A scratch-reduced field of six contested the featured $15,000 Open Trot on Sunday afternoon (May 12) at Saratoga Casino Hotel, and Mandeville emerged victorious with leading driver Billy Dobson in the bike.
Mandeville, a two-time Open winner at the Spa in 2018, scored his first win of the season just last week when he stopped the timer in 1:54.2, the fastest clocking for any trotter at Saratoga this year. Mandeville moved up into Open company on Sunday and brushed up to take over the lead approaching the half-mile pole. Once the Don Billings trainee made the lead, he never looked back.
The seven-year-old Majestic Son gelding withstood heavy pressure from favourite Bobs Hope (Jay Randall), who came into Sunday off three straight Open wins. Mandeville proved up to the task and rebuffed Bobs Hope for a 1:55.3 win over a good track. Long shot Cartier Volo was third.
Mandeville paid $9.50 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $21.40 and $126.50 respectively. With the victory, Mandeville becomes just the fifth horse at the Spa to win an Open Trot this season, a level that has been dominated by two horses that he defeated on Sunday, Bobs Hope and Cash Me Out.
Live racing resumes on Wednesday afternoon (May 15) at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at 12 noon.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)