Craziville earned himself a trip to the winner’s circle thanks to a gritty performance in Thursday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel.

The three-year-old trotting son of Crazed scored a victory in the $8,000 trot for New York Sired highsteppers, and did so in career best fashion. Bet down to odds of 1-5, Craziville had to survive a battle in the stretch before drawing clear late to win in 1:59.3.

The Kyle Spagnola-trained gelding raced on Tuesday night in the NY Sire Stakes Excelsior B and did well to secure a second-place finish in that one despite starting from the outside post position. Thursday’s victory was just the second of the season for Craziville though the sophomore trotter has hit the board eleven times in his seventeen starts in 2016.

The win was the second consecutive on the card for driver Frank Coppola, Jr. who piloted a 1-5 favourite to victory in the evening’s previous race for a different Spagnola. Trainer Dave Spagnola’s No Tears Blue Chip (Roll With Joe) scored convincingly to record his third win of the year as the public’s choice on Thursday.

Coppola completed a natural hat trick when he guided claiming pacer Southern Swan to a mild upset for Dave Spagnola in the evening’s six race on a night in which Coppola and the Spagnolas thrived.

Live racing continues on Friday night at Saratoga with a 7:05 p.m. first post.

(Saratoga Casino Hotel)