It took until the final stride to decide whether Slugfest (Conway Hall) or Cash Me Out (Cash Hall) had prevailed in Sunday's harness racing Open Trot at Saratoga Casino and Raceway.
Slugfest was on the front end in the 1 1/16 mile feature and the back-to-back Trotter of the Year at the track was met with the first over challenge of the favored Cash Me Out (Jim Devaux).
Those two top flight trotters slugged it out for better than a half mile before Slugfest held off his rival by the slimmest of margins to win in 2:03 on a windy afternoon at the Spa.
It was the third victory of the season in the Open for the Maureen Salino-trained Slugfest who was the public's second choice in the wagering at odds of 8-5.
Cash Me Out has now hit the board in four consecutive Sunday features at the Spa while Lucid Thoughts (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot.
Slugfest was driven to the Open score by Jay Randall.
Live racing resumes on Thursday at Saratoga with a 4:00pm first post.
Mike Sardella