Clover continued her terrific season on Monday afternoon, June 17 at Saratoga Casino Hotel when she overcame her outside post to prevail in the $20,548 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap Pace.
The Mark Beckwith trainee returned to town just two weeks after setting a career-best 1:50.4 victory at Plainridge Park and drew post seven in the seven-horse feature. Clover, a six-year-old daughter of Sportswriter, sat well off the pace in a first half that went in a fast :55.4 before reinsman Wally Hennessey cut the 3-5 betting favourite loose heading towards the three-quarter pole. Clover wound up putting the swoop to the group in resounding fashion to win for the eighth time in 18 seasonal tries, stopping the timer in 1:53.3 for the Open score. Magical Maya A (Brian Cross) came from a long way back to finish second to complete a $18.60 exacta while Ashestodiamonds (Brett Crawford) rounded out a $133.50 triple.
Clover is owned by Howard Jacobs of West Orange, New Jersey.
For Beckwith and Hennessey, it was their second consecutive victory in the Fillies and Mares Open as that tandem combined for a win with distaffer Arizona in the June 10 installment.
Hennessey piloted three winners on the Monday card while Beckwith scored a training double.
Live harness racing resumes on Saturday, June 22 at Saratoga with a 5 p.m. first post.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)