The Friday (Oct. 26) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Saratoga Casino Hotel, Batavia Downs and Vernon Downs.

Happy Heart scores in Saratoga feature

Saratoga Springs, NY — Happy Heart (Woodstock) continued her recent strong stretch in the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Friday night she scored a wire-to-wire win.

Happy Heart was a 1:56 winner in the Saratoga feature. Melissa Simser-Iovino photo.

The feature field was reduced to just four participants following a scratch and Happy Heart and driver Mark Beckwith took full advantage. The 5-year-old mare cruised out to an uncontested lead and coasted through a first half of just :58.4. It was with about three-eighths of a mile remaining in the $16,000 Open that Happy Heart was presented with her first challenge when the winner of the last two Fillies and Mares Opens, Sally Fletcher A (Bruce Aldrich Jr.), came rushing up to challenge.

Together, Happy Heart and Sally Fletcher A comprised the exactas in three consecutive Friday features but this week, it would be Happy Heart hanging on to win and feature first-timer OK Jewel (Jimmy Devaux) coming on to finish second. Sally Fletcher A had to settle for third in the mile paced in 1:56.

For Happy Heart, it was the third Open win of the season and extended her streak of hitting the board in the Friday feature to six. Despite the fact that the 3-5 favorite prevailed in just a four-horse field, the exacta with OK Jewel second returned a solid $26.80.

Happy Heart, who is trained by Melissa Beckwith, has now recorded eight victories on the year.

Live racing continues on Saturday night at Saratoga with a 6:45 p.m. first post.

— Mike Sardella

Batavia Downs
There is a new sheriff in town. Lougazi flexed his muscle again to defeat the best local stock and notch his third straight top class victory in the $11,000 Open Handicap trotting feature at Batavia Downs on Friday night. Despite losing to Lougazi the last two starts, Empire Earl N (Jim Morrill Jr.) went off the post time favorite and went right to the front in the abbreviated field of six. With a single file behind, Empire Earl N floated to a :28.2 quarter and looked comfortable doing it. But break time was over at the three-eighths when Lougazi (Ray Fisher Jr.), who got away last, pulled first-over and started the rim trek towards the leader. As the race motored up the backstretch, Lougazi drew even with Empire Earl N at the three-quarters and the match race was on. Into the last turn Empire Earl N got a slight advantage as Lougazi sort of hung, while Fisher bided his time and saved his charge for the finish. When they straightened out the two were even again and both drivers were working hard. Heading towards the wire it was clear Lougazi was doing the better work and just edged past Empire Earl N under the lights by a half-length in 1:57. It was the ninth win of the year, third in a row and fourth out of the last five for Lougazi ($5.90) who is owned by Mary Warriner. Ryan Swift trains the winner.

The husband and wife, driver and trainer team of Fisher and Swift also copped the co-feature. The $8,800 Open II Trot saw three lead changes occur by the quarter before Barn Winner (Ray Fisher Jr.) pulled from fourth at the three-eighths, took the lead up the backstretch and then held off a late-charging Jim Dandy (Jim McNeight Jr.) to win by a length in 1:58.1. It was the third win in 15 starts this year for Barn Winner ($5.30) who is owned by Tanah Merah Farms and the Swift Racing Stable.

As has been the case so many times this meet, the early Pick-5 was not hit on Friday and as a result, there is a $1,839 carryover and a $4,000 guaranteed pool for the early Pick-5 on Saturday night (Oct. 27). That wager will be part of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program with free past performance pages made available through TrackMaster and the USTA. You can download those by clicking the “Handicapping” tab at www.ustrotting.com. The Pick-5 is a 50-cent base wager that begins in race one and runs through race five. There is no consolation payoff, meaning if no one selects all five winners, the entire pool (minus takeout) will be carried over once again. Post time for the first race at Batavia Downs on Saturday evening is 6 p.m.

Vernon Downs
John MacDonald guided Jaclyn Hanover to a victory in the $7,500 featured fillies and mares pace and drove four more winners on the night at Vernon Downs on Friday. Mydelight Bluechip (Ben McNeil) jumped out to the early lead and controlled all the fractions (:27, :56.4, 1:24.3). Jaclyn Hanover ($4.40) followed in the pocket almost the whole way around the oval. Owned and trained by MacDonald, she popped the pocket in deep stretch to overtake second place finisher,Mydelight Bluechip to win in 1:53.1. Blameitonthenight (Jimmy Whittemore) was third. Jaclyn Hanover is a 6-year-old mare by Dragon Again. It was her seventh win of the season and her 20th career victory.

Walk The Floor took the $7,500 featured trot. Walk The Floor ($17.60), Pier Ho Exotic (Jimmy Whittemore), and Kahoku (Ben McNeil) all battled for the lead as they went by the stands for the first time. Walk The Floor took control just before hitting the first quarter in :27.3. Pier Ho Exotic settled for the pocket trip as Walk The Floor led them to the half in :56.4 and three-quarters in 1:26. Walk The Floor, who is owned and trained by Angus MacDonald, dug down deep in the stretch and held off a late charge by the big favorite Kabu (John MacDonald) to win in 1:55.3. Kabu settled for second best. Pier Ho Exotic finished third. Walk The Floor is a 7-year-old gelding by Crazed. It was his third win of 2018. He now has 18 career victories.

MacDonald’s five wins put him just two victories behind leading driver Jimmy Whittemore. MacDonald got his other wins with Dry Creek Gin ($4.20), Truth Isalwaybest ($3.70), Late Shift ($6.10), and American Sweet Pea ($12.20). Whittemore had a driving double. He notched his wins with Executive Decision ($4.00) and Rockin Deo ($9.90). Vernon Downs returns to live racing with a 12 race card on Saturday (Oct. 27) at 6:10 p.m.