by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino Hotel

Saratoga Springs, NY — The fans were out in full force on Tuesday night (July 3) at Saratoga Casino Hotel as fireworks night was back at the Spa following a four-year hiatus. The packed house witnessed four patriotic finals of very short series that were contested in recent weeks.

Melissa Simser-Iovino photo

Signal Hill Katie powered past her rivals to win in a career-best 1:58.

The favorites cruised to victories in three of the four finals on Tuesday but there was one longshot winner among them. Dan Cappello Jr.’s Signal Hill Katie (Make It Hot) sprung the upset at odds of 17-1 in the $20,000 Star Spangled Trot final as the mare shook loose late in the mile before powering past her rivals to win in a career-best 1:58.

Signal Hill Katie just squeaked into the final as she finished fourth in the lone series race leading up to the series’ conclusion. The $37.60 win price was by far the largest of the night among the four series’ winners as the chalk thrived in the other three finals.

Star Of Terror was about as big a favorite as you can be as the Jim Nickerson trainee toughed out a first-over victory in the $20,000 final of the Freedom Pace. Jimmy Devaux piloted the 1-9 favorite, who romped by more than six lengths in his victory leading up to the Tuesday final that he wound up winning in a lifetime best 1:53.3.

The Scott Mongeon-trained Michaels Boy (Brian Cross) and Gary Levine’s KZ Crazee (Billy Dobson) secured convincing wins in the Stars and Stripes Pace and Independence Trot finals, respectively.

Michaels Boy’s score came in 1:53.4 which matched the win time of two of his three consecutive victories that led up to the Tuesday wire-to-wire score.

KZ Crazee also picked a good time to put in a career-best performance as she romped in 1:57.4 at odds of 1-5.

With no live racing on Thursday afternoon this week, action returns to the Spa on Friday night with a first post time set for 6:45 p.m.