Miss Irish Rose A (McArdle) sprung the upset in Thursday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Larry Stalbaum owns and drives the Tracy Tarantino-trained distaffer who wound up getting a pocket ride in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open. Miss Irish Rose A sat the two-hole to Yonkers invader Sandy’s Beach (Billy Dobson) who made an early beeline to the lead in the feature. The race’s favorite The Charging Moa N (Jay Randall) was last of the five pacing mares when she made her move approaching the three quarter pole but her chase proved futile. Miss Irish Rose A popped the pocket on Sandy’s Beach around the final turn before coming on to score the upset at odds of 16-1. Sandy’s Beach held second while Bye Bye Felicia (Mark Beckwith) came on to finish third. Miss Irish Rose A paid $34.60 in her upset win and led an exacta that returned $93.50. The win was one of two on the day for Stalbaum and Tarantino as their Gina Grace N (Bettor’s Delight) made good at odds of 1-5 to record her first victory of the season. Miss Irish Rose A joins stablemate Crockets Cullen N as Tarantino trainees to win an Open during the first week of the 2020 campaign at the Spa.
Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a matinee beginning at noon.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
