by Frank Drucker, publicity director, Empire City at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers, NY — With one preliminary leg left in both the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series and Blue Chip Matchmaker, Yonkers Raceway has announced the purses for the respective Saturday, May 2, series finals.

Mike Lizzi photo

Yonkers has a new starting car — a 2009 Chevy Avalanche.

The Levy, Yonkers’ premier Free-For-All event, offers a $370,000 final, while the first-ever finale of the Matchmaker, an open mare event, goes for $229,000. A pair of series consolations, worth $100,000 (Levy) and $75,000 (Matchmaker), are also scheduled for the same night.

The fifth and final prelims of both series are set for this Friday (Matchmaker) and Saturday (Levy) evening.

By the way, those ardent observers of Yonkers’ races this past weekend noticed the Raceway has a new “getaway car” in place — a 2009 Chevy Avalanche. The new starting car, to be used primarily for stakes-race nights, joins the veterans of the group, a Cadillac and an Oldsmobile.

Please note that all Yonkers’ racing nights (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) offer a 7:10 p.m. first post. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs, with afternoon simulcasting available around the NYRA schedule.