Blue Collar Man holds off wall of closers

Saturday night (Nov. 5) marked the conclusion of the eighth annual installment of the Gary Kamal Pacing Series at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Final for the harness racing series named in the memory of a longtime Saratoga horseman who passed away in 2007 appeared to be up for grabs as the lone pacer who swept the three legs of the series drew post eight for his try in Saturday’s $35,000 Final.

Pickup Man Hanover was the public’s 9-5 betting favorite on Saturday despite the poor draw, but the post position got the best of the talented three-year-old. Blue Collar Man (Bolt The Duer) was a beaten favorite twice in the series while confronted with defeating Pickup Man Hanover who wound up in the same division as the Dan Daley-trained Blue Collar Man in each of the three legs.

It was Blue Collar Man who flipped the script on Saturday and wound up on the front-end in the Final. The sophomore paid a stiff price for getting to the lead though as he posted first-half fractions of 26.3 and 55 seconds before facing a host of challengers turning for home.

The Blue Collar Man held on to score, winning a photo by a nose over 17-1 longshot Special FX (Chris Long) to prevail in 1:53.4 and become the eighth winner in the history of the Gary Kamal Pacing Series. Special FX, a leg one winner, was the runner-up on Saturday while Skyline Blue Chip (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot.

BLUE COLLAR MAN REPLAY

Blue Collar Man paid $5.80 to win as the second choice in the wagering and led an exacta and triple that returned $50.50 and $425.50, respectively. The three-year-old Blue Collar Man is owned by Ann-Mari Daley and Donald Brenner, both of Florida.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that starts at noon.

For complete race results, click here.

by Mike Sardella, for Saraotga Raceway