YONKERS, NY, Thursday, March 9, 2017 – Defending champion Bit of a Legend N leads 40 Free-For-All nominees into Yonkers Raceway's 2017 edition of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series. The harness racing event again honors the Hall-of-Fame founder of Roosevelt Raceway.
The five weeks of preliminaries begin next Saturday, March, 18th, with each race in each leg worth $50,000.
Bit of a Legend N, an 8-year-old Down Under son of Bettor's Delight, swept through the series a season ago. He won the $609,000 final (1:51, matching stakes record) a week after his scintillating, dead-heat with Wiggle It Jiggleit (world-record 'heater' of 1:51.2).
Peter Tritton trains and Jordan Stratton drives for owner Harry von Knoblauch.
Other notable eligibles (alphabetically) include…All Bets Off, Bettor's Edge, Caviart Luca, Mach it So, McWicked, Missile J, Provocativeprincen, Rockin' Ron, Soto, Take it Back Terry, Vegas Vacation and Wakizashi Hanover.
The Levy's companion event, the ladies-only Blue Chip Matchmaker, seduced 28 of the best distaffers in training.
Among the fast femmes (alphabetically) are…Bedroomconfessions, Devil Child, Krispy Apple, Mach it a Par and Sell a Bit N. The '17 edition was guaranteed a new leading lady after Yagonnakissmeornot, last season's victress, has begun her second career as a broodmare.
That series, also with five prelim legs (at $40,000 per race), begins Friday night, March 17th.
Finals (and consolations) for both the Levy and Matchmaker are set for Saturday night, Apr. 22(purses TBA).
A complete list of eligibles accompany this release.
| 2017 BLUE CHIP MATCHMAKER | ||||
| Mare FFA Pacing Series | ||||
| $1,000,000 Estimated | ||||
| Late Closing Series at Yonkers Raceway | ||||
| Featuring Breedings to 'American Ideal' 'Art Major' | ||||
| 'Bettor's Delight' ' Roll With Joe' , | ||||
| Shadow Play' & 'Sunshine Beach' | ||||
| 1st Preliminary – Friday, March 17, 2017 – $40,000 | ||||
| 2nd Preliminary – Friday, March 24, 2017 – $40,000 | ||||
| 3rd Preliminary – Friday, March 31, 2017- $40,000 | ||||
| 4th Preliminary – Friday, April 7, 2017- $40,000 | ||||
| 5th Preliminary – Friday, April 14, 2017 – $40,000 | ||||
| Final – Saturday, April 22, 2017- $125,000 A | ||||
| Consolation – Saturday, April 22, 2017 – $75,000 G | ||||
| Name of Horse | Sire | Dam | Age | |
| 1 | Al Raza N | Gotta Go Collect | Al Zahra | 7 |
| 2 | American Girl | Art's Chip | L Dees Lourdes | 8 |
| 3 | Bedroom Confessions | American Ideal | Turnoffthelights | 5 |
| 4 | Betabcool N | Bettors Delight | Cool Sandy | 7 |
| 5 | Change the Rulz N | Changeover | Victoria Rulz | 6 |
| 6 | Delightful Dragon | Bettors Delight | Little Miss Dragon | 6 |
| 7 | Devil Child | American Ideal | Kattimon | 5 |
| 8 | Diva's Image | Bettors Delight | Rocknroll Diva | 4 |
| 9 | Empress Deo | Rocknrollhanover | Little Miss K | 6 |
| 10 | For the Ladies N | Jeremes Jet | For the Don | 8 |
| 11 | Givemeyourheart | Badlands Hanover | Artists Flower | 4 |
| 12 | Hidden Land | Badlands Hanover | Armbro O'Casey | 6 |
| 13 | Krispy Apple | Western Ideal | Apple Krisp | 9 |
| 14 | Lispatty | McArdle | Lisbella | 4 |
| 15 | Lyons River Pride | Somebeachsomewhere | Mississippi River | 4 |
| 16 | Mach it a Par | Mach Three | Taylorlane Action | 7 |
| 17 | Mackenzie A | Rocknrollheaven | Kept for Pleasure | 5 |
| 18 | Medusa | Bettors Delight | Mythical | 6 |
| 19 | Nike Franco N | McArdle | Nearea Franco | 7 |
| 20 | Purrfect Bags | Roddy's Bags Again | Purrfectly Bad | 5 |
| 21 | Quick Draft A | Art Major | Quick Comment | 7 |
| 22 | Regil Elektra | Mach Three | Top Time Notcher | 7 |
