YS Lotus (If I Can Dream) was caught in the fastest mile of the year at Saratoga Casino Hotel two weeks ago when the Rene Allard trainee finished fifth in an Open Pace that went in an incredible 1:49.2. Last week, the six year old pacer finished third in the $14,000 Winners Over at the Spa and on Saturday night was the 3-5 betting favorite in the feature. Billy Dobson blasted YS Lotus out to the early lead but the favorite paid a stiff price to get to the top, posting a first quarter of 26.4 while racing parked out for the majority of it. The half didn’t bring much of a slow down as the public’s choice cruised through a half in 54.4 before trying to pace away from his rivals after three quarters in 1:22.1. YS Lotus built enough of a lead that when Panocchio (Gerry Mattison) surged late, it would prove to be too little too late. YS Lotus stopped the timer in 1:51.1 for his third win in ten seasonal tries. Panocchio came up second best while He’s A Lock (Wally Hennessey) closed sharply for third. Last week, the finish in the Winners Over was Panocchio on top with He’s A Lock second and YS Lotus third. This week, the same trio comprised the triple but it was Allard’s YS Lotus who proved best.
Live racing resumes on Tuesday evening at Saratoga featuring a pick five carryover of $4,563. First post time is set for 7:05pm.
Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino
