Racey Rach N scored in the $17,000 Open for the first time at the Saratoga Casino Hotel when she went coast-to-coast in Tuesday’s (May 2) feature.
Racey Rach N won an amazing 11 consecutive races upon coming to Saratoga before finishing second in her final two starts in the 2022 season. Following a three-month layoff, the six-year-old daughter of A Rocknroll Dance returned to the track in February and quickly graduated up into Open company. Racey Rach N earned a couple of second-place finishes among her tries in the Fillies and Mares Open before drawing post five for her start in Tuesday’s Open.
Long powered the Lisa Zabielski-trained distaffer out to the front-end and despite being used hard in a first half that went in :55.4, the New Zealand invader had enough left to win it by a length in 1:55.1.
Racey Rach N paid $5.80 to win as the race’s 9-5 betting favourite. Fond Memories A (Larry Stalbaum) sat the pocket and finished second in the feature while last week’s Open winner Always Watching (Jordan Derue) earned the show spot.
It was a big day for driver Chris Long on Tuesday as the veteran reinsman recorded three wins on the afternoon card.
Long also recorded a victory in one of the two $12,500 divisions of leg one of the Virginia O’Brien Memorial Pacing Series when Dance Ticket went wire-to-wire. The four-year-old scored a decisive victory in 1:55 to register her third win in five seasonal tries for owner and trainer Robyn Mangiardi. Long completed his hat trick when he piloted another Mangiardi trainee Deedee Didit (McArdle) to an upset score in a $9,500 conditional race.
Live harness racing resumes on Saturday evening with a 5 p.m. first post.
(Saratoga Harness)