Muzzy’s Muscles (Credit Winner) has squared off with fellow trotter Bonamassa in all four of his starts since coming to Saratoga Casino Hotel this season. The Monica Krist trainee has developed a bit of a rivalry with Bonamassa as the two have all but matched strides in the stretch in now three of their four races with each other. The week that Muzzy’s Muscles prevailed, Bonamassa raced parked the mile. In both of the other two instances, Bonamassa bested the five year old by narrow margins. On Wednesday afternoon, they met again and it was Muzzy’s Muscles that was bet down to odds of 1-5 with leading driver Billy Dobson in the bike. With Bonamassa drawing poorly in the $9,000 co-feature for New York sired trotters, Muzzy’s Muscles was heavily backed and raced like the favorite he was. After clearing the lead following a first-over trip, Muzzy’s Muscles held off the late charge from his new rival to prevail in 1:58.1, a time that serves as a new seasonal mark. Bonamassa (Brett Crawford) was strong in defeat as the race’s runner-up while Kapow (Phil Fluet) earned the show spot. The successful combination of Muzzy’s Muscles and Bonamassa didn’t take the bettors by surprise as the exacta with that pair returned $8.70.
Live racing continues on Thursday afternoon with a matinee starting at 12:00pm. There is a $5,000 guarantee in the Pick Five pool on Thursday. The Pick Five begins in race one. Race five features a $25,000 guarantee in its triple pool.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
