Cross wins three at Saratoga

Saratoga Springs, NY — Veteran driver Brian Cross enjoyed his best night of the season on Tuesday at Saratoga Casino and Raceway. In nine drives on the night, Cross piloted three winners and had six second place finishes.

Dave Oxford photo

Tala Lady was one of three winners on Tuesday for Brian Cross.

Cross trainee Tala Lady (Valley Victor) recorded a win on Tuesday, overcoming post eight to get up in 1:59.2 for a victory in the $5,135 nine horse conditioned trotting event.

The Cross stable also had a second place finish with young trotter Toga Town who came up just shy of recording his second victory of the season.

While Cross had the biggest night of any driver on Tuesday, 18-year-old Joe Bongiorno continued his breakout season with three victories of his own, including a sweep of the late double, a double that returned $110.

Live racing continues on Wednesday night at Saratoga with a first post time of 7:20 p.m.

— Mike Sardella

Running Aces
Older Minnesota-sired horses continue to excel against Open company in the weekly featured paces at Running Aces. For the sixth time in seven weeks, a Minnesota bred mare captured the Fillies and Mares Open on Tuesday night, while state-sired Restless Yankee won the males’ Open Pace for the fifth time in the last eight weeks. Blazing Fury (trainer-driver Rick Magee) managed a gate-to-wire, 1:55 score in the $8,800 distaff feature, beating Little Tootsie (Joey Mapes) by a length with Scooter Babe (Steve Wiseman) rallying for the show dough. It was the second Open victory for the 6-year-old owned by Van Otterloo Stables. Restless Yankee (John De Long) bested Marced Card (Nick Roland) and At Last (Lemoyne Svendsen) in the companion $8,800 feature race for male pacers. The 5-year-old gelding is owned by Ron Emerson and Mark Holtan and trained by Bob Lems. Four $8,000 state-restricted races were also presented on the Tuesday program as Minnesota horses gear up for Running Aces’ season-ending Labor Day card featuring ten $20,000 Minnesota State Championship races at the various age, sex and gait divisions. RAS Shakinthtbacon (Roland), the 2-year-old champion, made her sophomore season debut a winning one by scoring in the 3-year-old trot in 2:00.2. The Rockaway Racing Stable filly bested Al Mar Peggy Sue (Magee) and Sir Salita (Evan Coblentz). Razzle Be Dazzled (Steve Wiseman) rallied furiously in the stretch to win a 2-year-old filly pace in 2:00.2 by a half-length over Sweet Carrie Jo (Roland) and Ileana Steele (Mapes). It was the initial pari-mutuel victory for the Van Otterloo Stables-owned lass. Freshman trotters went to post next with French Eclipse making his first commercial track visit to a winner’s circle for owner-trainer-driver Jenni King. The gelding’s 2:02.4 clocking was one tick better than Al Mar Foxy Lunar (Randy Price) and two-fifths better than Coffee Black (Ryan Lems). A second group of mixed gender Minnesota 2-year-old pacers went postward with red-hot filly Hotalulu (Roland) wiring a talented field comprised mostly of colts in 1:58. It was the third straight win for Judith Roland’s prize possession as she bested Reds Place (Lems) and Ben N Al (Mapes).