Hellabalou joined a select list of horses to win the MGM Borgata Pacing Series final in back-to-back seasons at Yonkers Raceway by taking Monday night's (April 22) $626,027 championship, while Canadian-bred and owned Lit De Rose took the $378,356 Blue Chip Matchmaker final for the ladies.
Hellabalou won in 1:50.2 after watching a duel for the lead between the two favourites and then pouncing on them past three-quarters.
After scoring at odds of 47-1 last year, he delivered at 11-1 this time around.
Coming into the last division of the prelims a week ago, Hellabalou was on the outside looking in, but a second-place finish to Linedrive Hanover got Hellabalou the points he needed to secure the last spot in the final, and he certainly took advantage.
"I had to be second and two horses couldn't be the winner or something like that," recalled winning driver Yannick Gingras. "The Burke Brigade, they're on top of it. Mark Weaver does his math all the time, so they knew exactly what I had to get done. I think the race was pretty simple last week. I thought Linedrive Hanover was the best horse, and if we could sit on his back, we had a good chance to be second. It worked out that way."
In Monday's championship, Hellabalou charged away from the gate from post five and made 4-5 favourite Linedrive Hanover, driven by Scott Zeron, work almost all of the :26.4 opening quarter to clear him. Right behind Linedrive Hanover was even-money second choice Desperate Man with Matt Kakaley, and when Desperate Man moved up to challenge in the second quarter, Zeron opted to leave Desperate Man on the outside, resulting in a wicked :53.1 half-mile clocking.
The battle between Desperate Man and Linedrive Hanover continued around the third turn and to the 1:21.1 three-quarters, but Gingras, seeing that Coaches Corner (Jason Bartlett) was making a two-wide advance from sixth, got the jump on him entering the far turn and fired Hellabalou three-wide. After Hellabalou was shown the clear racetrack, he worked his way by the spent leaders midway through the bend and then had plenty left to seal the deal, defeating Coaches Corner by two lengths. Desperate Man was game to the wire and held third despite the impossible trip, while Whats Stanley Got A (George Brennan) and Dunkin (Tim Tetrick) completed the top five.
"He wasn't right at the beginning of the series," Gingras noted. "I thought his third leg when he finished second to Dunkin he was really, really good. I thought he was going in the right direction. Fourth leg, driver error, he was locked in and running over the top of horses. I figured I had the horse back. Last week, I thought he was a weak second to Linedrive Hanover. I thought he should have been second, but he should have been a little bit better. I think things weren't 100 per cent for him last week, but all credit again to the Burke Brigade, they got him right and he was in tip-top shape tonight.
"I wasn't too, too pleased honestly when they were going at it. One part of me was like, 'okay, that's our chance to win,' but the other part of me was like, 'it's going way too fast and I'm too close to the fire.' Hellabalou, he's got all the ability, but sometimes when you've got to ask him, he doesn't really like to do a little extra work. That's the tricky part with him. When I had to chase him at the three-eighths just to keep up with those two, I'm like, 'I don't know if that's going to work out.' At the half, I still wasn't sure, but once we came out of the third turn, he was kind of swelling up on me. He felt good, so I liked my chances then."
Ron Burke trains Hellabalou, a six-year-old Sweet Lou stallion bred by Andray Farm and Sergent Stables LLC, for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Eric Good, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Larry Karr. Hellabalou posted his 27th career victory and has now earned $1,427,766.
He paid $25.60 to win. The exacta was worth $154.50 and the trifecta returned $505.
In the $136,986 consolation race, Venturesome Arden N (Bartlett) scored from first-over in 1:52.1. Sumomentsomwhere A (Gingras) was the runner-up and Pleaseletmeknow (Kakaley) checked in the third spot.
A five-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding by Captaintreacherous, Venturesome Arden N is owned by trainer Ricky Bucci. He has eight victories from 31 career starts and has banked $170,958.
He returned $7.30 to win as the 5-2 second choice. The exacta kicked back $30 and the trifecta paid $95.50.
Lit De Rose Forges To Blue Chip Matchmaker Series Title
Lit De Rose had to do the work from first-over but proved best through the stretch drive and won the $378,356 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final for older pacing mares on Monday night at Yonkers in 1:52.3.
The runner-up in the championship last year, Lit De Rose settled in the third spot from post one for trainer/driver Pat Lachance while Coachellabound N (Yannick Gingras) and Mikala (George Brennan) looped around her. Mikala got to the top around Coachellabound N right at the :27.1 quarter and then backed down the half to :56 while Lachance waited until late on the third turn to guide Lit De Rose off the pylons.
An advance on the rim carried Lit De Rose side-by-side with Mikala at the 1:24.1 three-quarters, and they continued to duel around the far turn as Coachellabound N waited room in the pocket and Tonys Mom (Jason Bartlett) and Dougs Babe A (Dexter Dunn) hoped to rally off Lit De Rose's cover. Lit De Rose had no intention of finishing anywhere but first, though, as she powered past Mikala for good in the lane and then kicked away late to tally by a length and three-quarters. Coachellabound N out-kicked Mikala to get second, followed by Tonys Mom and Dougs Babe A.
"She's very versatile and she just wants to race. She just does everything, just a real nice mare," said Lachance. "It means a lot. She's nine and she just keeps coming. She's so consistent; every week she shows up. She never throws a bad race and I'm just super, super happy to have her.
"I didn't really want to be first-over. I would have rather been on the lead taking charge, but it worked out that way. I just wanted to make sure that they kept the fractions honest. She felt super down the backside. She rode up to Mikala and I just sat on her. She did her job in the lane like she always does."
Lachance said we'll have plenty more chances to see Lit De Rose at Yonkers through 2024 as he plans on keeping her based locally.
"This is the place for her. Obviously, she'll get a week off and we'll just grind it out for the rest of the year," he stated. "As long as she's healthy and sound, we'll just keep going."
A nine-year-old Leader Bayama mare, Lit De Rose was bred by owner Guy Corbeil or Mirabel, Que. This was Lit De Rose's 51st career victory and she has now earned $1,330,540.
Lit De Rose paid $4.90 to win as the 7-5 favourite. She was atop a $14.20 exacta and a $112 trifecta.
"He had his daughters with him tonight and he's here, so it's a special moment for them," Lachance remarked about Corbeil. "They raised her and bred her at their farm, so it's very special."
Jive Dancing A (Matt Kakaley, 19-1) worked out a second-over trip after tucking in fifth from post eight and charged to a 1:54.1 win in the $136,986 consolation race. Racine Bell (Bartlett), who cut panels of :27, :56.2 and 1:24.4 wound up second and Easy To Please (Jordan Stratton) came in third.
Tahnee Camilleri trains Jive Dancing A, a 10-year-old daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven, for owners Queen Of Hearts Stables and Lav Racing Stable Inc. She made her 44th appearance in the winner's circle and pushed her bankroll to $686,327
Jive Dancing A returned $40.80 to win. The exacta was worth $165.50 and the trifecta kicked back $594.
There were no hits on the Pick 5 on Monday night’s stakes final-laden program at Yonkers, meaning there will be a $29,091.03 carryover and a $75,000 guaranteed pool in the sequence on Tuesday night’s (April 23) program. The guarantee in the Pick 5 is being offered as part of the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. The Pick 5, which begins in race five, has a takeout rate of 20 per cent.
MGM Yonkers Raceway is currently operating on a Monday through Friday live racing schedule with post time each night at 7 p.m. (EDT).
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)