Bourbon Bay set a world record and lowered the all-age track record for trotters on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino and Raceway.
The four-year-old son of Sand Vic has had a breakout season racing mostly in New York State and came to Saratoga for the first time in ’15 to compete in the $18,000 Open Trot. John Cummings Jr. is the trotter’s lessee and he sat behind the speedy high-stepper on Sunday.
Bourbon Bay moved out to the early lead and set sizzling fractions in lap one to the tune of :27.3 and :55.3. When the three-quarter time popped up in 1:23.2, it seemed more than likely that Saratoga would have a new track record. Bourbon Bay made Spa history by stopping the timer in 1:53, lowering the previous track mark of 1:54, set by Scorpion Moon back in 2010, by a full second. The time is also a new world record for a four-year-old male trotters on a half-mile track, shaving two-fifths of a second off Quik Deal's former mark that he had set in 2013 at Yonkers Raceway.
Bourbon Bay returned $7.20 to win in his record performance as he bested Just Make Believe (Frank Coppola Jr.), who finished second, and Jimmer (Austin Siegelman), who earned the show spot.
Bourbon Bay, who won for the 16th time of the year, is trained by Jody Riedel.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway)