Blazing Home N won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the fourth time this season when on Saturday the classy seven year old surged up the passing lane to record the victory. Larry Stalbaum owns, trains and drives Blazing Home N who didn’t factor at the finish last week but previously had been the star of the local Open Pace in 2026. On Saturday, Stalbaum had the favorite flash early speed but yielded to last week’s Open winner Belmont Royale N (Aaron Byron) in a first quarter of 27.3. Belmont Royale N, a runner-up in back-to-back features before securing his first Open victory last week, held strong in a half of 57 seconds before rattling off three quarters in 1:25.1 while fielding just mild pressure before turning for home. He hit the home stretch while bracing for Blazing Home N who surged in the passing lane and came on to win it. The favorite prevailed, stopping the timer in 1:53.2 for his sixth win of the year and fourth in the local Open. Belmont Royale N came up second-best while Bitcoin Hanover (Chris Long) earned the show spot. Blazing Home N was the 1-5 betting favorite on Saturday.
Live racing continues on Sunday at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
Jessica Hallett photo
