Cherry Peep, by Conway Hall, continued her winning ways on Thursday afternoon (Nov. 29) at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Amy Dowd-trained filly prevailed for the third time in her last four starts while competing in one of the $11,000 co-features for New York-sired trotters.
Driver Jay Randall was aggressive in the early going with Cherry Peep as he moved her out to the lead heading to the opening quarter, bypassing the race’s favourite en route to the front-end. Once she got there, Cherry Peep was game, as she rebuffed the first-over challenge of a longshot before drawing away at the head of the stretch.
The public’s 2-5 betting favorite Notmeitsyou (Phil Fluet) never got close to the eventual winner who stopped the timer in 1:59.3 and wound up second-best. Cherry Peep now has three wins in six starts since being acquired by Dowd last month.
Absolut Uncertenty, by Muscles Yankee, went coast-to-coast in one of the other divisions of Thursday’s co-features, as he served as one of two winners on the card for trainer John Berger.
Absolut Uncertenty’s win came in 1:59.3, which serves as a new lifetime mark for the three-year-old trotter.
Berger teamed up with leading driver Billy Dobson again later in the card for a win with pacer Our Art And Heaven who sprung the upset at odds of 9-1.
The third co-feature on the matinee program was won by John Stark Jr.’s Miss Muscle, by Muscle Mass, who overcame her outside post to secure her fifth victory of the season. Miss Muscle was dismissed at odds of 11-1 in her Thursday score.
Live racing will continue on Friday night at Saratoga and will feature a Pick-5 carryover of $1,281.41. First post time is set for 6:45 p.m.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)