Soft Shot posted the fastest mile of the season for a pacing mare at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Sunday afternoon, the Jaymes McAssey-trained distaffer scored in 1:52.2 in the Fillies and Mares Open. Soft Shot debuted out of the McAssey barn early in the season and the five year old mare has become a force in the local ladies’ feature. On Sunday, Soft Shot was the 4-5 betting favorite for her try in the $18,000 Open and moved out to the early lead under the guidance of leading driver Kyle Swift. Soft Shot set honest first-half fractions of 27 and 56.2 and just kept rolling along with Swift urging her along. McAssey’s top pacing mare rattled off three quarters in 1:23.3 and never let up before stopping the timer in 1:52.2 en route to her tenth win of the year and her seventh in the local Open. Surfinmakescents A (Larry Stalbaum) got away last in the feature and went a long way first-over before ending up as the runner-up to Soft Shot while longshot Let Them Gossip (Jay Randall) got up to finish third. Well over the $100,000 mark in earnings in her 2026 campaign, Soft Shot is now just a few thousand short of reaching a half million dollars for her career. Soft Shot, who is owned by Paul Oneil of Saratoga Springs, accounted for one of Swift’s three driving wins on the day.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
CMS Photography photo
