Annabeth (Shadow Play) pulled off a mild upset in the Thursday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith-trained six year old was dismissed at odds of 8-1, the longest shot on the board in the field of five in the $12,000 Fillies and Mares Open. Annabeth was a beaten favorite in last week’s Open and sat third on the rail on Thursday before surging up the passing lane to edge out front-runner Bye Bye Michelle (Dan Cappello Jr). Annabeth paid $19.80 while winning for the second time in five seasonal starts. The exacta with Bye Bye Michelle second returned $60. Milky Way Rae (Billy Dobson) finished third to extend her stretch of hitting the board to four. Annabeth, who stopped the timer in 1:54.1, was driven to victory by Mark Beckwith who piloted five winners on the matinee card, four for conditioner Melissa Beckwith.
Live racing continues on Friday night with a first post time set for 6:45pm.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
