Saratoga Springs, NY — After suffering broken equipment in her seasonal debut last week, Betabcool N went coast to coast to take Thursday afternoon’s (Feb. 28) $10,000 featured pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel.

Betabcool parried a late challenge to take Thursday’s featured event at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Melissa Simser-Iovino photo.

Driver Bruce Aldrich Jr. took advantage of Betabcool N’s inside post and moved her out to set honest fractions of :27.2 and :56.4 in the first lap. The nine-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight didn’t face a legitimate challenge until the final furlong, when pocket-sitting Happy Heart (Mark Beckwith) came out for the drive. The 1-2 betting favorite Betabcool N dug in and fended off her rival in 1:54.4 to record her first win of the season.

Happy Heart was the runner-up, while Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot. The exacta paid $7.40 while the triple came back $38.20. With the earnings from the victory, Betabcool N moved her career bankroll over the $450,000 mark.

Live racing resumes on Saturday night (March 2) at Saratoga with the first evening program of the season. First post time is set for 6:45 p.m.