Upsets winner in $37,800 Bunny Lake Final

HP Mary Sunshine (Sunshine Beach) shone bright on a dark and rainy day in Saratoga Springs on Monday afternoon (Oct. 30) when the Francis Raia II-trained mare scored a big harness racing upset at odds of 35-1 in the Bunny Lake Pace Final.

A leg one winner in the series, HP Mary Sunshine, a four-year-old, flashed early speed in the $37,800 Final and wound up sitting the pocket to the favored Bri Express N (Jim McKneight Jr). Bri Express N was the 4-5 favorite while one week removed from being upset as the big favorite in her division of the third leg of the series.

The favorite traveled unopposed in a first half of 57.1 and braced for the late challenge from the race’s longshot, HP Mary Sunshine. It was HP Mary Sunshine who emerged victorious in a Series Final that was clocked in 1:55.1 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ Bri Express N came up second-best while leg three winner Premier Star (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot. HP Mary Sunshine paid $72.50 to win as the longest shot on the board in the eight-horse Final and led an exacta and triple that returned $456 and $1514, respectively.

HP Mary Sunshine, who is owned by Rick’s Stable LLC of Fort Lauderdale, FL, adds her name to the list of Bunny Lake Pace winners which consisted of North Country and Way Too Sweet before Monday’s Series Final.

HP MARY SUNSHINE REPLAY

Live racing will resume on Saturday evening at Saratoga and will feature a carryover in the early Pick Five of $6,920. The Pick Five begins in the first race which is slated for 5pm.

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

by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway