The Presidents Day (Feb. 17) matinee card at Saratoga Casino Hotel was highlighted by the season’s first Open Pace, featuring five pacers from Down Under contesting a $15,000 purse. A familiar face emerged victorious, as Crockets Cullen N (Christian Cullen) lengthened his unprecedented win streak in the local Open ranks to 10.
Assigned the outside post, Crockets Cullen N got away last but wound up dropping in second behind leader Bettors Fire N (Ron Cushing) through a :55.3 first half. Crockets Cullen N benefited from some confusion in the race where two rivals interfered with each other, allowing the track’s defending top pacer to tuck into the pocket before breezing by to win in 1:54.2. Bettors Fire N finished second, while Don Domingo N (Mark Beckwith) earned the show spot to complete a top trio of New Zealanders. Crockets Cullen N paid $6.90 to win and keyed a $16.40 exacta.
Larry Stalbaum owns and drives the Tracy Tarantino trainee, who was named Pacer of the Year at Saratoga in 2019 after winning the Open Pace in nine consecutive starts at the Spa.
Live racing takes place this week on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon (Feb. 19 and 20), beginning each day at 12 noon.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)