Blazing Home N scored his third Open Pace victory of the year at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday afternoon. Despite being a beaten favorite in the Open in his previous two starts, Blazing Home N was once again heavily backed by the betting public in the $16,500 feature and went off at odds of 1-5 with his owner/trainer Larry Stalbaum in the sulky. Belmont Royale N (Aaron Byron), the runner-up in last week’s Open, cut the mile and carved out fast first-half fractions of 27.3 and 56.1 before Blazing Home N was tasked with doing just what his name says as he sat patiently in the pocket. The favorite made good on the 1-5 promise as he surged in the passing lane in the stretch to get the better of a game Belmont Royale N in 1:53.2, a time only bested locally in 2026 by Blazing Home N’s stablemate Rocknroll Runa A who won the Open in 1:53 flat in a try in late February. Stalbaum trainees have now won five installments of the Open Pace this year between Rocknroll Runa A and Saturday’s winner Blazing Home N. Belmont Royale N came up second-best for the second straight week while Favorable Draw (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot on Saturday. Blazing Home N now owns five victories overall in ’26 in addition to being a three-time winner in the local Open Pace.
Live racing continues on Sunday with a matinee that starts at 12pm.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
