by Mike Sardela, for Saratoga Raceway

Saratoga, NY — Annabeth (Shadow Play) pulled off a mild upset in the Thursday (March 23) feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith trained 6-year old was dismissed at odds of 8-1, the longest shot on the board in the field of five in the $12,000 Fillies and Mares Open.

Melissa Simser-Iovino photo

Annabeth surges to victory at Saratoga on Thursday afternoon.

Annabeth was a beaten favorite in last week’s Open and sat third on the rail on Thursday before surging up the passing lane to edge out front-runner Bye Bye Michelle (Dan Cappello Jr).

Annabeth paid $19.80 while winning for the second time in five seasonal starts. The exacta with Bye Bye Michelle second returned $60. Milky Way Rae (Billy Dobson) finished third to extend her stretch of hitting the board to four.

Annabeth, who stopped the timer in 1:54.1, was driven to victory by Mark Beckwith who piloted five winners on the matinee card, four for conditioner Melissa Beckwith.

Live racing continues on Friday night (March 24) with a first post time set for 6:45 p.m.