Sunday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel was the seventh annual Jim Derue Memorial Trotting Series Final, which carried a purse of $38,000.
The final featured eight trotters who had battled it out during the previous two Sunday afternoons.
Certify, by Credit Winner, had been the dominant force in series’ two preliminary legs, as the Lance Hudson trainee had romped on the engine in back to back starts to continue his terrific 2019 campaign. Certify, who won the $55,000 New York Sire Stakes Excelsior final that contested at Saratoga last month, was the public’s odds-on favorite Sunday at ‘the Spa,’ which was contested over a ‘sloppy’ track.
Mark Beckwith sat behind Certify and moved the sophomore trotter out to the early lead – a lead the duo would never relinquish. Certify went coast to coast in 1:56 to complete the series sweep and become the seventh winner of the Jim Derue Memorial Trotting Series.
HL Revadon (who was driven by Jay Randall) finished second and TTs D Jay (Jordan Derue) finished third.
The $17,500 consolation of the series went the way of Mass Confession, who pulled off a mild upset at odds of 8-1 for trainer Kari-Sue Finn and leading driver Billy Dobson.
Live racing at Saratoga will resume on Wednesday with first post at 12 noon. There will be a $3,704 carryover in the Pick Five pool on Wednesday. The Pick Five will begin in Race 1.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)