The Step Up To The Plate Claiming Series for trotters got underway on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The first of three legs of the series that leads up to the final next month featured two divisions that each went for a purse of $20,000.

Jordan Derue trains and drives Esa (pictured above), who was the odds-on favourite in the first division. Derue marched the seven-year-old son of E L Titan out to the early lead as rival JNR Express (John Stark Jr.) gave way to sit the pocket. That pair drew away from its rivals in the stretch before Esa held on to win it by a head in 1:57.1 to record his third victory of the season. Both Esa and JNR Express, who came up second best, were claimed during leg one. Mr Cool Seaeyre N (Brett Beckwith) finished third.

The other division had a different Derue score a win as trainer Brett Derue’s The Royal Poze set a lifetime mark of 1:56.2 with Jim Devaux aboard. Drawing the inside post in his five-horse division, race favourite The Royal Poze gave way briefly to Life Well Lived (Shawn Gray) in the early going before retaking the lead approaching the opening quarter. From there, the eight-year-old RC Royalty gelding never looked back. Invader Fair Glider (Jay Randall) finished second while Life Well Lived held on to be third and was claimed from leg one of the series. 

Live harness racing is cancelled for Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a winter storm set to hit the area. 

(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)