Artful Way (Artistic Fella) won his fourth Open Pace of the year on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Jackie Rousse-trained four year old not only set a lifetime mark but also paced the fastest mile of the year thus far at the Spa when he stopped the timer in 1:51. Frank Coppola Jr. pointed Artful Way out to the early lead in a sizzling 26.3 before yielding to rival JK Panache (Wally Hennessey) past the quarter. JK Panache flew through a half in 54.1 and three quarters 1:22.1 and still had something left in the stretch. Artful Way tracked him down in the final strides to record the mild upset at odds of 6-1. JK Panache held second while Caution Signs (Bruce Aldrich Jr) earned the show spot. Artful Way, who won ten times in 25 starts last year en route to over $100,000 in earnings, is on almost that exact pace again in 2016 as he never owns five wins and more than $50,000 in his first thirteen starts of the season. The winner returned $15.80 while the race’s exacta and triple paid $60.50 and $380, respectively.
Live racing takes place on Sunday and Monday afternoons with matinees beginning at 12:15pm.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
