Blazing Home N prevailed in the 17th annual running of the $138,889 Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace that took place on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
One of the richest races of the year at the Spa included nine participants concluding a two-month stint in which the top local pacers slugged it out in Invitational races to accrue points towards Saturday's event. Trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum's Blazing Home N scored just one victory in his six tries in the Invitational races but finished on the board in each of his starts.
Leaving from post six in the Gerrity, Blazing Home N showed early speed to land in third but made a charge towards the lead crossing over in an opening quarter of :26.4. The 7-2 shot in the wagering reached the half in :55.3 while bracing for the challenge of 3-5 favourite Binge On Yankee (Kyle Swift), who had to come from well off the pace. Blazing Home N maintained a lead of two-plus lengths throughout before that margin was cut into late by Binge On Yankee, who finished just a neck short of victory. Longshot Full Metal Jacket (Wally Hennessey) made up a lot of ground in the race’s final half to earn the show spot.
Blazing Home N’s win was his ninth of the season to go along with 10 other top three finishes from 23 starts. The imported son of Rock N Roll Heaven-Capture My Heart has earned $223,486 of his $631,431 bankroll this year.
Live harness racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that will begin at 12 p.m.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)