The Ray Schnittker-trained Switchblade Hall (Muscles Yankee) made up for some spring defeats at Saratoga Casino and Raceway with a harness racing career best victory on Thursday evening.
The three year old trotter had a strong freshman campaign in 2014 while facing some of the top two year old trotters in the northeast.
Switchblade Hall hit the board in all three of his local starts this season but had not been able to grab that elusive victory before closing late to set a lifetime mark on Thursday.
The race's 3-2 favorite in the wagering, Switchblade Hall evacuated the pocket behind a tiring rival before outclosing his opponents in the stretch to record the 2:00.2 career best.
Twist Of Faith (Billy Dobson) finished second in the $6,600 trotting event while Cabo San Lukas (Mark Beckwith) earned the show spot. Switchblade Hall was driven to victory by his trainer and co-owner Ray Schnittker.
Live racing continues at Saratoga on Friday night with a first post set for 6:45pm.
Mike Sardella