Yonkers Raceway will take the shrink wrap off its 2011 stakes season Friday night, with the opening round of the Petticoat Pacing Series
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The Petticoat -- for three and four-year-old fillies and mares which are/were non-winners of four races and/or $40,000 through last December 1 -- will begin with seven, $12,500 divisions on the overstuffed 13-race card.
Both the Petticoat and the Sagamore Hill -- the companion event for the boys -- will offer three preliminary rounds leading to respective $50,000 (est.) finals. The Sagamore will get underway Saturday night, with those races drawn Tuesday afternoon.
Next week, the adults will come out to play, with opening-round action in both the Blue Chip Matchmaker (Friday, Open Mares) and George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series (Saturday, Free-For-All).
Yonkers has received strong support for both events, with a total of 103 nominees (44 Matchmaker, 59 Levy), including defending champs Ginger and Fred and Foiled Again
The Matchmaker and Levy each present five preliminary legs on successive Fridays and Saturdays, worth $40,000 (Matchmaker) and $50,000 (Levy) per race, respectively. The entire list of eligibles for all four series can be viewed at yonkersraceway.com.
Please be advised the purses for the finals -- both set for Saturday night, Apr,. 30 -- have been announced as $301,000 (Matchmaker) and $495,000 (Levy).
Yonkers' current live schedule (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) remains in effect, with first post at 7:10 p.m.
(With files from Yonkers)