by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — Tomorrowpan (Daniel Dube) did very good work from the pocket Saturday night (April 30), winning Yonkers Raceway’s $301,000 final of the Blue Chip Matchmaker going away.

Tom Berg photo

Tomorrowpan was a 1:53 winner in the Blue Chip Matchmaker final.

Leaving from post position No. 4, Tomorrowpan made an immediate lead. Ginger And Fred (Yannick Gingras), last season’s series champ and this night’s pole-sitting 1-2 favorite (with entrymate Breakheart Pass), wanted no part of a two hole. The people’s choice claimed the lead right at a :27.3 opening quarter-mile.

An unpressured :56.4 intermission and a first-up stablemate seemed to work in favor of Ginger And Fred, who found three-quarters in 1:25.2.

That one owned a 1-1/4 length lead into the lane, but was about to give up the ghost. Tomorrowpan rolled right by, as did Save My Shark (Jim Patantaleano) from the three hole. The latter whipped the former by 1-3/4 lengths in a season’s best 1:53. Ginger And Fred faded to third, with All Spirit (George Brennan) and Hula’s Z Tam (Patrick Lachance) completing the cashers. Breakheart Pass, Giveittoemstaight (Jason Bartlett) and Symphony In Motion (David Miller) rounded out the order.

Tomorrowpan, a 5-year-old daughter of No Pan Intended owned by Steve Calhoun and trained by Casie Coleman, returned $19.80 (fourth choice) for her sixth win in 11 seasonal starts (earnings now over a quarter-million dollars). The exacta paid $301, with the triple returning $511.

“I thought if I could give her a chance, she would race very well,” Dube said. “I might get the lead right away, then let the other mare (Ginger And Fred) go.

“Once I ducked inside, she was very strong.”

For Dube, the Matchmaker was career win No. 6,998.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Calhoun said, “We originally bought her ($58,000, Meadowlands January sale) to be a broodmare (bred to Sportswriter), but soon after, Casie told me you might want to hold off on that for a while.

“We took a bit of a gamble giving her last week (final preliminary leg) off, but a lot of things would have had to go against us for her not to make the final.”

As it turned out, in the final, nothing went against Tomorrowpan.

“She’s been a great surprise for us (6-for-10 since the purchase), and we’re going to let her keep on doing what she loves to do.”

A $75,000 series consolation was won by a last-to-first Shacked Up (Eric Goodell, $2.80) as part of the favored entry in 1:53.2.