Bolt The Duer matches world record half-mile pace

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (PRESS RELEASE) -– During the annual Joe Gerrity, Jr. Memorial race at Saratoga Casino and Raceway on Saturday, the world record for a pacer on a half-mile track was matched by Bolt The Duer.

The race was a Free-For-All dash for the $275,000 prize, and the prize-winner also took home the fame of hitting the world record for his 1:49 pace, which also shattered the track record of 1:51. The win time is the fastest in history by a 4-year-old on a half-mile track. The 1:49 world record was set by Jet Laag in 1999 and ironically matched by Bolt The Duer's sire, Ponder, in 2006. Both were clocked in Delaware, Ohio.

Race secretary Don Hoover said he believed the track record was in "serious jeopardy" when announcing news about Saturday's events.

"I knew that between the Gerrity Memorial and Saturday's undercard, which featured two Sire Stake events headlined by New York's top 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers, that the potential for a record was high," Hoover said.

Bolt The Duer was driven by Mark Macdonald during the record-breaking race.