Success at the Spa is nothing new for trainer Chris Marino. The veteran conditioner has thrived since coming to Saratoga to compete on a full time basis a few years ago. Marino, whose Mymomsablizzard was named Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year at the Spa in 2012, has a stable that features a nice blend of quality pacers and trotters. Marino has had success on Friday nights this year in the Fillies and Mares Open as the trainer who currently sits third in the local standings has scored an impressive six wins already in the Friday feature. His stable star has been veteran mare Campanile who has thrived on and off in the ladies’ Open for the past few years at the Spa and is enjoying her best local season to date here in 2016.
Campanile had monster campaigns in ’13 and ’14 when she piled up a combined fifteen wins and sixteen second place finishes en route to more than $338,000 in earnings. 2015 was a slightly down year for the classy mare, at least by her standards but the ’16 season may prove to be the best one yet for the now seven year old distaffer. Campanile began her year with a victory at Freehold Raceway and followed it up with a score in her lone try at Yonkers before heading to the Meadowlands for a brief stint. When the Saratoga season began in early March, Campanile already had three wins under her belt. After competing in Friday night’s $15,000 Open, the classy mare has made 21 starts in ’16 and recorded an impressive eight wins. The superstar mare has displayed versatility in her starts at the Spa as all five local victories came in races contested at a distance of 1 1/16 miles. Campanile has won on the front end in four of her local scores while one came while closing from the back of the pack. Well on her way to at least a nomination for, if not the favorite to be, the track’s Pacing Mare of the Year, Campanile has been the star of the Marino stable thus far in ’16.
Campanile isn’t the only lady pacer to have success this year for Marino. In fact, the star mare isn’t the winningest of the lady pacers to come out of the Marino barn in ‘16. Carrickmannon N came over from New Zealand and joined the Marino barn early in the year. The mare has simply been a revelation as she is the winningest horse at Saratoga this year at the conclusion of June. Carrickmannon N navigated through the conditional ranks before winning out of them and joining Open company. It didn’t take long for the up-and-coming mare to make her presence felt among the track’s top pacing mares as she scored a mild upset in her debut in the $15,000 Open on June 17th, prevailing in a dazzling 1:52.3. In that win, Carrickmannon N did what no other lady pacer has done since late March. She defeated Open star Godiva Seelster who had rattled off five consecutive wins before squaring off against Carrickmannon N. It remains to be seen just how Marino will jockey his two lady pacing stars around as, after all, there is only one Open. It is certainly a good problem for Marino to have, though, as he now has two top pacing mares at the Spa.
Marino’s Spinarama was a nominee for Pacer of the Year at Saratoga last year as the speedy pacer had a $114,000 season in his first full year competing in the Saturday Opens at the Spa. While Marino has had some success on Saturday nights again this year, the majority of the trainer’s damage has been done with the mares on Fridays and with a host of trotters competing primarily on Sunday afternoons. Morosita Bi earned herself a nomination for Claiming Trotter of the Year in 2015 as she piled up seven wins and seven seconds under the guidance of Marino. Morosita Bi, who was claimed from Marino on 6/19, hit the board in nine of her eleven starts for him this year. While she hasn’t displayed quite as much winning pop thus far in ’16, Morosita Bi did set her lifetime mark this season when she trotted to a wire to wire score in 1:55.3 in late May.
Marino started seven horses on Sunday’s matinee card and all seven were trotters. Despite the fact that Morosita Bi competed for her new connections, Marino still sent out a host of talented highsteppers who put together a big afternoon for the trainer who currently holds one of the highest win percentages of any conditioner at Saratoga thus far this year. Earl’s Speeder was ultra impressive in his local debut when the Marino trainee aired by close to five lengths and on Sunday, he was his race’s 1-9 favorite as he looked to repeat. The stable’s new acquisition was once again dominant as he marched out to the early lead and made it look easy late in the mile before drawing out to a convincing three length victory. Stablemates Tarot and Gianni both hit the board on Sunday for Marino as well. Tarot had rattled off back to back jacks recently but had to settle for second on Sunday while Gianni hit the board for the thirteenth time in eighteen starts this season. While Gianni has only recorded one win this year, the young trotter has ten second places finishes for Marino. Jesse’s Story was making his local debut on Sunday after prevailing at Vernon Downs last week in his first start out of the Marino barn and wound up closing sharply to be second behind the race’s open-length winner. The Lindy Treaty was claimed last week and was the 1-5 betting favorite in Sunday’s finale in his debut out of the Marino barn. The young trotter paid immediate dividends for his new connections as he scored a convincing wire-to-wire victory. The Marino trotters piled up two wins, two seconds and a third on a strong Sunday card for the veteran conditioner whose stable’s versatility has been on full display in the first half of the 2016 campaign at the Spa.
Live racing takes place on Thursday beginning at 4pm and continues on Friday and Saturday with first post times of 6:45pm. Sunday matinees begin each week at 12:15pm. There will be an added holiday program next Monday afternoon on the Fourth of July with a matinee also kicking off at 12:15pm. Until next week, I’m Mike Sardella wishing you the best of luck and we’ll see YOU at the finish line!
