by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino Hotel

Saratoga Springs, NY — Up The Alley (Muscle Mass) continued his hot streak in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 15). The Richie Silverman-trained trotter has proven to be dynamic and versatile since joining the Open ranks a few months back.

Mikayla Gray photo

Up The Alley takes Saratoga’s featured event on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, the 5-year-old flashed early speed and yielded to the race’s favorite Consolidator (Billy Dobson). Consolidator came to town fresh off a win in last week’s Open Trot at Yonkers. The Rene Allared-trained Consolidator set the fractions and braced for a late rush from Up The Alley as those two gave themselves separation around the final turn.

Up The Alley trotted past the invading favorite in the stretch and secured his third Open Trot victory of the season as he stopped the timer in 1:55.2. Consolidator was a clear second in her local debut while Twisted Pretzel (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in the $18,000 Sunday feature.

Up The Alley, who was piloted to the Open score by Mark Beckwith, was the race’s 8-5 second choice in the wagering. The exacta with the favorite second paid $9.80 while the triple returned $24.40.

Live racing resumes at Saratoga on Thursday afternoon with a 12:15 p.m. first post.