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)