Rose Run Xtra (Cash Hall) came from off the pace to win the Monday (Sept. 15) feature for the second consecutive week at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Monica Krist trains the six-year-old Cash Hall-Anything But Love gelding who recently returned from a layoff before landing in the Open Trot at the Spa.
Following a second-place finish in his debut in the $25,694 feature, Rose Run Xtra prevailed last week (Sept 8) for the first time in the Open before drawing post seven for Monday’s try against the track’s top high-steppers.
Driver Billy Dobson sat patiently in the early going with the 4-5 betting favourite while almost ten lengths off the lead at the opening quarter. Longshot Duke Lavictoire (Jordan Derue) cut the mile and travelled unopposed through a first half of 57.2 before checking in at three-quarters in 1:26.1. Rose Run Xtra steadily gained ground but was caught three-wide for the final quarter of a mile before surging late to prevail in 1:56.1 to complete his back-to-back jacks. Duke Lavictoire was the runner-up at odds of 16-1 while But Why (Jimmy Devaux) came on to be third despite drawing post eight for his try in the Open.
Rose Run Xtra’s win was one of four on the day for Dobson who guided a pair of winners for Monica Krist and owner Rick Dobson whose Tiktok Roy just missed a new lifetime mark when he parlayed a pocket ride to a 1:57 score to upset the big favorite in his $12,778 race for trotters.
Live racing continues on Tuesday (Sept. 16) with a matinee set to begin at 12 p.m.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway; Rose Run Xtra Shown winning a previous race)