It was a monster Monday at Saratoga Casino Hotel for trainer Dave Dewhurst who swept the two Series Finals contested on the matinee card en route to five total winners on the day.
In the more than 70 years of harness racing at Saratoga Casino Hotel, there has only been one faster mile by a mare than the one Surreal Feeling paced on Wednesday afternoon (May 19).
The Dale Lawton-trained distaffer has been a winning machine over the course of her career, as the six-year-old mare came into Wednesday’s try in the $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open with 25 wins in 74 tries.
Tasked with taking on 1-2 betting favourite Robyn Camden, who dominated in last week’s Fillies and Mares Open, Surreal Feeling powered to the early lead. The speedy mare paid a stiff price to get to the front, as it took a first quarter of :26.4 to secure the top spot. After pacing the half in :56 and with Robyn Camden looming large and closing in, Surreal Feeling just continued to roll with Alek Chartrand in the sulky. The Lawton trainee proved up to the task, and not only prevailed in the feature but actually drew away to win it by better than five lengths.