A victory in the featured $24,658 Winners Over/Open Handicap Pace with Frisco Bay N highlighted a big afternoon on Saturday, May 16 at Saratoga Casino Hotel for driver Wally Hennessey.
The veteran Hennessey returned to town from Florida last month and wasted little time making an impact in the sulky. On Saturday, the Hall of Famer piled up five winners on the 12-race matinee card led by a score in the Open Pace behind the Jackie Greene-trained Frisco Bay N.
Frisco Bay N, a two-time Open winner early in the season at the Spa, marched out to the early lead in Saturday's top class. Setting sharp fractions of :26.4 and :55.4 in lap one, Frisco Bay N felt just mild pressure from Thenu Came Along A (Chris Long) through three quarters in 1:24 while bracing for the charge of pocket-sitter Prairie Rocknroll (Billy Dobson). Even-money favourite Prairie Rocknroll popped the pocket around the final turn and made a charge at Frisco Bay N in the stretch but came up second-best by a half-length in a 1:52.1 mile. Longshot In Excess N (Larry Stalbaum) finished third.
Frisco Bay N’s win was his fourth of the season in 10 starts and third in the local Open Pace in 2026. The six-year-old son of Downbytheseaside-Idealistic, now 14-for-55 lifetime, is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables LLC. He paid $5.22 to win.
Three of Hennessey's wins came with starters from the barn of trainer Brett Derue, who tripled on the card. They combined for wins with Ants Marching ($3.64), Its Electrifying N ($8.10) and Mayweather Hanover ($5.04). The triple brought Derue's seasonal totals to 22 wins from 174 starts.
Hennessey also guided the Michael Forte-trained Quality Bud ($12.32) to a last-to-first victory for the second straight week. The 69-year-old reinsman's five-win outing was his best day of the meet thus far. He is 17-for-93 on the year for a win rate of 18.3 per cent.
Unmatched Wisdom ($2.50) maintained his unblemished three-year-old record with a fifth straight win in a conditioned race on the card. The son of American Ideal-Above Average, driven by Leon Bailey, shot to the front, cut the mile, and peeled away to a six-length victory in a lifetime-best 1:52.3. A Good Quest (Aaron Byron) was second over Im A Papi Hanover (Hennessey). Unmatched Wisdom won once in seven starts at two but is now six-for-12 lifetime. He has lowered his mile time in each start at three for trainer Chuck Connor Jr. and owners Scott McGee of West Gardiner, Maine, Jim Fielding of Gravenhurst, Ont., Kevin McKinlay of Holland Landing, Ont. and John Stronka of Davie, Fla.
Live racing continues at Saratoga on Sunday with a matinee set to begin at noon.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway)