Yonkers Raceway hosted the third round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series for Open pacing mares on Friday night. A pair of small-but-select fields of five were subsected into $40,000 divisions.
Carolsideal (Dan Dube, $4.30), no one trick pony she, rallied from second-over after going down-the-road in her first two series starts.
Starting outside her four foes, “Carol” watched as 11-10 favourite Anndrovette (Tim Tetrick), getting some early encouragement from her escort, left and pocketed Medusa (George Brennan).
After early intervals of :27.3 and :56.3, For The Ladies N (Brian Sears) offered a fair amount of first-up pressure in and out of the 1:24.4 three-quarters.
Anndrovette maintained a short lead into the lane, but company was coming. Carolsideal vaulted wide off her tow, then went by to win going away. The margin, over 19-1 outsider Fancy Desire (Matt Kakaley), was a length and a half in 1:53.1. Anndrovette, snapped for second, settled for third.
For second choice Carolsideal, a six-year-old daughter of Western Ideal trained by Rene Allard for owners Allard Racing, Yves Sarrazin and Kapildeo Singh, it was her eighth win in nine seasonal starts. The exacta paid $57, with the triple not offered to the abbreviated assemblage.
The second Matchmaker event was barely more than a public workout for 4-5 fave Yagonnakissmeornot (Dube, $3.70).
In play from post position No. 2, she easily went around pole-sitting longhsot Strings (Eric Carlson), then had no issues whatsoever. Pedestrian fractions of :28.3 and :58.2 were going to make “Yagonnakissme” very tough to catch, and a :55.1 back half (1:26.1, 1:53.3) made it impossible.
A season’s-best effort whipped first-up Venus Delight (Jason Bartlett) by a comfortable length and a half, with Strings third.
Yagonnakissmeornot, a six-year-old daughter of The Panderosa, is now two-for-four this season for the same contingent behind Carolsideal. The exacta paid $15.40, with again no triple wagering due to the quintet.
Series standings, through three of five prelims legs, are as follows:
1-Carolsideal (225 points)
2-Yagonnakissmeornot (158)
3(tie)-Camille (125)
3(tie)-Venus Delight (125)
5-Monkey on My Wheel (120)
6-Fancy Desire (113)
7-Anndrovette (111)
8-Krispy Apple (105)
In other action, Ontario-bred and owned pacing mare Palm Patrol (Mark MacDonald, $15.80) won the evening's $31,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Handicap in 1:54.2. The Mach Three mare is trained by Carmen Auciello for Robert Burgess.
Special Friday props to Luminosity (Brennan, $6.20), whose 1:55 open-length romp in the $21,500 second race was the fastest local trot mile of the season.
Friday’s Pick 5 wager, vitamin-enriched by a $4,667 carryover, attracted $12,602 of fresh money. The formful combo of 2/1/5/2/2 (all wagering favourites) returned $111.87 for every correct half-a-buck wager.
The Raceway’s live season continues Saturday night (post time 7:10 p.m.), with the third round (four $50,000 divisions) of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series.
(With files from Yonkers Raceway)