Aardie B Miki N made a successful North American debut for trainer Per Engblom, capturing the first of four $71,429 divisions in the opening round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series for pacing mares at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Friday, March 28.
Aardie B Miki N and driver Jason Bartlett vaulted off a live cover tow on the final turn and responded with a snappy final quarter, wearing town pacesetter Talk Curdy To Me. Sent off as the 3-5 choice, Aardie B Miki scored in 1:53.4.
Talk Curdy To Me made two moves to gain control of the race by the :27.1 opening quarter and settled the pace nicely for driver Todd McCarthy, hitting the half in :57.4. Bartlett had moved Aardie B Miki N behind the live cover of Coachellabound N (Yannick Gingras) and stayed on that cover through three-quarters in 1:26.1. On the final turn, Aardie B Miki N roared three-deep and was too strong for the leader, powering to victory by 2-1/4 lengths. Talk Curdy To Me held second with Factory Girl (Tim Tetrick) third.
A five-year-old mare by Always B Miki out of Tatijana Bromac, Aardie B Miki N is owned by M T Stables Ontario Inc. of Scarborough, Ont. She now has 10 career wins from 22 starts.
Aardie B Miki N returned $3.20 to win as the favourite, heading a $6.90 exacta and a $16.60 triple ticket.
The rain had no impact on Walkin On Sunshine as the popular Brett Pelling trainee remained perfect on the season, breezing to her fourth consecutive win in a dominating performance in the second division to give Bartlett a series double.
Bartlett guided the five-year-old Always A Virgin-Hatsoff Hanover mare to the front and never looked back, setting fractions of :28, :57.4 and 1:25.1 before she sprinted a final quarter in 27 seconds flat to complete the fastest mile of the opening leg in 1:52.1 with a four-length win margin. Walkin On Sunshine took control from runner-up Turn The Page N (Ron Cushing) off the first turn and was in control from there. Turn The Page N fought hard and out-duelled Millwood Bliss N (David Miller) for the second spot. Defending series champion Lit De Rose (Pat Lachance) finish fifth here in her season's debut.
Walkin On Sunshine, who is now 19-for-52 in her career, is owned by Indiana's Maynard Miller, Daniel Lehman and Michael Yoder.
She paid $2.50 to win, topping a $6.90 exacta and a $15 triple.
Silk Cloud A blasted out of the gate for driver Jordan Stratton and then was strong at the wire after getting a pocket trip, posting a mild upset in the third division. The Peter Tritton-trained daughter of Shadow Play out of Modern Babe rolled past 3-5 favourite Rocket Deo nearing the finish line to post her first victory in five starts this year.
Silk Cloud A out-sprinted Lloyds Loves (Brent Holland) to the lead into the first turn, with Bartlett putting the favoured Rocket Deo in the three-hole. Lloyds Loves regained control off the opening bend and was able to set down soft fractions of 28 seconds and 58 seconds for the opening half. Bartlett got Rocket Deo on the move late on the third turn to engage the pacesetter and was on even terms at three-quarters in 1:25.3. Through the final turn, Stratton edged Silk Cloud A out behind Rocket Deo and was ready to pounce when that one took control in the early stretch. Silk Cloud A sprinted by to a 1:53 victory, with Rocket Deo second by half a length and Lloyds Loves third.
Owned by Eric Good of Davidsonville, Maryland and David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont., Silk Cloud A earned her 25th career win from 80 starts.
The seven-year-old mare returned $13.80 to win and keyed a $31.80 exacta and $71 triple ticket.
In the fourth and final division of the opening round, Beautiful Seaside and Tim Tetrick roll off cover and storm to a neck victory over the first-up Uptown Hanover, with 1-2 favourite Grace Hill getting up for third on the wire after having difficulty finding room in the stretch. Beautiful Seaside, a five-year-old by Downbytheseaside out of Your Beautiful, is trained by Scott Di Domenico.
Seaside Diva (Yannick Gingras) and Grace Hill (Jason Bartlett) exchanged the lead off the opening bend, with Seaside Diva at the quarter in :27.3. Seaside Diva kept a lively clip, hitting the half in :56.3 before Uptown Hanover (Todd McCarthy) moved without cover. Tetrick put Beautiful Seaside on her back and the pair rushed up in the third quarter, with Seaside Diva still in control at the 1:24.3 marker. Uptown Hanover was at the throat of the leader and that kept Grace Hill in the pocket without room at the top of the stretch. Tetrick wasn't looking inside as he put Beautiful Seaside in three-wide position off the final turn and the mare responded. Uptown Hanover was second, with Grace Hill only finding room in the late stages and barely getting up for the third spot.
Owned and bred by Mike Rowe of Urbana, Ohio, Beautiful Seaside recorded her second win in 10 seasonal starts and now boasts 18 career victories from 57 races.
She returned $17 to win and led a $156 exacta and $615 triple payoff.
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 Blue Chip Matchmaker, which gets a boost from $125,000 USD to $200,000 USD, equalling the MGM Borgata Pacing Series total.
Grand Circuit stakes action continues on Monday, March 31 at Yonkers with five $50,000 USD divisions in the first round of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series for older males. Hellabalou begins his journey for three straight Borgata titles from post seven in the first flight (race five).
Yonkers is currently operating on a Monday through Friday live schedule with post time each night at 6:45 p.m.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway; photo of Walkin On Sunshine)