Summit City Sonny posted three second-place finishes in a row before finding his way back to the winner's circle at Saratoga Casino Hotel, winning the $15,000 Winners Over/Open Handicap Trot on Sunday (Oct. 15) afternoon.
Jay Randall and the Jesse Mcassey trainee rocketed from post seven to join the contention for the lead. Veteran trotter Cash Me Out (Mitchell Cushing) earned the pylon real estate first, but Summit City Sonny was the first to hit the opening panel marker from the outside in :27.3. He eased into the front and clicked out two more panels in :57.1 and 1:26 before stepping home to a one-length victory in 1:55.3. Makadushin N Cheez (Jim Devaux) finished second with Delayed Hanover (Brett Beckwith) rounding out the top three.
Summit City Sonny is a four-year-old Dover Dan gelding and winner of eight races and $83,338 this season. He is just $2,139 shy of $200,000 in career earnings. Mcassey co-owns the gelding with Adam Friedland. He paid $10.60 to win off of 4-1 odds.
The feature Winners Over/ Open Trot was named in honour of Harold Goodsell as part of the Harness Career Recognition Series. Goodsell was inducted into the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame in 2012. The 88-year-old veteran horseman has earned $674,258 from 221 wins as a trainer and $523,705 from 260 wins as a driver.
Three $12,500 divisions of the Jim Derue Memorial Trot were contested on the matinee card at the Spa as the second leg of the series.
Crazy Ritz ($2.10) won from gate-to-wire by 6-1/2 lengths in 1:56.2 with James Mcneight Jr. in the bike for trainer Lisa Zabielski and owner James Palladino. Like A Warrior (Dylan Huckabone-Miller) finished second with Jeans Action (Devaux) third.
Las Vegas Hanover ($3.10) used a similar gate-to-wire tactic to take the second division by three-quarters of a length in 1:57.3 with Brett Beckwith holding the lines for trainer Melissa Beckwith and owner Howard Jacobs. Sevenatchi (Brian Cross) took second and Creed Hanover (Wally Hennessey) completed the ticket.
Technical Wow ($27) and Mitchell Cushing posted an upset victory and held on by a nose in 1:59.1 to win for trainer Evan Hoagland and owner Hoagland Racing LLC. Fast N Mighty (Randall) grabbed second and Grand Slam Hero (Huckabone-Miller) was third.
Racing at Saratoga Casino Hotel continues on Monday, Oct. 16 for another matinee card starting at 12 p.m.
The Sunday, Oct. 22 card at the Spa features a Halloween Bash hosted by the Saratoga Harness Horseperson's Association. Starting with a 12 p.m. first race post time, the card will feature trick or treating, face painting, a costume contest for two age divisions, a haunted horse trailer and a lucky losers contest for prizes to be drawn from losing mutuels tickets.
(With files from Saratoga Harness)