perfect cover to victory as the 7-2 third choice in the field. Easy To Please drove past pacesetter Dragon Roll in the stretch and was well clear of first-over Blue Ivy, who finished second, with 3-5 choice Drama Act coming on late for the third spot.
Dragon Roll put the field in line from the start for Todd McCarthy as the 2-1 second choice. A first round winner, Dragon Roll set rated fractions of :27.4 and :56.2 for the opening half. Blue Ivy and driver Tyler Buter pulled late on the third turn without cover and pressured the leader through a 1:24.1 three-quarters, with Easy To Please second-over and Drama Act third-over for George Brennan.
Stratton tipped Easy To Please, a four-year-old by Roll With Joe, wide on the final turn, and the Cory Stratton-trained mare responded under urging to surge to a 1:52.1 victory.
Owned by Our Three Sons Stable LLC and Cory Stratton, Easy To Please now has three wins and two seconds in five starts this season.
Easy To Please returned $9.80, $4.90 and $2.60 across the board. Blue Ivy paid $13.80 to place and $5.70 to show, with Drama Act at $2.50 to show. The exacta was worth $155.50 and the triple paid $481.
Miss You N and Dexter Dunn were decisive winners in the third division of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, scoring in 1:52.3 over 60-1 shot Bolt Of Beauty, with No Win No Feed A third after a coverless trip.
The Virgil Morgan-trained Miss You N is owned by Carl Howard and Bottom Line Stable LLC.
Lit De Rose took control early from Siesta Beach and had the lead through the :27.4 opening fraction. The 2-5 choice Miss You N and Dunn tucked on the first turn but made a move before the quarter to secure the front and never looked back. Miss You N cut fractions of :56.3 and 1:25 as Lit De Rose struggled to hold down the pocket and No Win No Feed A advanced without cover, followed by Bolt Of Beauty. Dunn shook the lines on Miss You N and the mare sprinted off with a :27.3 final quarter. Marcus Miller guided Bolt Of Beauty up for the place spot, with No Win No Feed A and Man Dontforget Me following her home in third and fourth, respectively.
Miss You N paid $2.80, $2.30 and $2.10 across the board as the prohibitive choice. Bolt Of Beauty returned $16.40 and $9.40, with No Win No Feed A at $4.40 to show. The exacta paid $105.50 and the triple was worth $546.
Mystical Carrie made it two straight in the series, lasting on the lead and gamely holding Best Head West off along her inside to score in 1:53.4 for driver Marcus Miller.
With just a field of six, Mystical Carrie controlled from the pole position and set a :27.4 opening quarter and :57.3 half. Last year’s champion Machnhope and Andrew McCarthy came to challenge at the half, followed by 6-5 favourite Keep Rockin A second-over and second choice Karma Seelster third-over in the flow. Miller let Mystical Carrie pace up the backstretch, hitting three-quarters in 1:25.4 and holding her position through the final turn.
In the homestretch, Machnhope continued to press, with Best Head West coming along the pylons late, but Mystical Carrie, trained by Erv Miller, held gamely for the victory. She downed Best Head West in a photo and Machnhope was third.
Owned by Mystical Marker Farms LLC., Mystical Carrie won for the third time this year and returned $10, $5.20 and $3.10 across the board. Best Head West paid $6.80 and $3.40 and Machnhope paid $3.90 to show. The exacta came in at $27.60, with the triple worth $169.50.
The second round of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series highlights Monday's program at Yonkers, with five $50,000 divisions on tap.
(Yonkers Raceway)