Yonkers: Shartin keeps Blue Chip Matchmaker Series crown, King trainees sweep exacta

Shartin defended her Blue Chip Matchmaker Series title with aplomb Saturday night at Yonkers Raceway, rolling to a 1:52 1/5 score in the $402,600 final for pacing mares and capping a banner night for her co-owner/driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Jim King Jr., and co-owners Richard Poillucci and Jo Ann Looney-King, as they were also second in the race with Bettor Joy. Tetrick and the Kings also won the earlier consolation event with Newborn Sassy.

Starting from post six, Shartin left a bit and dropped into the four-hole while Apple Bottom Jeans (Corey Callahan) and Feelin Red Hot (George Brennan) tussled for early command. Callahan let Brennan go heading to the quarter, but then re-moved his mare right back around passing the 27 2/5 opening quarter. Tetrick then engaged Shartin on the second turn, and she was able to work her way around Apple Bottom Jeans to become the new leader as the half flashed up in 55 2/5.

Kaitlyn N (Matt Kakaley), who had settled third from the pole and then dropped back to fourth when Shartin made her move, came first-up passing the half, but her momentum stalled coming off the third turn, and she then ducked into the three-hole as they raced in the backstretch for the final time. That left Shartin still clear at the 1:23 3/5 three-quarters, with a now-second-over Bettor Joy (Dexter Dunn) coming three-wide as they entered the last turn off the dull cover of first-over Dont Think Twice (Jason Bartlett).

Shartin got a bit of a gap on the field on the final bend, and Apple Bottom Jeans came under urging at that point, which meant Shartin was going to be next-to-impossible to chase down. Bettor Joy tried her hardest through the lane, but the dull cover left her too much to do, as Shartin found the wire a length and a half to the good. Apple Bottom Jeans wound up third, with Dont Think Twice fourth, and Seaswift Joy (Jim Marohn Jr.) grabbing fifth from post eight.

"The fractions were still stiff enough and my mare kept trucking to the wire," Tetrick said about the race. "When I knew Corey had to go hard to get the lead, then let George go, and then re-take, I thought I'd take my chance and make him push the envelope. He let me go, the fractions were still fair, and she still ended up on the lead at the wire.

"I've put her in spots before where I didn't think she would reach, but she just digs down and finds something different. She's a great mare, and she's proven it time in and time out. To do what she's done, make a million dollars last year, that speaks for itself. She's got big lungs and she's a tough S.O.B., that's for sure. Week in and week out she shows up when she puts her head on the gate. She wants to race; she's proven that every week."

A 6-year-old daughter of Tintin In America, Shartin scored her 30th career victory, and she has now earned $1,393,853. The even-money favorite, Shartin paid $4.00 to win.

Newborn Sassy and Tetrick won the $75,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series consolation one race prior, and the 6-year-old daughter of Western Ideal went out a winner, as Tetrick said in his post-race interview after Shartin's triumph that Newborn Sassy would be retired and bred to Captaintreacherous. Newborn Sassy heads off to her second career with 33 lifetime wins, and she banked $1,097,155. She was the 3-5 public choice in the consolation and returned $3.50 to win.