Velocity Vespa (I Scoot Hanover) went coast to coast to capture the Friday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. After being claimed in July by trainer Rich Banca, Velocity Vespa rattled off three consecutive wins in the Fillies and Mares Open at the Spa. The last of those victories came in a dazzling 1:51.3, a track record for a pacing mare at the Spa. The six year old distaffer didn’t factor in last week’s Open despite being the odds-on favorite but returned to the winner’s circle after going coast to coast in Friday’s $16,000 feature. So Nice (Mark Beckwith) sat the pocket and finished second while Super Soph (Frank Coppola Jr) earned the show spot. Velocity Vespa’s 16th win of the season came over a sloppy track in 1:53.4 on Friday night. Returning $4.90 to win, Velocity Vespa, who was driven to victory by Jimmy Devaux, led an exacta and triple that came back $15.20 and $77.50, respectively.
Live racing continues on Saturday night at Saratoga with a 6:45pm first post.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
