by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino Hotel
Saratoga Springs, NY — Friday night (May 4) featured the Virginia O’Brien Pacing Series final for fillies and mares at Saratoga Casino Hotel.
Eight distaffers who earned the most points in the series’ two legs competed in the $32,200 final over a sloppy track on Friday evening and it was the race’s favorite that would end up prevailing.
Melissa Simser-Iovino photo
Maggies Way set a lifetime mark of 1:56.4.
Maggies Way (Dream Away) had second-place finishes in each of the series’ legs but after drawing post position four in the final she wound up as the public’s 9-5 betting favorite.
Driver Shawn Gray moved Maggies Way out to the early lead, a lead she would never relinquish. Longshot pocket-sitter Cakeatin Annieway (Bruce Aldrich Jr.) won the photo for place with Simply Awesome (Mark Beckwith) earning the show spot.
Maggies Way, who is trained by Mike Girouard, set a lifetime mark of 1:56.4 in what was by far the biggest win in the career of the 5-year-old mare.
Despite the favorite winning, the exacta and triple paid a hearty $119 and $803, respectively.
Maggies Way adds her name to the list of previous O’Brien Memorial winners that consists of Karla Art, Shesnobeachboy and Nashurallability.
Live racing continues on Saturday night with the JP Morel Pacing Series final highlighting the 12-race card. First post time is set for 6:45 p.m.