Spaaaanzano powers past $800,000 milestone

Spaaaanzano (Coraggioso) reached a few milestones on the Monday afternoon harness racing card at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Jackie Greene trainee won the local Open Trot for the second time this season after going coast-to-coast in 1:55.1 in the $18,000 feature.

Making his debut out of the Greene stable this year, Spaaaanzano has split his time between Saratoga and Plainridge in recent months and after getting a no-chance trip in his return start to town (July 27), the five year old drew post four for his Monday try in the Open.

Driver Jimmy Devaux wasted little time with the race’s 4-5 favorite moving him out to the early lead where they travelled unopposed in a first lap that went in 58 seconds. Major danger Platinum As (Chris Long) got the pocket trip behind the favorite and rode the leader’s coattails throughout three quarters that went in 1:27 before holding off his late bid in a mile clocked in 1:55.1.

Platinum As had to settle for second-best while last week’s Open winner Mocha Java (Jay Randall) came on for third. For Spaaaanzano, it was win number twenty in his career and the earnings from the Monday score put the Greene trainee’s lifetime bankroll to over the $800,000 mark.

SPAAAAZANO REPLAY

The win was one of four on the day for Devaux who currently sits second in the driver standings behind Kyle Swift in what could amount to a battle for the driving title worth keeping an eye on over the course of the final months of the racing season. Spaaaanzano is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables, LLC.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee scheduled to kick off at 12pm.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway