Upfront Billy repeats at the Spa

Upfront Billy scored in the Friday Open trot at Saratoga Casino and Raceway for the second consecutive week.

Dave Oxford

Upfront Billy, dubbed "The Winning Machine," was an easy winner again

The 4-year-old trotter made his local debut last week and scored a convincing win after enduring a first-over journey. This week, Billy Dobson put the Mark Ford trainee on the lead early and the winning machine took over. Upfront Billy never had an anxious moment en route to a 1:57.1 score in the $20,000 Open trot.

Super Manning (Shawn Gray) was the feature’s runner-up while Zooming (Bruce Aldrich, Jr.) earned the show spot. For Upfront Billy, it was victory number 12 in 26 career tries.

Though Dobson won the evening’s featured race, it was driver Dan Cappello, Jr. who was the sulky star of the night, winning five races on the Friday card.

Live racing will continue on Saturday night at 6:45 p.m., Eastern.

Buffalo Raceway
Baileys Magic, a 6-year-old Kadabra gelding out of the Berndt Hanover mare Lexus Bailey, won the $9,000 featured trot in 2:01.3 for owners Super Mile LLC of Blasdell, N.Y. at Buffalo Raceway on Friday night. It was the second win this season in 10 attempts for Baileys Magic. Leaving from the pylons in the field of eight, Baileys Magic ($8.00) shot right to the lead with reinsman Ray Fisher, Jr. in the sulky, and set all the fractions in the race, :30, 1:00.2, and 1:31.1 to the three-quarter pole. A :30.2 last quarter-mile put the winner 3-3/4 lengths ahead of second place finisher Isthatallyagot (John Cummings, Jr.) at the finish line. Last week’s Open winner, Ziegfeld (Dave McNeight III), came in third. Trained by John Mungillo, the $4,500 winner’s share of the purse put Baileys Magic’s season’s earning at $15,749, and $111,877, lifetime. It was her 19th win in 78 lifetime attempts. Dan Noble led all drivers with four wins on the card. Racing will resume on Saturday at 6:40 p.m., Eastern.