The betting was focused on two mares in Monday's $232,800 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final at Yonkers Raceway, but in the end it would be 6-1 shot Machnhope that would get the job done in game fashion, overtaking Blue Ivy near the wire to score in 1:52.2 for driver Andrew McCarthy.
The action was hot and heavy at the outset as four horses left the gate, including favoured Alexa Skye from post six, but the even-money choice would have to be content with a tuck in the four-hole as George Brennan, behind Snobbytown, circled Blue Ivy on the first turn and drove past Machnhope to take charge. Tyler Buter, driving 3-2 second choice Blue Ivy, may have been outsprinted early, but the two quickly seized control well before the :27.1 opening quarter. From there, Buter and Blue Ivy kept the pace somewhat lively, hitting the half in :55.3 before feeling any heat.
Todd McCarthy and Alexa Skye got off the pylons at the half and quickly flushed Machnhope's cover. What looked like a perfect trip for the favourite at that juncture didn't turn out that way, though, as while Machnhope moved towards the pacesetter, Alexa Skye stalled and couldn't stay on her cover.
With Blue Ivy still in control at three-quarters in 1:23.4, the second choice looked in position to win, but Machnhope, under steady urging by Andrew McCarthy, kept grinding her way towards the leader. The field got a bit crowded in deep stretch as Snobbytown searched for room but was unable to find any. Machnhope showed her tenacity near the wire, securing the victory for trainer Noel Daley, who shares ownership in the six-year-old daughter of Mach Three with Deo Volente Farms LLC., Tom Pontone, and L A Express Stable LLC. Snobbytown settled for third behind Blue Ivy, with Alexa Skye holding fourth on the line.
“Everything went right out there,” said Daley. “She was sound, with no issues, and Andy really knows how to drive her. She just got there on her own.”
It was the fourth win in 11 tries this year for Machnhope and her 30th career victory. She also pushed her 2021 earnings to $184,115 and her lifetime bankroll to $521,394. Machnhope returned an even $14 to win.
Soho Burning Love A, half of the Jim King, Jr.-trained entry that was sent off at odds of 1-5, was a dominant force in the $60,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker consolation, distancing herself from the field on the final turn and scoring powerfully in 1:51.4 for driver Tim Tetrick.
Soho Burning Love A took control on the first turn and set a sensible early pace, hitting the quarter in :27.4 and half in :56.2, with entrymate Keep Rockin A (Andrew McCarthy) in pocket position. Tetrick allowed Soho Burning Love A to turn on the afterburners on the third turn, and the seven-year-old blew out a :27.2 third quarter, losing the majority of the field in the process. In the homestretch Soho Burning Love A sealed the win with a 28 second final quarter, as Bettors Heart N (Dexter Dunn) rallied late to be a distant second ahead of Parisian Blue Chip (Dan Dube).
Owned by Richard Poillucci and Jo Ann Looney-King, Soho Burning Love A returned $2.50 as the prohibitive choice.
(Yonkers)