A $9,100 conditional race for pacers served as the Friday night feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Of the nine participants in the Friday feature, six of them squared off against each other last week at the Spa. Nerve Of Steel N (Jimmy Devaux) got the better of his rivals last Saturday to record the third win in his last four starts and subsequently was his race’s betting favorite as he looked to repeat on Friday. Northern Rebel sought to avenge his first defeat in two months after Nerve Of Steel N set a new lifetime mark of 1:52 to get the best of him last week. Those two squared-off in the stretch once again on Friday but it was longshot Delightful Joe (Roll With Joe) who sat behind the dueling leaders before surging up the passing lane late in the mile. Delightful Joe and driver Brett Crawford scored the upset, stopping the timer in a career-best 1:53.3. Northern Rebel was the runner-up while Nerve Of Steel N earned the show spot. The Jaymes Mcassey-trained Delightful Joe, whose victory was his fifth of the season, paid $18.80 to win in the upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $99.50 and $366, respectively.
Racing continues on Saturday at Saratoga with first post time moved back to 8:05pm for the 14-race card. The $260,000 Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace will be featured as well as New York Sire Stakes action for two year old pacing colts and geldings. There is a $5,000 guaranteed Pick Five pool with the Pick Five beginning in the evening’s first race.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
