All Speed Rising (All Speed Hanover) has established herself as a formidable Filly and Mare Open Pacer this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Andy Gardner trainee came into Monday’s try in the $15,000 feature with a win and a pair of seconds to her credit in her five seasonal tries in the Open for distaffers. All Speed Rising often utilizes her early speed and did just that in Monday’s feature when driver Jay Randall powered her right out to the lead. After moving quickly through a first quarter in 27.4, the seven year old got a second quarter breather before completing lap one in 58.1. The race’s even money favorite, All Speed Rising held strong throughout and wound up powering away from her rivals to score in 1:55.3 for her second Open win of the young season. Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) was the pocket-sitter and wound up as the feature’s runner-up while Checks On The Way (Phil Fluet) earned the show spot. All Speed Rising, who is owned by George Tackley and Wendy Storrier, gave driver Jay Randall one of his three winners on the card. Paying $4.00 to win, the speedy mare led an exacta and triple that came back $28.60 and $132, respectively. The victory in the feature was one of two on the day to go with a pair of second-place finishes for Gardner who currently sits atop the trainer standings in the young ’22 season.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with first post time set for 5pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

All Speed Rising, trained by Andy Gardner, scored her 20th lifetime victory in today’s filly & mare feature pace at Saratoga. She was driven to the win by Billy Dobson in 1:57

Pammy Jo (Roll With Joe) sprung the big time upset in Wednesday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith-trained distaffer drew the rail for her try in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open and Brett Beckwith piloted the longshot. With the favorite carving out first-half fractions of 27 and 56 seconds, Pammy Jo sat patiently in fourth throughout the majority of the mile before swinging to the outside past three-quarters. With the favorite tiring, a host of challengers swarmed in. Pammy Jo emerged from out of a crowd in the stretch to hit the wire first in 1:53.4 to record her third win of the year and her first in the local Open. Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) came from off the pace to be the runner-up, hitting the board for the third straight try in the local feature for the ladies, while Bontz N (Wally Hennessey) earned the show spot. Pammy Jo sprung the big upset while dismissed at odds of 24-1 paying $50.00 to win in the biggest upset the Open has seen this season. She led an exacta and triple that returned $185 and $512, respectively. Pammy Jo is owned by Jeff Epstein of Framingham, MA. The victory behind Pammy Jo was the second Open win at the Spa in the young career of 18 year old Brett Beckwith and the first for him in the Fillies and Mares Open. Beckwith also piloted Beauty Is Blind (Betterthancheddar) to a score in a $10,500 race for fillies and mares on Wednesday as the strong rookie campaign continues for the young reinsman.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a matinee beginning at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Alek Chartrand had a training double on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. A top ten driver this season at the Spa, Chartrand is healing up from a minor injury and thus has handed over driving duties to others this week. In Tuesday’s feature, Chartrand trainee Onspeed N (Bettor’s Delight) was in the hands of Wally Hennessey when she drew the rail in the $10,000 feature for fillies and mares. Onspeed N is just two weeks removed from recording a victory in a career-best 1:53.4 with Chartrand in the sulky. Following a hard-charging third when coming from off the pace last week, Onspeed N cut the mile on Tuesday after reclaiming the lead from rival All Speed Rising (Billy Dobson) approaching the quarter pole. The seven year old New Zealand invader didn’t face much of a challenge before pacing away from her rivals to win in 1:54 with Hennessey at the controls. All Speed Rising sat the pocket and finished second to the 3-5 betting favorite in the feature for distaffers while Pammy Jo (Mark Beckwith) closed sharply to be third. The win was one of two on the day for Chartrand trainees who are owned by Michael Moore of Old Westbury, NY and one of four for Wally Hennessey who hit a grand slam on the matinee card. Chartrand and Moore’s  other victory on Tuesday came with Special Olivia (Roll With Joe) as that three year old filly put in a big effort to score in a career-best 1:55.2 with leading driver Jimmy Devaux in the sulky. Devaux, like Hennessey, piloted four winners on the card. Chartrand, who is expected to return to driving soon, now sits in the top ten in both the driver and the trainer standings for the 2021 campaign.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a 6:45pm first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino