As has been the case dozens upon dozens of times over the course of the last five years, Artful Way won the Open Pace on Saturday night (Feb. 19) at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
The three-time Pacer of the Year at the Spa, Artful Way made his first start in the Open in 2022 on Saturday while coming off a win in the $13,000 Winners Over. The Jackie Greene-trained superstar was the 2-1 second choice in the betting when driver Billy Dobson blasted him out to the front in the $15,000 feature. The 10-year-old carved first half fractions of :27.1 and :57.2 on a cold and snowy evening in Saratoga Springs before being met with the challenge of the race’s odds-on favourite Lake Charles. The veteran leader turned away the first-over bid by the public’s top choice with relative ease and just needed to hold off fellow past Pacer of the Year Crockets Cullen N in the stretch, a task that he was more than prepared for. Artful Way stopped the timer in 1:55 for his second victory in three seasonal tries.
Paying $6.00 to win, Artful Way led an exacta with Crockets Cullen N that paid $36 in a five-horse feature while the triple came back $67.50 with the favoured Lake Charles earning the show spot. Artful Way is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, New York.
Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at 12 p.m. (EST).
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)