YONKERS, NY, Friday, April 8, 2016-Yonkers Raceway's Blue Chip Matchmaker continued Friday night, with what has become commonplace…three, $40,000 divisions.
The fourth of five preliminary rounds began with a first-up Carolsideal (Dan Dube, $19.80) saved by the wire to barely beat a very unlucky Mach it a Par (George (Brennan). Venus Delight (Jason Bartlett), as the 3-2 favorite, was third
Pole-sitting Request for Parole (Yannick Gingras) seated everyone early, using a :26.4 opening quarter-mile to do just that. She then rebuffed an advance from pocket-sitting Mach it a Par, stuffing that one back in behind and getting a :55.4 intermission.
However, "Parole"" was denied going down the backside the second time, with Carolisdeal-away third from post position No. 3-easily going up and over. Request for Parole offered less than no resistance right at the 1:23.4 three-quarters, trapping Mach it a Par like a Chilean miner.
Venus Delight, towed into contention, didn't match strides with "Carol," who opened three lengths in and out of the final turn. Mach it a Par eventually extricated herself and flew home, only to miss a head in 1:51.3…fastest Matchmaker mile of the season. Venus Delight was beaten three-quarters of a length, last season's champ failing to win in four legs thus far this time around.
Request for Parole wound up last among the half-dozen, beaten 9Dan½ lengths.
Fourth choice Carolsideal, a 7-year-old Western Ideal miss co-owned (as Allard Racing) by (trainer) Rene Allard, Yves Sarazain and Kapildeo Singh, is now 1-for-3 in her seasonal/series resume. The exacta paid $60.50, with the triple returning $132.
Dube's strategy worked so well in the first series division, he employed it again in the second. This time, he and Yagonnakissmeornot ($37.80) sat off the early scrum and went from first-up to first home.
At the outset, Skippin' By (Gingras), Anndrovette (Tim Tetrick) and 3-10 favorite Sell a Bit N (Jordan Stratton) were all put in play, with the people's choice hung three-wide.
Sell a Bit N looped Anndrovette for the lead before the latter drove on (:26.4, 56.3). Yagonnakissmeornot, from post No. 2, moved from fourth right around the intermission and disposed of Anndrovette well before a 1:24.1 three-quarters.
That left Sell a Bit N joining Mach it a Par as a trapped miner while "Yagonnakissme" widened to three lengths off the final turn. She won by four lengths in a season's-best 1:52. Regil Elektra (Bartlett) gapped the winner but grabbed second, with Sell a Bit N settling for third. Anndrovette wound up fifth.
Fifth choice Yagonnakissmeornot a 7-year-old daughter of The Panderosa who shares same trainer and ownership consortium as Carolsideal, is now 2-for-5 this season (2-for-4 in series) The exacta paid $212, with the triple returning $715.
The evening's final series soiree saw Krispy Apple (Bartlett, $10.20) get off the '16 schneid. From post No. 2, she stalked Lady Shadow (Corey Callahan) as the pole-sitting, 4-5 choice led through intervals of :27.1, :55.4 and 1:23.3.
Al Raza N (Dave Miller) put in a valiant, two-move effort, but gave way grudgingly as Lady Shadow owned a length-and-a-three-quarter lead into the lane. However, Krispy Apple, as the third choice, ducked in and went by, the final margin a neck in 1:51.4.
Cinamony (Gingras) offered decent ground-saving pace to wind up third, while Al Raza N faded to fifth in her first series defeat.
Krispy Apple, an 8-year-old Western Ideal ma'am co-owned by Bamond Racing and Joseph Davino and trained by Jeffrey Bamond Jr., is now 1-for-5 this season (1-for-4 in series) after her 41st career victory. The exacta paid $17.80, with the triple returning $57.
Saturday night's card brings the fourth round of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series. Four, $50,000 divisions (races 6 through 9) comprise this go-round.
After the ladies left, the longshots picked up the gauntlet. White Mountain Top (Matt Kakaley), at an even 119-1, snapped 26-1 Stay Up Late (Stratton) on the money in the $18,000, ninth-race pace. The $240 win mutuel is thus the new local standard of the season, as are the $4,438 exacta and $19,365 triple (Masterson [Bartlett], the 7-10 favorite, faded to third).
by Frank Drucker, for Yonkers Raceway