2019 wraps up with yearly awards
In 2013 and 2014, young trotter Cash Me Out took home the awards for Saratoga Casino Hotel’s Two and Three Year Old Trotter of the Year, respectively. The New York Sire Stakes star earned almost $350,000 in his first two seasons and subsequently was named the Spa’s top young trotter in each of those years. Fast forward several seasons and Cash Me Out entered his 2019 campaign with just shy of a million dollars in lifetime earnings and with multiple Trotter of the Year nominations at Saratoga. Though the Kyle Spagnola trainee hadn’t taken home any awards since his ‘14 sophomore season, Cash Me Out has been a force against top-flight trotters at the Spa throughout his illustrious career.
In 2019, Cash Me Out began his season in strong fashion winning the first Open Trot of the meet in February and rattling off victories against the track’s top trotters in three of his first five starts. The eight year old, while super consistent on a year-in year- out basis, like any other horse, isn’t immune to a cold spell. After his solid start, Cash Me Out hit a bit of a lull and didn’t record a local win from March until July. After a couple of summer scores, Cash Me Out got hot again once the temperature got cold in the Spa City. Driver Phil Fluet piloted the Spagnola stable star to his first four Open wins before the meet’s leading driver Billy Dobson sat behind Cash Me Out in his fifth Open score of the season. Once fall rolled around, 2018’s award winner for the track’s top breakthrough driver Brett Crawford got the call behind the now millionaire high-stepper. The combination proved to be a winning one as Cash Me Out wrapped up his season by rattling off four more Open victories including scores in three of the final four installments of the $18,000 regular Sunday feature to put a bow on what wound up being an awardwinning campaign. Yes, the Spa veteran was named Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year at the end of the season holiday banquet that took place on Saturday night. Trainer Kyle Spagnola was joined by Mike Traylor, of Ballston Spa, who has owned the star trotter throughout his career, as they accepted the plaque and framed picture of Cash Me Out after the announcement of his achievement. With more than $121,000 earned in just his local starts this year, Cash Me Out was the top earner of any horse at Saratoga in 2019. His ‘19 campaign was the sixth out of his seven career seasons in which Cash Me Out has piled up over $147,000 in earnings en route to now over $1.13 million lifetime. Fittingly, on closing day for the ‘19 meet, Cash Me Out reached a milestone as he won for the 50th time while taking part in his 200th career race. What a year it was for the Traylor Racing Stable’s superstar and for his trainer Kyle Spagnola who adds Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year awards to his collection which began when his Road Bet was named Filly and Mare Pacer of the Year at the Spa in 2014.
Cash Me Out earned the track’s top honor after a season in which he won the local Open Trot nine times. There was a pacer who matched that total as Crockets Cullen N went on an absolute tear in the final few months of the year winning his ninth installment of the Open Pace on closing weekend en route to being named Pacer of the Year at the awards banquet last weekend. Larry Stal