Matchmaker To 'Carol' & 'Venus'

Venus Delight.jpg

Yonkers Raceway hosted the fourth round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker for Open Pacing Mares on its Friday evening card, and as was the case in the third leg - a pair of small-but-select fields of five were bifurcated into $40,000 divisions.

Pole-sitting favourite Venus Delight (Jason Bartlett, $4.80), finished what she started in the first event, holding off a second-up Camille (George Brennan) in a season’s-best 1:53.2. Monkey On My Wheel (Brian Sears) was third.

Venus Delight seated all four of her foes early, forcing Yagonnakissmeornot (Dan Dube) into a two-hole. After cheapy opening intervals of :27.4 and :57.1, Monkey On My Wheel took out of third. That one threw down the gauntlet in and out of a 1:25.3 three-quarters, while Yagonnakissmeornot was losing ground in behind.

Venus Delight maintained a short, half-length advantage entering the lane, then whipped a charging Camille by that same margin. Yagonnakissmeornot and a non-factor Coffee Addict (Matt Kakaley) completed the order.

For Venus Delight, a five-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight owned by Bamond Racing and trained by Jeffrey Bamond, Jr., it was her second win in four seasonal starts (2-for-3 in series).

The second Matchmaker event was more of the same for series leader, odds-on choice Carolsideal (Dube, $2.80).

The only perfect participant made it four wins in series succession, defeating Krispy Apple (Tim Tetrick) by a half-length in 1:53.2 – the same time as the opening division.

Unhurried early from post position two, Carolsideal watched both Charisma Hanover (Brennan) and Fancy Desire (Kakaley) slug it out approaching a :27.1 opening quarter-mile. Carolsideal then moved from third, securing the lead in turn two and getting a 56-second intermission.

Fancy Desire made her second move going toward the 1:24.4 three-quarters, with Krispy Apple in behind. However, Carolsideal widened to 3-½ lengths turning for home, holding sway to keep the roll going. Strings (Eric Carlson) was a best-of-the-rest third, with Fancy Desire and Charisma Hanover completing the order.

For Carolsideal a six-year-old daughter of Western Ideal trained by Rene Allard for co-owners himself (as Allard Racing), Yves Sarrazin and Kapildeo Singh, she’s now 9-for-10 this season.

(Yonkers Raceway)

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