Success at the Spa is nothing new for trainer Chris Marino. The veteran conditioner has thrived since coming to Saratoga to compete on a full time basis a few years ago. Marino, whose Mymomsablizzard was named Trotter of the Year and Horse of the Year at the Spa in 2012, has a stable that features a nice blend of quality pacers and trotters. Marino has had success on Friday nights this year in the Fillies and Mares Open as the trainer who currently sits third in the local standings has scored an impressive six wins already in the Friday feature. His stable star has been veteran mare Campanile who has thrived on and off in the ladies’ Open for the past few years at the Spa and is enjoying her best local season to date here in 2016.
Campanile had monster campaigns in ’13 and ’14 when she piled up a combined fifteen wins and sixteen second place finishes en route to more than $338,000 in earnings. 2015 was a slightly down year for the classy mare, at least by her standards but the ’16 season may prove to be the best one yet for the now seven year old distaffer. Campanile began her year with a victory at Freehold Raceway and followed it up with a score in her lone try at Yonkers before heading to the Meadowlands for a brief stint. When the Saratoga season began in early March, Campanile already had three wins under her belt. After competing in Friday night’s $15,000 Open, the classy mare has made 21 starts in ’16 and recorded an impressive eight wins. The superstar mare has displayed versatility in her starts at the Spa as all five local victories came in races contested at a distance of 1 1/16 miles. Campanile has won on the front end in four of her local scores while one came while closing from the back of the pack. Well on her way to at least a nomination for, if not the favorite to be, the track’s Pacing Mare of the Year, Campanile has been the star of the Marino stable thus far in ’16.
Campanile isn’t the only lady pacer to have success this year for Marino. In fact, the star mare isn’t the winningest of the lady pacers to come out of the Marino barn in ‘16. Carrickmannon N came over from New Zealand and joined the Marino barn early in the year. The mare has simply been a revelation as she is the winningest horse at Saratoga this year at the conclusion of June. Carrickmannon N navigated through the conditional ranks before winning out of them and joining Open company. It didn’t take long for the up-and-coming mare to make her presence felt among the track’s top pacing mares as she scored a mild upset in her debut in the $15,000 Open on June 17th, prevailing in a dazzling 1:52.3. In that win, Carrickmannon N did what no other lady pacer has done since late March. She defeated Open star Godiva Seelster who had rattled off five consecutive wins before squaring off against Carrickmannon N. It remains to be seen just how Marino will jockey his two lady pacing stars around as, after all, there is only one Open. It is certainly a good problem for Marino to have, though, as he now has two top pacing mares at the Spa.
Marino’s Spinarama was a nominee for Pacer of the Year at Saratoga last year as the speedy pacer had a $114,000 season in his first full year competing in the Saturday Opens at the Spa. While Marino has had some success on Saturday nights again this year, the majority of the trainer’s damage has been done with the mares on Fridays and with a host of trotters competing primarily on Sunday afternoons. Morosita Bi earned herself a nomination for Claiming Trotter of the Year in 2015 as she piled up seven wins and seven seconds under the guidance of Marino. Morosita Bi, who was claimed from Marino on 6/19, hit the board in nine of her eleven starts for him this year. While she hasn’t displayed quite as much winning pop thus far in ’16, Morosita Bi did set her lifetime mark this season when she trotted to a wire to wire score in 1:55.3 in late May.
Marino started seven horses on Sunday’s matinee card and all seven were trotters. Despite the fact that Morosita Bi competed for her new connections, Marino still sent out a host of talented highsteppers who put together a big afternoon for the trainer who currently holds one of the highest win percentages of any conditioner at Saratoga thus far this year. Earl’s Speeder was ultra impressive in his local debut when the Marino trainee aired by close to five lengths and on Sunday, he was his race’s 1-9 favorite as he looked to repeat. The stable’s new acquisition was once again dominant as he marched out to the early lead and made it look easy late in the mile before drawing out to a convincing three length victory. Stablemates Tarot and Gianni both hit the board on Sunday for Marino as well. Tarot had rattled off back to back jacks recently but had to settle for second on Sunday while Gianni hit the board for the thirteenth time in eighteen starts this season. While Gianni has only recorded one win this year, the young trotter has ten second places finishes for Marino. Jesse’s Story was making his local debut on Sunday after prevailing at Vernon Downs last week in his first start out of the Marino barn and wound up closing sharply to be second behind the race’s open-length winner. The Lindy Treaty was claimed last week and was the 1-5 betting favorite in Sunday’s finale in his debut out of the Marino barn. The young trotter paid immediate dividends for his new connections as he scored a convincing wire-to-wire victory. The Marino trotters piled up two wins, two seconds and a third on a strong Sunday card for the veteran conditioner whose stable’s versatility has been on full display in the first half of the 2016 campaign at the Spa.
Live racing takes place on Thursday beginning at 4pm and continues on Friday and Saturday with first post times of 6:45pm. Sunday matinees begin each week at 12:15pm. There will be an added holiday program next Monday afternoon on the Fourth of July with a matinee also kicking off at 12:15pm. Until next week, I’m Mike Sardella wishing you the best of luck and we’ll see YOU at the finish line!
