31-1 upset winner in Open Pace

Century Endeavor (Shadow Play) pulled off the biggest Open upset of the young harness racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday evening (March 9) as the Mark Beckwith trainee swooped the group at odds of 31-1 as part of a huge evening for his stable.

The longest shot on the board in the $15,000 Open Pace got away second to last in the eight-hole feature but leading driver Brett Beckwith remained patient with the longshot who was a nominee for Pacer of the Year at the Spa in 2023.

Nearly a dozen lengths off the lead after the start, Century Endeavor continued to bide his time in a race with fast first-half fractions of :27 and :56 seconds over a sloppy track. Beckwith searched for a seam with Century Endeavor and found one in the stretch as the nine-year-old surged home to score in 1:54.3.

The Beckwith trainee paid $64.50 to win in the upset. Lanjo Lee (Leon Bailey) ground-saved in the Open before getting up to be second while Soul Assassin (Marc Campbell) earned the show spot.

CENTURY ENDEAVOR REPLAY

Century Endeavor, who is owned by Howard Jacobs of West Orange, NJ, was one of five winners on the evening for Brett Beckwith and one of four for the Beckwith stable who each have gotten their ’24 campaign off to a terrific start to sit atop the respective driver and trainer standings.

Live racing continues on Sunday with a matinee that begins at noon.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway