Saratoga Springs, NY — Always Watching, 2023’s Horse of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel, recorded her first win of the 2024 season on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 20).

Always Watching held on to prevail in 1:54.3. Jessica Hallett photo.

Jordan Derue owns, trains and drives pacing mare Always Watching (He’s Watching) who was a total force last year winning ten times, nine of which came in the local Fillies and Mares Open.

Always Watching drew poorly for her first two starts back in ’24 and didn’t prove to be a factor in either of the tries, but on Tuesday, Derue’s stable star drew post three for her start in the $15,000 feature which saw her capture the early lead.

The 6-year-old distaffer cruised through first half fractions of :27.4 and :57.2 while bracing for race favorite Probert (Brett Beckwith). Probert owned a first and second place finish in her two local starts in the Open this year but came up a bit short of tracking down Always Watching who recorded another feature score. Always Watching held on to prevail in 1:54.3.

Paying $8.30 to win as the second choice in the wagering, Always Watching led an exacta with Probert that returned $28.80 while Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson) completed a $252 triple.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 5 p.m.