A two-year-old pacer stole the show on Tuesday afternoon (June 22) at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
Trainer-driver Dan Daley brought just one horse to the Spa to compete after securing two wins and two seconds with his young horses on Monday’s matinee. Daley’s Blue Collar Man (Bolt The Duer-Celebrate America-Allamerican Native) made his debut on Tuesday following an impressive qualifier at Vernon Downs, in which he won by better than nine lengths in a mile paced in 1:56.1. The freshman was co-favoured in his lifetime debut at odds of 7-5 and his attack was nothing short of sensational.
Blue Collar Man powered to the front at the start and opened a big lead in the early stages of his debut. The freshman clicked first-half fractions of :29 and :59.1 before extending his lead to an insurmountable margin and stopping the timer in 1:55.1.
A two-year-old making his lifetime debut over a track listed as "good", he paced the mile in 1:55.1 and winning by, coincidentally, the same 9 1/4-length margin he held when he won his qualifier. Keep an eye on this Daley trainee as summer progresses as the effort witnessed on Tuesday was nothing shy of dazzling for a two-year-old.
Gussys Trump Card was the co-favourite in the race and finished a well-beaten second to Blue Collar Man while Jovian earned the show spot.
Live racing continues on Wednesday afternoon (June 23) at Saratoga with first-race post time set for 12 p.m. (EDT).
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)