SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — After posing in the winner’s circle following Thin White Duke’s thrilling, come from behind neck victory over 6-5 favorite Big Invasion in Saturday’s $150,000 Harvey Pack Stakes at Saratoga, part owner Steve Crist exclaimed, “you can’t make this stuff up.” And he was right. Crist, the former Daily Racing Form publisher, was a close friend and frequent visitor on Pack’s NYRA recap show. And he admitted the moment he learned that NYRA had renamed the event formerly known as the Lucky Coin, which Thin White Duke won last summer, in honor of Pack, he said the number one goal for the year was to run in and hopefully win the race once again in 2023. And with the racing gods and perhaps Pack himself looking down, sure enough he did. :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. Wheeling back on relatively short rest, after finishing third in an allowance race here just 10 days earlier, Thin White Duke settled at the rear of the compact six horse lineup for the first half-mile of the 5 1/2 furlong Pack. With jockey Jose Lezcano aboard, Thin White Duke swung out to the middle of the track while still last entering the stretch, then finished full of run down the center of the course despite not switching leads until midstretch, ultimately wearing down the favorite in the closing strides. Big Invasion raced well-placed while saving ground, found ample room between horses to gain control nearing the furlong marker, edged clear but could not withstand the winner. Our Shot, who forced the pace, finished another head further back in third. Mister Mmmmm eased back from inside in the run down the backstretch and was pulled up by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr before the end of the opening quarter-mile. Thin White Duke is trained by David Donk for Crist along with partners Phil Gleaves, Ken deRegt, and Bryan Hilliard.  Despite being the defending champion in the event, Thin White Duke went postward at seemingly generous odds of 9-1 and paid $20.40 after completing the distance over a firm course in 1:02.18 seconds.      “He’s excelled over this turf course. A lot of horses do well here,” said Donk. “I thought the course played to him more because you can close on it this week. Although seeing the fractions, they were kind of moderate, I didn’t think he was going to get there.” Donk said he never had a second thought about bringing Thin White Duke back in the Harvey Pack on just 10 days rest. “These are grass horses, he runs the last quarter of a mile, it’s easy on him,” Donk explained. “He comes out of them [his races] well, we wouldn’t run him if he didn’t. I know it means a lot to Steve, Phil, Ken, and Bryan to win the race named after Harvey today. It was appropriate.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.