Aqueduct: Saratoga Snacks denies Saginaw's bid for win No. 11 in Robb

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Saratoga Snacks holds off a late run by Socialsaul to win the $75,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-breds on Wednesday at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Saratoga Snacks denied Saginaw his opportunity to become the winningest horse in North America by himself in 2012 while giving trainer Gary Sciacca his first stakes victory in nearly six years.

Under jockey Ramon Dominguez, who missed the last month due to a foot injury, Saratoga Snacks led from start to finish to win Wednesday’s $75,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-breds at Aqueduct. Saratoga Snacks won by a length over longshot Socialsaul. It was 11 3/4 lengths back to Saginaw. Idle American and Swag Daddy completed the order of finish.

Saginaw, who was 10 for 13 entering the Robb, will likely finish in a three-way tie with Clean Jean and Winning Dubai as the horses with the most wins in North America in 2012. Saginaw was running back just 11 days after a hard-fought victory over Royal Currier in the Gravesend here Dec. 15.

“Probably came back too soon,” David Jacobson, trainer of Saginaw, said. “That last race knocked him out. I was afraid of that. We had to take a shot here. We’ll probably freshen him up and bring him back late winter or early spring.”

Meanwhile, the 3-year-old Saratoga Snacks was making his first start since running second to Lunar Victory in the Empire Classic at Belmont on Oct. 20. He had missed the Discovery on Nov. 17 due to a bruised foot.

Though he showed only one work in seven weeks, Saratoga Snacks was certainly fit enough Wednesday. He outfooted Saginaw to the lead entering the first turn and maintained a half-length lead over that rival through six furlongs in 1:14.09. Saginaw gave way in upper stretch, and though Socialsaul, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, made a run at Saratoga Snacks in the stretch, Dominguez never resorted to his whip.

Saratoga Snacks, a son of Tale of the Cat owned by legendary football coach Bill Parcells, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.21 and returned $3.70. He was favored by about $2,000 over Saginaw.

“He was being pressed, but he doesn’t mind. He can go forever and he never seems to get tired,” said Dominguez, who won with his third mount back after not having ridden since Nov. 25.

For Sciacca, it was his first stakes win since Wollaston Bay took the Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes here in 2007.

“He’d been training right along,” Sciacca said of Saratoga Snacks, who is now 5 for 7 in his career. “Other than the foot bruise that he had, he was doing everything right.”

Sciacca said he isn’t sure if Saratoga Snacks would race one more time or get a break before preparing for his 4-year-old season.

“I’d like to get him ready as a 4-year-old,” Sciacca said. “He’s a big, big horse. I’d like to let him get himself together.”