Yonkers: Norman has two stakes chances this weekend

Trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman enters the second weekend of stakes action at Yonkers Raceway in a rather solid position. His 6-year-old pacing mare Delightfulmemphisn looks for her second straight victory in one of four $40,000 divisions of the Blue Chip Matchmaker on Friday while stablemate Bettor Memories hopes to got untracked in one of six $50,000 George Morton Levy splits on Saturday night.

Perhaps to everyone’s surprise, Delightfulmemphisn enters the second round as the richest horse in North America in 2019. “I thought she was a fringe player coming into this series,” Norman said, “but now I’m not so sure.”

With five wins in eight starts this season, Delightfulmemphisn has already earned $92,250 above her earnings of the entire 2018 season. For Norman, the biggest difference is the overall health of the mare.

“She was a good horse Down Under,’ Norman said, “but she was always bleeding. When I get one over here it’s always a matter of time to get them to acclimate and of course keeping them healthy.”

The addition of Lasix has kept the bleeding issues under control and the gritty mare has done the rest with some impressive efforts.

Last week in the first round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, driver Jason Bartlett pulled her without cover at the half and for the most part she appeared to be racing for second at best as the favored Bettor Joy N seemed to hold a distinct advantage on the point. Even when the mares turned into the homestretch the leader was still in control. Yet halfway down the pike, Delightfulmemphisn found her best stride and overtook the fellow import right on the wire.

Norman’s charge will get battletested for sure this Friday night as two other first round winners in the series have drawn into the same eight-mare field, carded as race nine of the dozen on the program. Seaswift Joy N (post 7) and Shartin N (post 8) were both winners in faster times a week ago but clearly by the draw have their collective work cut out.

Seaswift Joy N has won all three of her races at Yonkers since arriving on these shores for trainer Tony Alagna. Her 1:52 1/5 mark last week was the fastest of her victories and gave strong indication that she’ll be a major player in this series.

Shartin N carved out her claim as the pre-series favorite after capturing the Dan Patch Award as the best pacing mare of 2018. Shartin N returned to the Blue Chip Matchmaker, a series she captured in 2018, with an easy victory in the first round of action.

Bettor Memories didn’t exactly impress many people in the first leg of the Levy, including his trainer. “I thought he would finish with a little more pop,” said Norman of the seventh-place finish. “The start before Jason (Bartlett) put him on the front and he tired, but I thought that was a better race.”

Bettor Memories drew post five in the fourth of six $50,000 divisions carded as race eight on Saturday night.

“He’s the kind of horse you just have to keep racing in order to get him sharper,” said Norman of Bettor Memories.

A 6-year-old gelding by Bettor’s Delight, Bettor Memories raced in the Levy Series a year ago and finished on the board in four of five preliminary legs reaching the consolation.

“He needs the racing,” said Norman, with expectations of seeing Bettor Memories compete in as many legs as possible and hopefully reach the final this year.

Bettor Memories will face a competitive field with only Ideal Jimmy (post 3) returning after a victory in the opening leg. Ideal Jimmy went wire-to-wire from the rail for driver Brent Holland, his third victory in his last four starts.

The field also includes another Levy series veteran in Mach It So (post 4), who finished a distant third in the opening leg while avoiding a breaking horse on the final turn. Mach It So has banked in excess of $2.7 million during his career.

Saturday’s Levy kicks off with the first of six divisions as race two with Western Fame, the fastest (1:51 1/5) opening round winner, landing post three in a field of six that includes two runner-ups in Duplicated N (post 1) and Mach Doro A (post 6).

First post at Yonkers is 6:50 p.m.