Always Watching (He’s Watching) was a three-time Open winner last season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Jordan Derue owns, trains and drives the mare who was one of the top handful of Open mares in 2022. After hitting the board in two of her first five tries in the ladies’ feature this year, Always Watching dropped in company last Tuesday (4/18) to record her first victory in ’23. On Tuesday, it was back to the Open for the Derue trainee who wasted no time moving out to the front-end in the $17,000 feature.
Setting first-half fractions of 27.4 and 57 seconds, Always Watching was met with the challenge of a first-over favorite as Probert (Brett Beckwith) came after the leader. The Derue trainee held firm to prevail in 1:54.1 to record her first Open score of the campaign. The 8-5 second choice in the wagering, Always Watching bested Probert by a length and a quarter to lead a $12.40 exacta. So Amazing (Leon Bailey) finished third to complete a $77 trifecta.
Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 5pm.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Jessica Hallett
Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York
