Sophomore trotter City Of Hope sprung the upset in Sunday’s featured Open Handicap at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
The Dave Dewhurst-trained trotter is in the midst of a breakout season in which he came into the day with earnings over $130,000. The three-year-old Mets Hall gelding raced in the local Open Trot for the first time a week ago but faded late after cutting the mile in the $15,000 feature.
This week, driver Jimmy Devaux got a pocket trip for City Of Hope, who rode the coattails of millionaire trotter Cash Me Out (Mitch Cushing) as he cut the mile in the feature. With the top few betting choices never factoring, longshots Cash Me Out and City Of Hope slugged it out late, getting joined in the stretch by Bluffinner (Jordan Derue). At the wire, City Of Hope emerged victorious, springing the upset at odds of 12-1. The veteran Cash Me Out finished second while Bluffinner earned the show spot.
City Of Hope paid $27.60 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $160 and $569, respectively.
Trainer Dave Dewhurst co-owns the young trotter, who competed in the New York Excelsior Series over the summer, with Philip Hale of Utica, New York. The victory was number 14 for City Of Hope in his breakout sophomore campaign spanning 31 races. He won just one of eight races as a rookie.
Live harness racing continues on Monday afternoon with a first post time set for noon.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)