Jeter’s Way just reaches at Saratoga
September 6, 2018,by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino Hotel
Saratoga Springs, NY — Thursday afternoon racing returned this week at Saratoga Casino Hotel, and the day’s (Sept. 6) 13-race matinee was highlighted by a $9,630 event for New York-sired trotters.
Melissa Simser-Iovino photo
Jeter’s Way (#5) reaches in the last stride to take Thursday’s featured trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
John Stark Jr.’s Jeter’s Way (Muscles Yankee) is in the midst of a successful sophomore season, but has been feast or famine of late. The 3-year-old recorded two wins in his last six starts heading into Thursday’s feature, including a career-best 1:57 victory in July, but also made a pair of breaks in his last handful of starts.
On Thursday, Jeter’s Way had to come from well off the pace and wound up first-over on odds-on favorite All Night Credit (Shawn Gray). The leader enjoyed a tepid tempo in lap one, making the task all the more daunting for Jeter’s Way, who marched up in the two-path and took on the leader first-over before grinding him into submission in the final few feet of the race. Jeter’s Way’s victory, which came in just 2:01.2, was his fifth on the season, a sophomore campaign that included him setting a 1:57 lifetime mark at Saratoga this summer.
All Night Credit wound up second best, while Trotamundo (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot. Jeter’s Way, who is trained and driven by John Stark Jr., paid $13.60 in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $33 and $100.50, respectively.
Live racing continues on Friday night (Sept. 7) with first post time set for 6:45 p.m.