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

Yonkers, NY — Yonkers Raceway’s Good Friday festivities featured the fifth and final round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker for Open Mare pacers. A pair of $40,000 divisions went postward.

Series points leader Yagonnakissmeornot (Daniel Dube, $3.20) did nothing to diminish her reputation, winning the opening event with a solid, two-move effort.

Yagonnakissmeornot won the opening event in a time of 1:53.2.

Leaving outside her six rivals, the people’s choice settled in fourth as series-debuting Scandalous Hanover (Brian Sears) found the lead. After early intervals of :28 and :57.3, Yagonnakissmeornot was again on the move.

She tackled Scandalous Hanover just past the 1:25 three-quarters, taking a short lead into the lane. Yagonnakissmeornot never relinquished the baton, winning by a length in 1:53.2. Camille (Yannick Gingras), shuffled when the leader tired, closed inside for second, with Ramalama (Matt Kakaley) third.

Yagonnakissmeornot, a 5-year-old daughter of The Panderosa co-owned (as Allard Racing) by trainer Rene Allard, along with Yves Sarazin and Kapildeo Singh, is now 7-for-11 this season (4-for-5 in the Matchmaker). The exacta paid $16.80, with the triple returning $89.50.

“It was two moves, but she did it all on her own,” Dube said, before echoing his comments from earlier in this series that “she doesn’t know where the end of the mile is, but I hope we draw well in (next Saturday night’s $371,400) final.”

Late to the dance, but making up for lost time has been the millionaire Monkey On My Wheel (Gingras, $29.40). She authored the 13-1 upset in the second Matchmaker split, going by a tiring 15-cents-on-the-dollar Somwherovrarainbow (Sears) in mid-stretch.

Mayra Escamilla photos

Monkey On My Wheel was a narrow winner in the second Matchmaker split, scoring in a time of 1:53.2.

In play early from post position No. 4, Monkey On My Wheel was pocketed early to defending champ Feeling You (Tyler Buter). That was before Somwherovrarainbow moved from third, taking the lead just after a :28.1 opening quarter-mile. It was another :28.1 subsection (:56.2 half) before Shelliscape (Tim Tetrick) — who had left for a seat — took out from fourth.

With nothing keeping up with Shelliscape in the outer flow, Monkey On My Wheel slipped out to race second-over. The battle was on in and out of the 1:24.2 three-quarters, with Somwherovrarainbow up a length entering the lane.

However, she would not be able to close the sale, with Monkey On My Wheel going by, then holding off 75-1 rank outsider Summertime Lea (Kakaley) by a head in 1:53.2. The favorite had to settle for third, beaten three-quarters of a length.

“I just didn’t want to have to race her first-up,” Gingras said of Monkey On My Wheel. “I was able to drop in early, then get out again. It worked out very well and Brian’s horse (Somwherovrarainbow) wasn’t able to get away from us.”

For Monkey On My Wheel, a 6-year-old Mach Three, Mac Nichol homebred, it was her third win in nine seasonal starts (a win and a second in this series). The exacta paid $706, with the triple returning $2,241.

Friday’s $38,000 Open Handicap Trot was won by favored D W’s NY Yank (Brennan, $3.80) in 1:56.

The George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series continues Saturday night, with three $50,000 divisions (races four, five and 11 on the 12-race card) in that fifth and final prelim round. The $567,000 final of the series also goes next Saturday night (April 26).