F & M Open again to Chasethecloudsaway

Chasethecloudsaway (Sunshine Beach) moved her record to two-for-two at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Tuesday afternoon. The Chris Petrelli-trained distaffer scored in the Fillies and Mares Open for the second consecutive week as she came from off the pace to repeat in the $15,000 Tuesday harness racing feature.

Last week, Chasethecloudsaway toughed out a trip on the outside before drawing away from her rivals to win in 1:54 and spring the upset at odds of 25-1 in her local debut.

On Tuesday, driver Luke Hanners again came from off the pace with the mare who was bet down to even money by the betting public. Surreal Feeling (Alek Chartrand) was the runner-up to the winner in last week’s feature while trying to overcome post eight but in this week’s installment of the ladies’ Open moved right out to the front end.

Clicking off speedy first half fractions of 26.3 and 56.2, Surreal Feeling held strong throughout before getting edged out late this week by Chasethecloudsaway in a mile clocked in 1:54. Surreal Feeling, perhaps the most dominant mare at the Spa this year, had to settle for second best while Birch Island Betty (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot.

Chasethecloudsaway’s victory was her fourteenth of the season and paid $4.10 to win on Tuesday and led an exacta and triple that returned $6.40 and $18.60, respectively. The Open winner is owned by David Del Pozzo of Methuen, MA.

CHASETHECLOUDSAWAY REPLAY

The feature winner’s connections secured a double on Tuesday as Del Pozzo, Petrelli and Hanners’ Beauty Is Blind (Betterthancheddar) scored a front-running victory in an $11,500 race for pacing mares.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee starting at noon.

For full race results, click here.

by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway