It was an historic afternoon for driver Wally Hennessey as Monday matinees returned to the racing calendar at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Hall of Fame reinsman performed a feat rarely achieved in track history as he piloted five consecutive winners on the card en route to six victories in total for the day.
The 66-year-old Hennessey is still on top of his game in the sulky and on Monday rattled off victories in five straight races on the program, the last of which coming in the day’s featured race. Hennessey guided the Jackie Greene-trained Alittlesidehustl N to a wire-to-wire victory in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open to complete his five-bagger.
Alittlesidehustl N had won back-to-back Opens in April but was winless in the local feature from that point on until Monday. She was guided to the feature score by Hennessey, who piloted winners in the afternoon’s second through sixth races before wrapping up a six-win day later in the card. Alittlesidehustl N finished second in last week’s (Sept 3) ladies’ feature before recording what was her fourth seasonal score on Monday. With the earnings from her victory, Alittlesidehustl N watched her career bankroll move to over the $200,000 mark for the Kellogg Racing and Jackie Greene Racing Stables, who co-own the five-year-old Hes Watching distaffer.
Her score in the Open was timed in 1:53.2 as she bested longshot Shallow (Billy Dobson), who came on to be second while Always Watching (Jordan Derue) finished third to hit the board for her seventh consecutive start.
Alittlesidehustl N was the odds-on favourite and paid $3.90 to win leading an exacta and triple that came back $25.40 and $70, respectively.
Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5 p.m.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)