Defending Horse of the Year Artful Way (Artistic Fella) was at it again on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Jackie Greene trainee won last week’s Open Pace, riding a final half of 54.2 to victory for his first win of 2018. On Saturday night, Artful Way was the public’s 1-5 betting favorite in the $12,000 Open as he sought to repeat, and repeat he did. With Frank Coppola Jr. sitting behind him, Artful Way cruised to the Open score, going wire-to-wire in 1:52.1, the fastest mile for any horse thus far in the young season at the Spa. JK Panache (Jim Devaux) kept his lengthy “on the board” streak going as he finished second in the feature while Chevals Clivesdale (Bruce Aldrich Jr) earned the show spot. Chevals Clivesdale’s connections, trainer Jose Godinez and driver Bruce Aldrich teamed up for four winners on Saturday, including three straight at one point on the card.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
