Trainer Gary Contessa may not have had as many winners as he hoped for at Saratoga in 2007, but the last two were eye-popping.

The day after he saddled Bethpage Black ($83) to victory in a New York-bred allowance, Contessa sent out state-bred Mission Approved ($70) to a wire-to-wire upset in the Grade 3, $115,000 Saranac Stakes for three-year-olds on the turf.

Under jockey Eibar Coa, the son of With Approval took an easy lead over his 10 rivals, setting measured fractions of 24.30, 49.23, 1:12.67 and 1:36.23 with Diamond Fever and Distorted Reality just behind. Turning for home, Mission Approved opened up by two lengths and then was all out to hold Distorted Reality safe, hitting the wire three-quarters of a length in front, with Pays to Dream up for show.

His time for the mile and three-sixteenths was 1:53.81 over the firm Mellon turf course.

“It wasn’t our plan to take the lead, but it worked out that way,” said Coa. “When we took the lead and no one was going after us, I wanted to see how this was going to work. After the half mile, I knew we were going easy. The question was if he would have enough at the end.”

The victory was the first stakes victory for Mission Approved, who earned $69,000 for his owner-breeder, Dr. William F. Coryo Jr. as he extended his record to four victories in eight starts. In his last race, the restricted Glow Stakes on August 4, Mission Approved was four wide throughout and finished seventh; in his only other start in open company was fifth, beaten 22 ¼ lengths, in the Lexington Stakes at Belmont Park on July 8.

“In the Lexington, he was bad in the paddock and washed out,” said Contessa. “Today he came out of the paddock high, but we had schooled him. The farther he goes, the faster he gets. He’s a big, good-looking, good striding horse.”

The victory gave Contessa his 13th win of the meet, tying him, for the moment, for second with Linda Rice and Todd Pletcher behind Bill Mott.

“I left it up to Coa,” said Contessa of his strategy for the Saranac. “He never had it so easy on the lead. Today, they just let him go out there and steal it, and he’s a New York-bred, too. It’s a beautiful thing!”