Lanjo Lee posted Saratoga Raceway's fastest mile of the season when the classy five-year-old So Surreal gelding won the $20,548 Open Handicap Pace on Saturday, April 27.
Jeff Sorenson trains Lanjo Lee, who came into the Saturday tilt with two Open wins to his credit in 2024 -- one at Batavia Downs in January and one at Saratoga last month.
Jimmy Devaux sat behind Lanjo Lee for the first time in the Saturday night feature and took no prisoners with the Sorenson trainee as they pocketed rival Heaven On High N (Larry Stalbaum) in the early going while sizzling through first-half fractions of :27.2 and :56.3. The race’s favourite, Tack Room Chatter (Brett Beckwith), rushed up to challenge Lanjo Lee and they squared off through three-quarters in 1:24.3, but the front-runner would not relent. Lanjo Lee put the favourite away in the final turn before feeling just modest pressure from Heaven On High N in the stretch and recording a 1:51.4 victory, the fastest clocking for any horse at Saratoga so far in the 2024 campaign.
Lanjo Lee’s win was his third of the season from 11 starts and his fastest since setting a lifetime mark of 1:50 last year at Pocono Downs.
The 7-5 shot in the wagering paid $4.80 to win and led an exacta with Heaven On High N second that returned $17. Longshot Talking Tom (Chris Long) earned the show spot in his seasonal debut to round out a $114 triple.
Lanjo Lee, a seven-time winner last year, has become a force in the local Open Pace this year for owner Gordon Swift of Bath, New York.
He now has 22 wins from 55 career starts and nearly $250,000 in lifetime earnings.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)