Matt Rowe debated whether to send Beautiful Seaside from her home in Ohio to compete in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at MGM Yonkers Raceway, but as the event’s last preliminary round approaches on Friday, April 25, he’s happy with the decision to go.
Beautiful Seaside has won two of her three races in the Matchmaker, which is for older female pacers, and heads into Friday’s action in sixth place in the series’ standings. The top eight point-earners at the end of the five preliminary legs qualify for the $200,000 (USD) added final on May 9 at Yonkers.
The five-year-old mare’s trip east marked Beautiful Seaside’s first time leaving Ohio. Trained at home by Logan Rowe, she has been with Scott DiDomenico for the Matchmaker.
“I’m tickled with her,” said Rowe, who bred and owns Beautiful Seaside. “I was kind of on the fence whether to put her in it. She’s the star of the barn and we’re used to having her here, babying her. No one that works for me was real hip on sending her; they all like watching her race here. They kind of gave me the stink eye when I said I was going to send her, but I think they’re happy now with seeing her do good.”
Beautiful Seaside has been a top-level performer for the Rowe family throughout her career. As a three-year-old in 2023, she was a multiple winner in the Buckeye Stallion Series and captured the championship. She competed in an elimination of the Jugette but missed advancing to the final by a half-length.
Overall, the daughter of Downbytheseaside-Your Beautiful has won 19 of 60 races and earned $377,585. Her victories in the Matchmaker make her a two-time winner on the Grand Circuit.
“She doesn’t have a whole lot of opportunities to race against the big dogs,” said Rowe. “You don’t get too many chances to have a horse race in something like this. I figured this was my shot, so I was going to take a gamble.
“So far, it’s worked out. We’ll see if it keeps going.”
In Friday’s first of three $50,000 USD Matchmaker divisions, Beautiful Seaside will leave from post six in a field of seven with Tim Tetrick in the sulky. She is 3-1 on the morning line, behind only 5-2 favourite Cheryls Shadow from post five. Cheryls Shadow, who has two seconds among four starts in the series, is 12th in the series’ standings. She is the division’s second-highest positioned mare, behind Beautiful Seaside.
“Scotty has done a good job with her,” said Rowe. “She’s a nice mare. There have been a lot of fun times with her. She gives it what she’s got pretty much every start. I’ve had some that have had her ability, but didn’t have her desire. Her desire to win, her competitiveness, is what I most enjoy about her. That’s something you can’t teach.
“Having a good one helps keep you going,” he added. “Not just the money, just the satisfaction of winning here and there perks you up. You hit a bad patch, when everyone is working hard and not getting the results, it gets kind of discouraging. When you hit a patch where everything is going well, you appreciate it.”
Beautiful Seaside has 180 points in the Matchmaker, which puts her nine points ahead of Lit De Rose and Seaside Diva, who are tied for seventh, and 13 points up on High Flyin Filly and Tarapasta, who are tied for ninth.
Horses receive 50 points for finishing first, 25 for second, 12 for third, eight for fourth, and five for fifth. Horses also receive 25 points for each start.
The top four mares in the Matchmaker standings — Walkin On Sunshine, Silk Cloud A, Rocket Deo and Aardie B Miki N — all have enough points to qualify for the final regardless of their results on Friday.
Walkin On Sunshine, Silk Cloud A and Aardie B Miki N are in Friday’s second division, which also includes High Flyin Filly and Tarapasta. Rocket Deo is in the third division along with Lit De Rose, Seaside Diva and fifth-place Turn The Page N.
“Hopefully, we’ll have some luck,” said Rowe. “I need the ones that have been winning to keep winning. If [Beautiful Seaside] doesn’t get money in her race, she probably doesn’t need to be in the final anyway. I think she will be good. Scotty thinks she’s been good all week. We’ll see what happens.”
Racing begins at 6:45 p.m. at Yonkers. For a free Friday program, click here.
(USTA)