Alek Chartrand had a productive afternoon with his stable on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
A top ten driver this season at the Spa, Chartrand is healing up from a minor injury and thus has handed over driving duties to others this week.
In Tuesday’s feature, Chartrand trainee Onspeed N (Bettors Delight) was in the hands of Wally Hennessey when she drew the rail in the $10,000 feature for fillies and mares. Onspeed N is just two weeks removed from recording a victory in a career-best 1:53.4 with Chartrand in the sulky.
Following a hard-charging third when coming from off the pace last week, Onspeed N cut the mile on Tuesday after reclaiming the lead from rival All Speed Rising (Billy Dobson) approaching the quarter pole. The seven year old New Zealand invader didn’t face much of a challenge before pacing away from her rivals to win in 1:54 with Hennessey at the controls. All Speed Rising sat the pocket and finished second to the 3-5 betting favourite in the feat
Exarch has become a force in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel in recent months and on Tuesday afternoon, the six-year-old won the $14,000 feature for the third time.
Jimmy Devaux pilots the John Gerow-trained trotter who went coast-to-coast in 1:56.2. After working hard to get to the top in a :27.3 first quarter, Exarch got a big-time breather in the middle half and reached three-quarters in 1:27.2. Pocket-sitter Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) rode the coattails of the winner before coming up second best while Cash Me Out (Phil Fluet), who won the previous two weeks’ Opens, finished third.
Exarch, who is owned by Fortune Valley Stables of Ballston Spa, N.Y., now has six wins this season and has hit the board in 14 of 18 starts in 2021. The winner was the even-money favourite in the feature and led an exacta and triple that paid $17.40 and $38.60, respectively. Devaux piloted a pair of winners on Tuesday to add to his track-leading tally for the 2021 campaign.
Grand Spa ($8.90) was a gate-to-wire winner in the $33,600 first division for Zeron.
Grand Spa went to the front and led to the first quarter in :28.1. He used a :30.1 second quarter to hit the half in :58.2. Jackson Steinem (Brian Sears) came first-over and challenged for the lead as they went around the final turn. Grand Spa hit three-quarters first in 1:28.3. As they made the turn for home Grand Spa shook off the challenge of Jackson Steinam. Second place finisher Chapheart made a late bid but Grand Spa was too strong and got his first career win in 1:57. Debs Prince Hall (Alek Chartrand) finished third.
Surreal Feeling has been nothing shy of surreal again this year and on Wednesday afternoon (June 30), the superstar mare added another win to her tally at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
The 6-year-old mare, who has been a winning machine over the course of her career, prevailed for the 29th time in just 79 starts when she went coast-to-coast in the $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open.
Surreal Feeling won from off the pace in her previous local try, but this week driver Alek Chartrand didn’t waste any time getting the speedy stalwart to the front. After sizzling through a first quarter in :26.2, Surreal Feeling reached the half in :55 in a race that had an accident occur in the early going at the back of the pack. Miss Irish Rose A, second in last week’s Open at the Spa, took her shot at Surreal Feeling and nearly tracked her down in the stretch before finishing as the runner-up for the second-straight week.
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