Bombs away! 115-1 longshot wins
Off track doesn’t deter Perplexed from improbable Race 1 win
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » As the horse crossed the wire, patrons, grooms and even members of the press at Saratoga Race Course just looked at each other in disbelief.
All were perplexed watching a horse named Perplexed — a 20-1 longshot on the morning line — come up with victory in Race 1 on a muddy main track Monday.
The 3-year-old colt broke his maiden on an off track after losing his previous two races at Churchill Downs by a combined 20 1/4 lengths. He paid $232.50 to win at odds of 115.25 to 1.
It was D. Wayne Lukas’ longest shot to win a race, according to the Hall of Fame trainer.
“Not even close,” Lukas said.
“I thought he would run well, I obviously didn’t think he’d win the race. When he cut the corner he was running that easy I thought he could get there. I told my wife he’s not that far off and he’s running. That was fun.”
Perplexed is a Zayat Stables homebred sired by Maimonides, out of Legendary Stacey (by Include). He sported a 0-0-1 record from 9 previous
starts for career earnings of $14,000. Bug jockey Luis R. Reyes had the ride for his first victory of the Saratoga meeting.
Afterwards, a mud-covered Reyes made sure he took a picture with Lukas.
“He obviously liked (the muddy surface), but I’m not sure if that made any difference,” Lukas said of the off-track. “He’s been training well. That’s why we run ‘em, we don’t mail them in.”
The final time for the 6 1/2-furlong race on the sealed surface was 1:20.37.
The exacta with firstchoice runner up Your Secret’s Safe paid $534. The trifecta with third-place One More Round paid $2,683.
Good opening weekend at Spa
The beginning of the Saratoga Race Course meeting saw higher handle figures compared to the same days in 2016.
Opening Day of the 2017 season yielded an all-sources handle of $20,332,051, a 14.47 percent increase over a year ago. At the track, paid attendance for the first three days declined slightly, according to numbers provided by NYRA — 97,510 or a 2.3 percent decrease.
However, on-track wagering was up for the threeday period compared to 2016 — $15.2 million ontrack handle for an increase of nearly 8 percent.
“We are very pleased to welcome back the greatest fans in the world with new cutting-edge technology and outstanding capital improvements that will continue to enhance the guest experience,” New York Racing Association CEO and President Chris Kay said. “We look forward to a great summer meet that, as always, features the best owners, trainers, jockeys and horses in the sport.”