Dilloian duo all set for Matchmaker

Hightstown, NJ — Lydeo (Sweet Lou) is a relative newcomer in trainer Doug Dilloian Jr.’s stable, but the 6-year-old female pacer has made a favorable impression in a short period of time.

“She’s just one of those horses that never has a bad day,” Dilloian said. “And if I’m having a bad day, she makes my day better.”

Purchased by Dilloian in November at the Standardbred Horse Sale’s mixed sale, Lydeo will join Cheryls Shadow in representing the trainer’s stable in Friday’s (March 28) opening round of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at MGM Yonkers Raceway. The six-week event for older female pacers at the half-mile oval kicks off the 2025 Grand Circuit season.

Lydeo and Cheryls Shadow both drew post two — and both are 8-1 on the morning line — in their respective races. Twenty-seven horses were entered in the first round, resulting in four $50,000 divisions Friday.

Among Lydeo’s foes in her division, the fourth of the four, are Grace Hill and Seaside Diva. Seven-year-old Grace Hill, a 2023 Dan Patch Award winner approaching $2 million in career earnings, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. Seaside Diva, a 4-year-old trained by Ron Burke, was an Ohio Sire Stakes champion and Grand Circuit winner in 2024. She is 5-2.

Lydeo — a daughter of Sweet Lou-Show The World purchased last fall for $80,000 and owned by David Linker, Brian Loman, and Robert Venable — heads to Friday’s start off back-to-back wins in conditioned races at Yonkers. She will be driven by Scott Zeron, who won a division of the Matchmaker with the mare in 2023.

“She has kind of fit our system like a glove,” Dilloian said about the winner of 15 of 80 career races and $348,731 in purses. “She’s probably one of the lowest maintenance horses I’ve ever had in my life. You just line her up every week and she earns.”

Both of Lydeo’s recent wins came in gate-to-wire fashion with Jason Bartlett in the sulky. She has those two victories and a second-place finish among four starts for Dilloian.

“I really think she’s better out of a hole or racing off a helmet, so the fact that she’s winning on the lead is definitely showing that she’s getting sharp at the right time,” Dilloian said. “She’s very fast off the gate and gets around a half so good. I trained her the other day, and this is the best she’s been since I’ve had her.

“Is she a mare that’s going to make the final, or give it a big run that way, I don’t know. But I can tell you that we haven’t seen her best yet by any stretch of the imagination. I think she should only get stronger as the series goes on.”

Cheryls Shadow will go in the second Matchmaker division, with Brent Holland in the sulky. Her group includes defending series champion Lit De Rose and Walkin On Sunshine, the 6-5 morning line favorite. Lit De Rose, a 10-year-old, is making her seasonal debut for trainer-driver Pat Lachance. Walkin On Sunshine, a 5-year-old trained by Brett Pelling, was an Indiana Sire Stakes champion last season and is 3-for-3 this year at Yonkers.

Dilloian got Cheryls Shadow in June 2022 for $76,000 in a Preferred Equine Online auction. Owned now by Loman and Kyle Warren, the 6-year-old has earned nearly $300,000 since joining Dilloian’s stable. For her career, the daughter of Shadow Play-Astrmowin has won 17 of 80 races and $341,924.

“Cheryl has been extremely good to me,” Dilloian said. “She’s been a very solid conditioned mare that goes up and down the ladder.

“She’s versatile. She can come from off the pace, but when you really want to leave with her quick, she’s very fast off the gate. So, she puts herself into position where she can kind of get up close and sit and get good chunks of it. Really, both mares are similar in that sense. They both have very quick speed off the (starting) car.”

Other mares in the Matchmaker series include last year’s championship runner-up Coachellabound N, multiple Grand Circuit winner Rocket Deo, and Australian Group 1 race winner Aardie B Miki N in her North American debut.

“Obviously, we’re hoping to do well in the series, but at the same time, I’m realistic,” Dilloian said. “I think both mares are a notch below the best ones. I’m not downplaying either mare by any means, but I’m realistic about what I have and what I’m racing against.

“But with that said, I’m going into it optimistic. I’m a huge fan of both mares. Going through the series, if we’re in the right spots, we can use their gate speed to get in position and maybe pick up good checks.

“I hate losing. I want to win qualifiers. So, even if I’ve got a lesser horse, I’m going there to win races regardless of whether it works out or it doesn’t. If we can make the final, great. If we can’t, it’s not going to be from lack of effort, that’s for sure.”

The preliminary rounds of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series will continue through April 25 with the top eight point earners advancing to the $200,000-added final on May 9.

Dilloian, who will send out Combustion and Finvarra A in Monday’s first round of the MGM Borgata Pacing Series for older male pacers, set career highs with 61 wins and $1.02 million in purses last year. All but eight of his victories came at Yonkers.

“I’ve got a great team behind me — good help and great owners — and that just makes everything a lot easier,” said Dilloian, who saw his universal trainer rating in 2024 top .300 for the fourth consecutive year. “That’s kind of my target. If I can bat over .300, that means everybody is making money and we’re all having fun.”

Racing begins at 6:45 p.m. (EDT) at Yonkers. For free daily TrackMaster Platinum past performances, visit the Standardbred Owners Association of New York website click here.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA