Leonidas A and Alexa Skye finished the preliminary rounds of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series and the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at Yonkers Raceway with equal four-for-four records, but for their respective finals on Monday night (April 19), both of them face outside draws, with Leonidas A starting from post seven and Alexa Skye beginning from post six.
Driver Austin Siegelman raced Leonidas A from second-over in the first leg of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series, and that trip resulted in a victory, and then in his subsequent three starts in the event, which also saw Leonidas A emerge triumphant, Siegelman was more aggressive with his charge, planting him on the point before or just after the opening quarter. While Siegelman acknowledged that stalking horses is the six-year-old Mach Three gelding’s preferred journey, he had no issue with more aggressive handling either.
On Tuesday afternoon (April 13), the draws were held for the $514,000 MGM Borgata Pacing Series final and $232,800 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final, both of which will take place on Monday, April 19 at Yonkers Raceway. In addition to the finals, there will also be consolation races in both events.
Leonidas A (above) finished with the most points in the MGM Borgata Pacing Series, but the draw for the final was not kind to him, as he will start from post seven in the eight-horse field. Austin Siegelman will be in the bike behind the Sheena Mcelhiney-trained and Jesmeral Stable-owned six-year-old Mach Three gelding.
The preliminary rounds of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series conclude on Monday night (April 12) at Yonkers Raceway with three $40,000 divisions in races four, five, and six.
The first section showcases three horses who have tasted success during the event in Backstreet Shadow (post one, Tim Tetrick), Lyons Steel (post five, Corey Callahan/Dennis Watson), and Western Joe (post six, Dexter Dunn/Chris Choate). Backstreet Shadow and Lyons Steel both have won once in the series, and Western Joe enters having won his last two appearances.
None of the entrants in race five’s second split have picked up a victory in this year’s MGM Borgata Pacing Series, so a new face will get a big boost to their point total. The horse that looks to be in the best form is Mach N Cheese (post three, Joe Bongiorno/Edwin Quevedo), as he has finished second and third the past couple of weeks.