Winning the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel is nothing new for the Kellogg Racing Stables and trainer Jackie Greene.
Led by track superstar Artful Way and pacer Hudson Phil, no one has won more Opens at the Spa over the course of the last decade than Kellogg and Greene. In Sunday afternoon's (Sept. 26) $15,000 Open Pace, they added another to their bulky total when Moonshine Kisses made his return to the Spa a winning one.
The five-year-old son of Sunshine Beach had a pair of runner-up tries in the pacing feature this spring, but took three months off to heal from an injury suffered in May. Billy Dobson, who drove Moonshine Kisses in each of his three qualifiers that were used as preps for his return to action, was aggressive with the Greene trainee in the early going, capturing an easy lead before cruising through a first half in 56.3. Bet down as the race’s 2-1 second choice in the wagering, Moonshine Kisses never faced much of a challenge and, in fact, powered away from the competition around the final turn before stopping the timer in a seasonal best 1:52.1. Last week’s Open winner, Quagmire Bluechip (Brett Beckwith), closed to finish second while Matticulous GB (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot.
Moonshine Kisses, who wound up prevailing by better than three lengths, paid $6.00 to win and led an exacta and triple in the six-horse Open that paid $31.20 and $54.50, respectively.
Live racing at Saratoga continues on Monday afternoon (Sept. 27) with first post time set for noon. The Pick-5, which begins in the first race, will have a carryover of better than $2,000.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)