In A Single Bound (Roll With Joe) won his first local Open Pace last month at Saratoga Casino Hotel and the Monica Krist trainee has become a staple in the feature ever since. On Saturday night, the five year old started from post position one and wound up getting a pocket trip behind Mar Nien A (Greg Merton), the race’s other 8-5 co-favorite. After checking in at three quarters in 1:23.2, Mar Nien A still appeared strong but was met with a late challenge from In A Single Bound who came flying up the passing lane. Those two hit the wire noses apart but it was the Krist-trained pacer who prevailed, stopping the timer in 1:51.3 for his fourth victory of the year and second in the $15,000 Saturday night Open Pace. Mar Nien A had to settle for second while Carolina Beach (Mark Beckwith) earned the show spot. The win was the 20th in the career of In A Single Bound in just 48 lifetime starts. The exacta comprised of the pair of 8-5 shots paid $23.00 while the triple returned $47.80. Leading driver Billy Dobson, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, piloted the Open winner as well as another for Krist on the card. Their Half A Billion (Sportswriter) set a lifetime mark in a $10,000 event for pacers, going coast-to-coast in 1:51.3, the same final time as his stablemate In A Single Bound scored in in the evening’s feature.
Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a 12:00 Noon first post.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
