Slugfest, by Conway Hall, continued his winter dominance on Sunday afternoon (March 12) at Saratoga Casino Hotel, as the Maureen Salino trainee scored another victory in the Open Trot.
Reduced to a five-horse field after a scratch, the $12,000 feature saw Slugfest make the early lead and never look back.
Jay Randall has been the regular driver behind the two-time Trotter of the Year at ‘the Spa’ and confidently piloted the race’s 4-5 favourite on Sunday, as Slugfest coasted to a wire-to-wire victory in 1:58.1.
Pocket sitter Lucid Thoughts (driven by Frank Coppola Jr.) was the runner-up, while Just Make Believe (Mark Beckwith) earned the show spot.
In three tries in the local Open this winter, Slugfest has two wins and a second. His victory was the second on the afternoon for his owners Tom Vassilou and Nick Tallarico, whose A Jersey Contract (by Lucky Chucky) prevailed earlier in the day for Salino and Randall. For the eight-year-old Slugfest, it was career win No. 37.
Live racing resumes on Thursday afternoon at Saratoga with a 12:15 p.m. first post.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)