by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Park Avenue is not on easy street, but the 6-year-old mare nonetheless found the road to success.

Purchased for $8,500, Park Avenue pushed her lifetime earnings to more than $400,000 with her recent performances in the Blue Chip Matchmaker series for pacing mares at Yonkers Raceway. Park Avenue finished second in her first two legs and was third in this past Friday’s third round.

After three of five preliminary rounds, Park Avenue was in ninth place in the series standings, only one point behind eighth-place Symphony In Motion and 13 points from fifth place.

The $301,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker final and $75,000 consolation are scheduled for April 30.

Mike Lizzi photo

Park Avenue recently went over the $400,000 plateau in career earnings.

“She’s definitely surprised us a little bit,” trainer Amber Buter said. “She’s starting to prove herself, that’s for sure. Hopefully, she keeps racing good.

“We’re just taking it step by step. We’ll see how she finishes out the series, which will tell us a lot. We thought she would be competitive, but she’s proving herself to be a top-class mare in this series. We’ll see what comes up ahead in her career.”

Park Avenue was purchased by Buter’s husband, Tyler, with Lynette Buter (Tyler’s mother) and Gene Oldford as a yearling at the Great Lakes sale. She is a daughter of Keystone Raider, out of the mare America’s Sweetie, who is a full sister to 1984 Cane Pace runner-up Holmes Hanover and 1985 Woodrow Wilson runner-up Michael Jonathan as well as a half sister to 1995 Breeders Crown 3-year-old filly pace winner Headline Hanover. America’s Sweetie also is the granddam of stakes-winner Mr Apples.

“You never know what they’re going to be when you buy them,” Buter said. “We definitely didn’t spend a small fortune on her. Jack Cobb pointed her out to us and her sire, Keystone Raider, got us interested. Jack doesn’t like to buy mares, but he said that if he did she would be one he would look at.

“She seemed to have a good attitude and she looked the part. It worked out in our favor.”

Park Avenue raced on the Michigan fair circuit as a 2-year-old, winning three of nine starts and earning $4,685.

“As a 2-year-old she kind of stumbled and had her issues,” Buter said. “At 2, we thought she would make a decent racehorse, but we didn’t expect her to be what she is. We didn’t push her and she came back real solid training back as a 3-year-old. She’s just been getting better ever since.

“We don’t like pushing the 2-year-olds,” she added. “We’re more interested in having a nice racetrack horse. In the long run, they’re going to make you more money than a good 2-year-old.”

Last year, Park Avenue won 10 of 36 races and earned $146,964. She is being driven in the Matchmaker series by Eric Goodell because Tyler Buter has been spending the weekends at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

“She’s the type of horse that will really surprise you,” Amber Buter said. “You don’t know she’s in the barn; she’s really quiet. She’s very well mannered. You don’t have to do anything with her. She’s perfect to be around. She doesn’t have any bad habits. She’s great at the racetrack. She acts like she’s an old pro at it and doesn’t let anything bother her. She does everything you ask her to. She’s just great.”