Probert made every pole a winning one on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 6 at Saratoga Casino Hotel as she recorded a decisive win in the season’s first installment of the Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Brett Beckwith piloted the Bruce Mattison-trained mare, who cruised out to an early lead that she would never relinquish. The seven-year-old daughter of Dali travelled unopposed in a first half of :57.2 and never faced a legit threat before scampering away from her rivals to record a better than three-length victory in the $20,270 distaff feature, timed in 1:54.1. Magical Maya A (Larry Stalbaum) moved first-over approaching the three-quarter pole and, while she never posed much of a problem to the leader, did hold strong to be the runner-up to Probert while invader Racy Roxy A (Jay Randall) closed to finish third.
Probert, who is owned in partnership by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski, enjoyed a six-figure 2023 campaign in which she earned more than $120,000. Tuesday’s victory was the first in three ’24 tries for Probert whose driver Brett Beckwith piloted three winners on the card and whose trainer Bruce Mattison had a pair of victories of his own.
Probert paid $4 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $16.80 and $39, respectively.
Live harness racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5 p.m.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)