| 23 | Sail to the Beach | Somebeachsomewhere | Sail Away | 4 |
| 24 | Sandbetweenurtoes | Somebeachsomewhere | Als Girl | 6 |
| 25 | Sellabit N | Julius Caesar | Nomorenuki | 7 |
| 26 | She's Just A Delight N | Bettors Delight | Love the Look | 7 |
| 27 | Tessa Seelster | Shadow Play | Titania Seelster | 5 |
| 28 | Wrangler Magic | Mach Three | JA EL Shamrock | 5 |
| **SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS & OMISSIONS**** | ||||
| 2017 George Morton Levy Memorial Pace | ||||
| Open FFA Pacing Series | ||||
| $1,500,000 Estimated | ||||
| Late Closing Series at Yonkers Raceway | ||||
| 1st Preliminary – Saturday, March 18, 2017 – $50,000 Ea. | ||||
| 2nd Preliminary – Saturday, March 25, 2017 – $50,000 Ea. | ||||
| 3rd Preliminary – Saturday, April 1, 2017- $50,000 Ea. | ||||
| 4th Preliminary – Saturday, April 8, 2017 – $50,000 Ea. | ||||
| 5th Preliminary – Saturday, April 15, 2017 – $50,000 Ea. | ||||
| Consolation – Saturday, April 22, 2017 – $100,000 G | ||||
| Final – Saturday, April 22, 2017 – $200,000 A | ||||
| Name of Horse | Sire | Dam | Age | |
| 1 | All Bets Off | Bettor's Delight | Armbro Penelope | 6 |
| 2 | Always at my Place | Always a Virgin | Best Place | 6 |
| 3 | Americanprimetime | American Ideal | Prime Xample A | 5 |
| 4 | Anwar Hanover | Well Said | Allamerican Nadia | 5 |
| 5 | Arque Hanover | Rocknrollheaven | A Pippin Hanover | 5 |
| 6 | Artistic Major | Art Major | Western Dancer | 5 |
| 7 | Bettor's Edge | Bettor's Delight | Spring Wind | 8 |
| 8 | Bit of a Legend N | Bettor's Delight | Soky's Legend | 8 |
| 9 | Blood Brother | Somebeachsomewhere | Blood Diamond | 5 |
| 10 | Burning N | Mach Three | Sparks Under Fire | 7 |
| 11 | Caviart Luca | Somebeachsomewhere | Caviart Sierra | 6 |
| 12 | Classic American N | American Ideal | Classic Vicolo | 7 |
| 13 | Clear Vision | Western Hanover | Artistic Vision | 8 |
| 14 | Cooperstown | Four Starzzz Shark | American Charm | 5 |
| 15 | Dr J Hanover | Somebeachsomewhere | So Perfect | 4 |
| 16 | Dreamoutloud N | Bettor's Delight | Nothinbutadreamer | 10 |
| 17 | First Class Horse | Western Terror | Susurrus Hanover | 5 |
| 18 | Great Vintage | American Ideal | Arts Vintage | 9 |
| 19 | Guantanamo Bay | Somebeachsomewhere | Up Front Gal | 5 |
| 20 | Jeneral Patton | Art Major | Time N Again | 6 |
| 21 | Keystone Velocity | Western Hanover | Venus Killean | 9 |
| 22 | Long Live Rock | Rocknrollhanover | Perfect Gesture | 8 |
| 23 | Mach it So | Mach Three | Beach Dancer | 7 |
| 24 | Matt American | Allmericannative | Mattadorable | 6 |
| 25 | McArdles Lightning | McArdle | Winning Venture | 5 |
| 26 | McWicked | McArdle | Western Sahara | 6 |
| 27 | Melmerby Beach | Somebeachsomewhere | DB Bluechip | 6 |
| 28 | Missile J | American Ideal | Cantor's Daughter | 4 |
| 29 | Our Sky Major N | Art Major | Sky Beauty | 7 |
| 30 | PH Supercam | Milliondollarcam | Callwood Ivy | 10 |
| 31 | Provocative Prince N | Grinfromeartoear | Catherine Zeta | 7 |
| 32 | Rockin Ron | Real Desire | I'm All A Roan | 5 |
| 33 | Santa Fe Beachboy | Somebeachsomewhere | Santa Fe Yankee | 7 |
| 34 | Somewhere in LA | Somebeachsomewhere | West of LA | 6 |
| 35 | Soto | Rocknrollheaven | Incredible Beauty | 5 |
| 36 | Take it Bacl Terry | Western Terror | Second Symphony | 8 |
| 37 | TE Kawau N | Bettor's Delight | Haylin Express | 7 |
| 38 | Texas Terror N | Western Terror | Alicia Maree | 9 |
| 39 | Vegas Vacation | Bettor's Delight | Don't you Smile | 7 |
| 40 | Wakizashi Hanover | Dragon Again | Western Gesture | 5 |
| ***SUBJECT TO TO ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS AND OMISSIONS*** | ||||
Frank Drucker
