Yonkers: Pair from King with aim on Blue Chip Matchmaker title

Some horses are so determined that you have to find reasons when they do not win a race. Such is the case for Shartin N, the probable favorite in Saturday’s $410,600 Blue Chip Matchmaker final at Yonkers Raceway. The 6-year-old has been nearly invincible since arriving stateside in 2017, scoring 19 wins in 2018 including a victory in the Matchmaker.

For the record, Shartin N has won three of her four starts this year with her lone defeat coming when she drew post eight during the second round of Blue Chip Matchmaker action. “She got pushed all over the place,” said Jim King Jr., her trainer. “But if you watch the replay you’ll notice she’s the only one going forward at the wire.”

Indeed the brutal trip would have knocked out many horses but Shartin N essentially took the long trip in stride. “I’m surprised she just didn’t head into the paddock on the final turn,” King said joking, but quite serious as well about the uncanny determination the imported mare has shown.

On Saturday Shartin N (post 6) takes on seven other mares with five of them also having original racing roots Down Under. In 2017, one of those, Ideal Lifestyle A (post 7), finished third to Shartin N in a Southern Hemisphere stakes event.

But perhaps the biggest test this year for Shartin N won’t be that mare but could come from her own stablemate in Bettor Joy N (post 5), who has impressed King from the moment she arrived last year.

“She’s been everything we expected,” said King of Bettor Joy N, a three-time winner in preliminary legs of the Blue Chip Matchmaker with her only defeat a nose lose coming in the opening round. “I had her a little keyed up that first week but since then she’s been very relaxed and is just as good on or off the pace,” said King.

A 5-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight, Bettor Joy N will pick up a new driver with old connections in Dexter Dunn. “Dexter has driven this mare plenty of times,” said King. “Actually he gave us a push on the horse.”

With Dunn now a regular in the Metropolitan area he was the natural choice with co-owner Tim Tetrick driving Shartin N.

King’s obvious favorite is Shartin N but the jury is still out on what Bettor Joy N can do. Thus far she’s done everything right. “Shartin N is just so determined,” said King. “She’s not the kind of horse that’s going to run away from a field. At the same time, she always wants to go by.”

While Shartin N is the defending champion in the race after scoring as the odds-on favorite from the pole position last year, King recognizes a lot has changed in the last 365 days. “I would say the quality of the mares in this field is significantly better than last year,” King said.

Apple Bottom Jeans (post 2) is another rock-solid mare from the Delaware area and trainer Dylan Davis has prepped her nicely with three preliminary leg wire-to-wire performances in four appearances.

Feelin Red Hot got the victory with a heady drive by George Brennan against Shartin N in the second leg and has retained her edge for trainer Ron Burke. A winner twice with three thirds in preliminary action, Feelin Red Hot starts form post three.

Don’t Think Twice A (post 4) has a pair of wins and a pair of placings in her four series efforts.

Then there is Seaswift Joy N, a winner in five of her last seven starts all at Yonkers, but is saddled with post eight for the final. Seaswift Joy N hails from the Tony Alagna stable.

King will also send out the millionaire Newborn Sassy (post 4) in the $75,000 Matchmaker consolation one race before the final. “This could be her last race as she may be sold to a breeding entity,” said King of the rugged mare that’s made a healthy living at the top level at Yonkers.

King is excited about the return of Donttellmeagain after two qualifiers and hopes to have Duplicated N, a disappointment in the Levy, back soon. “He didn’t take to the half-miler as I had expected,” King said.

King had anticipated the Tim Tetrick-homebred Crimson And Chrome, a multiple Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner last year as a freshman, to be ready to race by now, but the son of Sweet Lou was not himself in last week’s qualifier. “We’ll have to do some work with him but I expect him to be ready,” King said. “We’ve made him eligible to a lot of the big ones.” The list includes the North America Cup in June at Woodbine Mohawk Park.