Sent off as the longest shot on the board, St Lads Sterling overcame the outermost post to take the $17,000 Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday night (June 17).
St Lads Sterling, in rein to Jay Randall, blazed a trail behind him in a first lap that went in :55 before clicking off three-quarters in an eye-popping 1:22.3. The 35-1 leader showed no signs of letting up and held strong in the stretch to score in 1:52.1 for his second Open victory in his last three starts. Wyatt J finished second while Talking Tom earned the show spot.
St Lads Sterling, who is owned by Janie Kellogg and the Jackie Greene Stables of Fort Ann, New York, paid $73.50 to win while pulling off the biggest upset in an Open thus far in 2023 at the Spa. He led an exacta and triple that returned $439 and $4,009, respectively. St Lads Sterling’s win was his fifth in 16 starts on the season.
Randall and Greene didn’t stop there. They teamed for a victory with Im No Outlaw N in a $12,500 conditional race on Saturday evening. The New Zealand invader also was all but ignored by the bettors, paying $39.40 to win and complete a double for Greene and a hat trick for Randall, who piloted three winners on the card.
Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon with a matinee that begins at 12 p.m. (EDT).
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)