For the second consecutive Thursday afternoon (June 20), Osprey Blue Chip (American Ideal) pulled off an upset in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
A recent claim by trainer Lisa Zabielski, Osprey Blue Chip prevailed in last week’s (June 13) installment of the ladies’ feature by scoring at odds of 21-1. This week, the five-year-old mare drew post 4 in the five-horse feature and was again dismissed by the betting public, this time at odds of 12-1.
Brett Crawford again sat behind the new Zabielski stable star and got away last. As the favourites slugged it out, Osprey Blue Chip followed the cover of 3-5 betting choice Betterb Chevron N (Mark Beckwith) before tipping off that cover turning for home. The long shot won the battle in the stretch, coming on to score in 1:53.4 to set a new lifetime mark while pulling off yet another upset. Betterb Chevron N finished second while Spreester (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot.
For Osprey Blue Chip, it was her sixth win in twelve starts in 2019, with each of her last three victories coming while sent out at odds of 12-1 or higher. She paid $27.80 to win and led an exacta that returned $167.50.
Osprey Blue Chip is owned by Bill Reepmeyer LLC of Meredith, N.H.
Live racing resumes on Saturday evening (June 20) at Saratoga with a first post time set for 6:45 p.m.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)