When Dexter Dunn left New Zealand to try his driving luck stateside, he didn’t necessarily think he’d be seeing an old flame.
Such is the romance of Yonkers Raceway’s Blue Chip Matchmaker… where even the two- and four-legged can become an item.
In the case of Dunn, his ‘old flame’ is Bettor Joy N, who did a pretty fair job racing in the long shadow cast by her stablemate, defending series champion Shartin N.
Bettor Joy N, who landed Post 5 in Saturday night’s $401,600 final for Free-For-All distaffers, enters off three consecutive preliminary-round wins. For the season, the five-year-old Down Under daughter of Bettors Delight has won four of her six races ($85,030) for co-owners Jo Ann Looney-King, Richard Poillucci and Tim Tetrick (aka Shartin N’s date) and trainer Jim King Jr.
Shartin N will be directly outside in Post 6, looking to become the first mare to win the series twice.
“I drove her as a three- and four-year-old and she did a good job,” Dunn said of Bettor Joy N. “She made about $200,000 racing against some good [fillies].
“She had the speed and the attitude, and obviously, was very good in the heats here (Yonkers).”
Bettor Joy N, pictured in victory.
Dunn laughed the laugh of someone asked a rhetorically-inane question of how long it took him to accept the catch-drive from the trainer.
“Not very.
“I’ve seen her races and spoken with Tim (Tetrick) about her, and he’s been pleased. This is going to be her toughest test, since she hasn’t had to race Shartin (N). Tetrick drove Bettor Joy N through the prelims.”
As for starting directly inside of Shartin N in the final, “I haven’t really thought about it and probably won’t until later in the week.
“You try and have a plan, but once the gates opens, it doesn’t always go that way,” Dunn said.
“I’m just happy to have a shot at it.”
The Matchmakers will face the gate for Race 9 during Yonkers’ 12-dash card. The $662,800 final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series has been carded as Race 11. The dashes are by far 2019’s richest North American harness races to date.
Post time for the card will be at 6:50 p.m.
Post positions for the $401,600 Matchmaker appear below.
Post – Horse – Driver
1-Kaitlyn N (Matt Kakaley)
2-Apple Bottom Jeans (Corey Callahan)
3-Feelin Red Hot (George Brennan)
4-Dont Think Twice A (Jason Bartlett)
5-Bettor Joy N (Dexter Dunn)
6-Shartin N (Tim Tetrick)
7-Ideal Lifestyle A (Driver TBA)
8-Seaswift Joy N (Jim Marohn Jr.).
(Yonkers Raceway)