Mr Mclaren N (Mach Three) had a strong debut at Saratoga Casino Hotel on April 21st when the Larry Stalbaum trainee battled through a first-over trip to finish second in his U.S. debut. On Sunday afternoon, Stalbaum once again sat behind the newest member of his stable as the eight year old went coast-to-coast to prevail for the first time in the $16,000 Open Pace at the Spa. Mr Mclaren N rattled off fast fractions of 26.4 and 55.3 in the opening half while parking out a rival every step of the way. The Spa newbie stayed strong rattling off three quarters in 1:24.1 before stopping the timer in 1:53.3 for his first local score. Longshot Pirate Hanover (Aaron Byron) closed sharply at odds of 14-1 to be the runner-up once again in the feature while Captain Tell (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot in his Open debut. Mr Mclaren N, who was the even-money betting favorite in the Sunday feature, is owned by Eric Prevost. Stalbaum’s stable had two winners on the card as his Mr Huggins went wire-to-wire in leg two of the Doc Frank Memorial Pacing Series on Sunday with Matt Athearn in the sulky.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
Jessica Hallett photo
