The fractions in Saturday’s Open Pace were like those rarely seen before at Saratoga Casino Hotel. An early speed duel resulted in a first quarter in 26.1 and a half in 54.1. The Heidi Rohr-trained Deetzy (Jereme’s Jet) took advantage of the battle and committed first over approaching the half. Softened by the early fractions, the top tandem faltered and Deetzy pounced. Accelerating into a big lead around the final turn, Deetzy paced away from his rivals before stopping the timer in a dazzling 1:50. It was the second fastest mile of the year at Saratoga, second only to Luck Be Withyou’s score in 1:49.2 in July. The time marked a new lifetime best for Deetzy, who was driven to the win in the $18,000 Open by Billy Dobson. Somewhere Fancy (Jim Devaux) followed the top one’s cover and wound up as the runner-up on Saturday night while Dancin Yankee (Mark Beckwith), who is the track record holder owning a 1:48.4 win from back in 2014, earned the show spot. Deetzy was dismissed at odds of 7-1 on Saturday and led an exacta and triple that paid $132 and $922, respectively.
Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a 12:15pm first post.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
