Arizona won the Fillies and Mares Open Pace for the seventh time this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel in a tight finish with a newcomer to the track on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The Melissa Beckwith trainee has been a consistent force in the ladies’ open class since last season and continued her dominance of local distaffs in the $25,342 Tuesday feature.
Arizona flashed early speed to secure control in a :27.3 first quarter and cruised through the first lap in :57 seconds with Hall of Fame reinsman Wally Hennessey at the controls. After rebuffing P L Princess C (Aaron Byron) at three-quarters in 1:25.3, the 6-5 favourite faced the challenge of Yonkers invader Easy To Please (Cory Stratton), who chipped away at the Arizona lead before drawing level with her in the stretch. Arizona dug in and got the better of Easy To Please in the final strides, holding on by a nose to score in 1:53.3. Easy To Please was a strong second in her first trip to Saratoga since 2021 while Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson) closed to finish third. The winner returned $4.50.
Arizona’s victory was her eighth of the year in 21 outings. The six-year-old daughter of Up The Credit-Jo And Maria has now earned $413,578 and has won 37 of 94 lifetime starts. Arizona, last year’s Filly and Mare Pacer of the Year at Saratoga, is owned by Wendy Timpano of Campbellville, Ont.
Live racing at Saratoga Casino Hotel resumes on Saturday evening with a 6:45 p.m. first post.
(Saratoga Raceway)