by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino Hotel

Saratoga Springs, NY — Monday’s (May 28) matinee at Saratoga Casino Hotel featured some big upsets by trotters.

Melissa Simser-Iovino photo

Miss Flora went coast-to-coast to prevail in 1:56.2.

Miss Flora (SJ’s Caviar) set her lifetime mark at the Spa last year when she trotted to a 1:55.4 score and on Monday made her return to town to compete in an $8,500 trotting event. The Mario Dessureault-trained Miss Flora was piloted by Phil Fluet and was dismissed at odds of 17-1 when she sprung into early action. The 6-year-old mare made an easy lead and made it look easy, going coast-to-coast to prevail in 1:56.2. Miss Flora paid $37.20 to win in her upset.

While Miss Flora did surprise on the Monday card, she wasn’t the biggest longshot to prevail, not by a longshot. A J Destiny drew the outside post in a low-level conditional trot and driver Barry Segel blasted the veteran trotter out to the early lead. A J Destiny cut the mile and never gave way before stopping the timer in 1:59.3 to score at odds of 29-1.

While the $61.50 win payoff was the highest of the day, there was yet another big upset in a trotting race on Monday as Jackie Cantine’s Im Not Vanilla shook loose late and got up to win in 1:57.3 at odds of 25-1. Im Not Vanilla returned $53.50 in his upset victory on a day where being a longshot was no problem for a host of trotters at Saratoga.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening at the Spa with a 6:45 p.m. first post.