Devils Wish remained in his sharp early-season form on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the four-year-old pacer sprung a mild upset in the $14,726 optional-claiming feature for his second straight win.
Fresh off a victory in which the Dave Dewhurst-owned and -trained gelding prevailed from the rail, Devils Wish powered out from post eight to the lead in a :28.1 first quarter. Driver Chris Long backed it down with Devils Wish to the half in :58.1 before the first-up Sand Dollar (Brett Beckwith) brought pressure to three-quarters in 1:26.4. The pacesetting son of Mcwicked-Rocknroll Wishes held strong in the stretch, pulling clear by 2-1/2 lengths to prevail in 1:56.1 at odds of 8-1. Longshot Pestcontrol (Leon Bailey) sat the pocket and wound up as the runner-up while the favoured Th Kay C Crunch (Jacob Cutting) closed to finish third.
Devils Wish, who moved from Ontario to the stable of Dave Dewhurst in January, now has two place finishes and a pair of victories to his credit in four local starts. The 2025 Harvest Series winner has tallied seven victories 39 career outings. He returned $18.84 at the windows.
Live racing resumes at Saratoga on Saturday afternoon with a card featuring an early Pick 5 carryover of $3,875 and an early Pick 4 carryover of $1,636. First post time is noon.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway)