For the second consecutive afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel, driver Kyle Swift recorded a hat trick on Monday including a win in the feature with a Jaymes McAssey trainee. Swift sat behind distaffer Soft Shot as she recorded a first-over victory in Sunday’s Fillies and Mares Open and on Monday, it was Soft Shot’s stablemate Send It In Hanover who prevailed in the $16,500 feature. Send It In Hanover won the local Open Trot for the first time earlier this month and on Monday went off at odds of 5-2 when he started from post four. Swift took the five-year-old back in the early going as upset-minded Ordained (Larry Stalbaum) cruised out to an easy lead. Posting first half fractions of 28.3 and 58.4, Ordained held firm on the front-end but Send It In Hanover persevered on the outside before grinding the leader into submission in the stretch and overcame his first-over journey to record a 1:56.4 victory. Ordained held second at odds of 11-1 while defending Horse of the Year But Why (Jimmy Devaux) made his 2026 debut and earned the show spot in his return. Send It In Hanover paid $7.12 to win. Both he and Sunday’s Open winner Soft Shot are owned by Paul O’Neil of Saratoga Springs.
Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
Jessica Hallett photo
