Driver Phil Fluet continued his strong stretch on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Fluet drove a pair of his trainees to victories on Monday’s matinee at the Spa when he guided trotters Eternal Prince and Mystical Somolli to wins. On Tuesday, the 41 year old piled up three scores in the sulky including in the $4,800 conditional race with class-dropper No Ordinary Man (Betterthancheddar). The Meg Reynolds trainee had spent most of his post-shutdown time in the Open Pace, a level in which he was maybe a bit overmatched. After drawing post eight off the drop last week, No Ordinary Man got more class relief on Tuesday and subsequently was the public’s 1-2 betting favorite. Although he had to work hard to get to the lead in a race that was hotly contested at the start, the four year old gelding proved up to the task, fending off rival Itsonlyrocknroll A (Larry Stalbaum) who despite being parked from the get-go fought gamely alongside No Ordinary Man throughout the mile. No Ordinary Man stopped the timer in 1:56 over a track that was sloppy on a rainy day in Saratoga Springs. The victory was the fifth of the year for the young pacer who is owned by Daniel Gagliardi and Stuart Feintuck of Staten Island, NY but the first since the return from the quarantine shutdown. Fluet catch-drove 17-1 longshot Amazing Amanda to victory for trainer Linda Flynn on Tuesday as well as he recorded driving doubles in back-to-back days to begin his week.
Live racing continues on Wednesday evening at Saratoga starting at 7:15pm. New York Sire Stakes take center stage as three year old trotting colts are featured in the first half of the race card. There is a Pick Five carryover of $3,959 on Wednesday with the Pick Five beginning in the evening’s first race.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
