Bettor Not came to Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time on Tuesday, March 10 and lived up to the hype as the overwhelming favourite in the $14,726 optional-claiming feature.

Mark Ford trains the four-year-old gelding, who made it look easy as he prevailed in the matinee’s top dash for young pacers. Publicly backed to odds of 1-9, Bettor Not cruised out to the early lead with Jimmy Devaux in the sulky. A 12-time winner in 36 starts in 2025, Bettor Not came to the Spa with a pair of victories to his credit in 2026 and never suffered an anxious moment en route to a three-length, wire-to-wire score in 1:54.3, a new seasonal mark. Pocket-sitter Captain Dee Tee (Jacob Cutting) wound up as the runner-up while Beanzy Fresh (Kyle Swift) finished third. 

Bettor Not is owned by George and Rose Bonomo of Naperville, Ill. The son of Captain Crunch-Bettorhaveanother has won three of seven starts this campaign and is now 21-for-56 lifetime. He paid $2.16 to win.

Live racing resumes at Saratoga on Saturday with a matinee that begins at noon.

(Saratoga Raceway)