They’ve raced horses for almost two decades now but they seem to stay a bit under the radar. Dennis and Simone Noud keep just a small stable that competes at Saratoga Casino Hotel but they have enjoyed their share of success, particularly of late. Saratoga Springs residents, the Nouds currently have two horses racing at the Spa who are trained by Simone. They also own a pair of pacers that are currently competing that they have entrusted to trainer Monica Krist. All four of these horses raced last week at Saratoga and while all of their competitors are pacers, that is where the similarities end.
Veteran campaigner Paradise Willie drew post position eight on Saturday night and really had very little chance in the spot he was in. Just a couple of weeks back, though, Paradise Willie not only won but did so by almost eight lengths. The margin of victory isn’t what made the win standout. Paradise Willie is thirteen years old and in the win became an extremely rare horse to set his lifetime mark at that “old age.” The Nouds have had Willie throughout his entire career and it was in his 357th lifetime start that the veteran won in the fastest time of his illustrious career. The win time of 1:53.2 also set the mark for the fastest time for a thirteen year old in track history. It is rare enough for a horse to still be competing as a teenager but for one to go the fastest he’s ever gone is simply sensational. Harness racing rules state that a horse can not race after the age of fourteen in a pari-mutuel race thus forcing 2017 to be the final year of the career of Paradise Willie. Almost 360 career starts and with more than $276,000 in his lifetime earnings, Paradise Willie is still making his owners and trainer proud as the veteran is still getting it done and in fact breaking records at the age of thirteen.
Though Paradise Willie still has a little bit left in his tank, the Noud stable star at this point is clearly Sassy Hanover. The Nouds acquired Sassy Hanover midway through the 2015 season. They turned the horse over to trainer Cheryl McGivern who raced the young pacer ten times before the Nouds opted to send the horse to Vernon Downs to compete under the guidance of conditioner Claude Huckabone Jr. Sassy Hanover raced for a few months at Vernon before returning to the Spa for his final start of the year, a race in which he prevailed. The 2016 season began back at Vernon for Sassy Hanover who competed in the Open Pace in central NY before once again joining the Noud stable at Saratoga in June. After doing some damage in top level condition races, Sassy Hanover competed in the local Open Pace for the first time in July. While his stint there was brief and relatively unsuccessful, it did nothing to cheapen what has been another strong campaign for the four year old who has a seasonal mark of 1:51.2 at the Spa. On Saturday night, Sassy Hanover started from post position two in the $18,000 Open. The young pacer got a nice trip and finished third in the feature, matching his best effort in his limited tries in Open company this season. In many ways, Simone Noud’s trainees couldn’t be more different. Paradise Willie is 13 years old and in the twilight of his career while Sassy Hanover is just reaching his prime at the age of four but one thing they both have in common is their success at the Spa this season for the Nouds who have a dash of old and a dash of new in their stable.
Dennis and Simone Noud own another pair of young pacers who have become stars in 2016. They have entrusted the training services to Monica Krist on sophomore standout Brigadoon and freshman rising star In A Single Bound. Brigadoon won his first three starts of the year at Saratoga and followed the hat trick up with a pair of second place finishes this spring in the JP Morel Memorial Pacing Series. Following his strong start to the campaign, Brigadoon spent his summer competing in the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior A’s. It was there were the sophomore thrived, putting together a long stretch of first or second place finishes which concluded with a runner-up try in the $45,000 Excelsior Final contested at Vernon Downs in September. Brigadoon, who had post position eight on Saturday night, prevailed in his return to the Spa following the second place finish in the Excelsior Final. In 22 seasonal starts, Brigadoon has piled up eight wins and seven seconds en route to just shy of $80,000 for the Nouds who enjoyed a big year with their three year old pacer and have another budding young star rising through the ranks.
Of all the accomplishments of the Noud’s horses this season, perhaps the most pronounced are those that have come from In A Single Bound. A two year old pacer who didn’t make his first pari-mutuel start until mid-September, In A Single Bound has gone on an impressive tear this fall. The freshman gelding made a break in his debut in a start in the NY County Fair circuit but in his pari-mutuel races, is undefeated. In A Single Bound recorded first over victories in his first three tries and drew the rail for Thursday’s tilt as he sought a rare grand slam for a freshman. Billy Dobson sat back patiently with the 3-5 favorite on Thursday before unleashing the standout freshman heading to the half. While it looked like it would be another first over journey for In A Single Bound, the rising star cleared the lead at the half before pacing away from his rivals to prevail in 1:55. For a two year old to do what In A Single Bound has done recently is quite rare as he has rattled off four consecutive wins (with his fastest coming in 1:54.4) and done so against mostly horses older than he. What’s in store for In A Single Bound remains to be seen but while his freshman campaign will likely wrap up pretty soon, it is very possible that the Noud’s newest stable star may be eyeing New York Sire Stakes action next year when he turns three. It has been a big year for the Nouds, both with Simone’s trainees and the pair of young pacers racing under the guidance of Krist and with the youth of Sassy Hanover, Brigadoon and In A Single Bound, the future may be very bright for the local couple who has enjoyed maybe their best year yet.
Live racing takes place every Thursday beginning at 4pm and continues every Friday and Saturday starting at 6:45pm. Sunday matinees kick off each week 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!
They’ve raced horses for almost two decades now but they seem to stay a bit under the radar. Dennis and Simone Noud keep just a small stable that competes at Saratoga Casino Hotel but they have enjoyed their share of success, particularly of late. Saratoga Springs residents, the Nouds currently have two horses racing at the Spa who are trained by Simone. They also own a pair of pacers that are currently competing that they have entrusted to trainer Monica Krist. All four of these horses raced last week at Saratoga and while all of their competitors are pacers, that is where the similarities end.
Veteran campaigner Paradise Willie drew post position eight on Saturday night and really had very little chance in the spot he was in. Just a couple of weeks back, though, Paradise Willie not only won but did so by almost eight lengths. The margin of victory isn’t what made the win standout. Paradise Willie is thirteen years old and in the win became an extremely rare horse to set his lifetime mark at that “old age.” The Nouds have had Willie throughout his entire career and it was in his 357th lifetime start that the veteran won in the fastest time of his illustrious career. The win time of 1:53.2 also set the mark for the fastest time for a thirteen year old in track history. It is rare enough for a horse to still be competing as a teenager but for one to go the fastest he’s ever gone is simply sensational. Harness racing rules state that a horse can not race after the age of fourteen in a pari-mutuel race thus forcing 2017 to be the final year of the career of Paradise Willie. Almost 360 career starts and with more than $276,000 in his lifetime earnings, Paradise Willie is still making his owners and trainer proud as the veteran is still getting it done and in fact breaking records at the age of thirteen.
Though Paradise Willie still has a little bit left in his tank, the Noud stable star at this point is clearly Sassy Hanover. The Nouds acquired Sassy Hanover midway through the 2015 season. They turned the horse over to trainer Cheryl McGivern who raced the young pacer ten times before the Nouds opted to send the horse to Vernon Downs to compete under the guidance of conditioner Claude Huckabone Jr. Sassy Hanover raced for a few months at Vernon before returning to the Spa for his final start of the year, a race in which he prevailed. The 2016 season began back at Vernon for Sassy Hanover who competed in the Open Pace in central NY before once again joining the Noud stable at Saratoga in June. After doing some damage in top level condition races, Sassy Hanover competed in the local Open Pace for the first time in July. While his stint there was brief and relatively unsuccessful, it did nothing to cheapen what has been another strong campaign for the four year old who has a seasonal mark of 1:51.2 at the Spa. On Saturday night, Sassy Hanover started from post position two in the $18,000 Open. The young pacer got a nice trip and finished third in the feature, matching his best effort in his limited tries in Open company this season. In many ways, Simone Noud’s trainees couldn’t be more different. Paradise Willie is 13 years old and in the twilight of his career while Sassy Hanover is just reaching his prime at the age of four but one thing they both have in common is their success at the Spa this season for the Nouds who have a dash of old and a dash of new in their stable.
Dennis and Simone Noud own another pair of young pacers who have become stars in 2016. They have entrusted the training services to Monica Krist on sophomore standout Brigadoon and freshman rising star In A Single Bound. Brigadoon won his first three starts of the year at Saratoga and followed the hat trick up with a pair of second place finishes this spring in the JP Morel Memorial Pacing Series. Following his strong start to the campaign, Brigadoon spent his summer competing in the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior A’s. It was there were the sophomore thrived, putting together a long stretch of first or second place finishes which concluded with a runner-up try in the $45,000 Excelsior Final contested at Vernon Downs in September. Brigadoon, who had post position eight on Saturday night, prevailed in his return to the Spa following the second place finish in the Excelsior Final. In 22 seasonal starts, Brigadoon has piled up eight wins and seven seconds en route to just shy of $80,000 for the Nouds who enjoyed a big year with their three year old pacer and have another budding young star rising through the ranks.
Of all the accomplishments of the Noud’s horses this season, perhaps the most pronounced are those that have come from In A Single Bound. A two year old pacer who didn’t make his first pari-mutuel start until mid-September, In A Single Bound has gone on an impressive tear this fall. The freshman gelding made a break in his debut in a start in the NY County Fair circuit but in his pari-mutuel races, is undefeated. In A Single Bound recorded first over victories in his first three tries and drew the rail for Thursday’s tilt as he sought a rare grand slam for a freshman. Billy Dobson sat back patiently with the 3-5 favorite on Thursday before unleashing the standout freshman heading to the half. While it looked like it would be another first over journey for In A Single Bound, the rising star cleared the lead at the half before pacing away from his rivals to prevail in 1:55. For a two year old to do what In A Single Bound has done recently is quite rare as he has rattled off four consecutive wins (with his fastest coming in 1:54.4) and done so against mostly horses older than he. What’s in store for In A Single Bound remains to be seen but while his freshman campaign will likely wrap up pretty soon, it is very possible that the Noud’s newest stable star may be eyeing New York Sire Stakes action next year when he turns three. It has been a big year for the Nouds, both with Simone’s trainees and the pair of young pacers racing under the guidance of Krist and with the youth of Sassy Hanover, Brigadoon and In A Single Bound, the future may be very bright for the local couple who has enjoyed maybe their best year yet.
Live racing takes place every Thursday beginning at 4pm and continues every Friday and Saturday starting at 6:45pm. Sunday matinees kick off each week 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!
