Joxter Wins Friday Feature

Joxter (Chapter Seven) toughed out a first-over victory in the Friday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Dan Daley trains and drives the five year old who is no stranger to the Open Trot and after finishing second in the local trotting feature a few weeks back got the job done on Friday. Joxter was co-favored along with Special Prosecutor (Jimmy Devaux) as those two 2-1 shots slugged it out for a half mile before the former got the better of his rival in the stretch.

Joxter stopped the timer in 1:56.2 in what was his third win of the season but just the first in a handful of starts in the local Open. Special Prosecutor wound up as the runner-up for the second straight week in the feature while Malibu Kid (Matt Athearn) earned the show spot. Joxter paid $6.20 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $19.20 and $88.50, respectively. The Open winner is owned by Ann-Mari Daley of Lakeworth, FL.

Live racing continues on Saturday evening at Saratoga with first post time set for 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

The Stunning Nun N & Luke Hanners

The Stunning Nun N (Bettor’s Delight) emerged victorious in what was an extremely competitive stretch-drive in Tuesday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Kevin Reynolds Jr. trains the eight year old mare who drew post three in what wound up being a six-horse Fillies and Mares Open following a scratch. The Stunning Nun N got a cover trip from driver Luke Hanners as they followed up the first-over race’s favorite.

The field bunched up turning for home and a scramble in the stretch then ensued. The Stunning Nun N took over the lead in the final strides and held off a late charge from rival Demeter N (Matt Athearn) who motored home before coming up just a nose shy of the victory. Rocknroll Shelli (Leon Bailey) finished third in the blanket finish that saw all six distaffers in with a chance late in the mile. The Stunning Nun N moved over the $200,000 mark in career earnings from what was her victory in Tuesday’s $17,000 Open. She paid $12.40 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $61.50 and $166, respectively. The winner is owned in partnership by Deters, Manning, Warner and Jensen.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Newsy N & Ron Cushing

Newsy N (Bettor’s Delight) finished second in her lone start in the local Fillies and Mares Open last year at Saratoga Casino Hotel. On Monday afternoon, the six year old New Zealand import drew post three and was installed as the morning line favorite for her try in the $17,000 feature for distaffers. Ron Cushing powered the talented mare out to the front end as she worked hard in lap one covering the first half in 57.1 before being met with the challenge of the race’s 3-5 betting favorite Wahs Fire Bug N (Jimmy Devaux) who came powering up alongside the leader past the half.

Those two squared off, trading strides for close to a half mile before Newsy N proved best in a mile clocked in 1:54.3. Wahs Fire Bug N was a game second while Fond Memories A (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot. Newsy N paid $7.80 to win as the second choice in the wagering leading an exacta with the favorite second that returned $20.60. The triple came back $73. Newsy N is co-owned by Ron Cushing and Kevin Sywyk and
trained by Heidi Gibbs.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5pm. There will be a carryover in the early Pick Five of $2,311. Each race card now features two Pick Fives, one made up of the first five races on the card and the other comprising the final five races on the program.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Big Box Hanover & Larry Stalbaum

Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) was a nominee for Trotter of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel in 2022 after the classy high-stepper enjoyed a six-figure campaign by way of four victories in the local Open Trot. Larry Stalbaum owns, trains and drives the now six year old who drew post seven for his try in the first Open Trot of the ’23 season on Sunday afternoon.

Big Box Hanover came into the start off a win in the Batavia Open just a few weeks back and on Sunday, Stalbaum wasted little time powering his barn’s top trotter out to the front end. After enjoying a comfortable first half that was clocked in 58.4, they were met with the challenge of pocket-pulling rival Grinder (Leon Bailey). That one put in a brief bid but came up short as Big Box Hanover prevailed in 1:58.1 to record the victory in the first Open for trotters. Grinder came up second-best while Reign Of Honor (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot in the $17,000 feature.

Big Box Hanover, the morning line favorite, paid $10 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $136 and $1,027, respectively.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee that begins at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Take A Gamble & Leon Bailey

It was opening day for the 2023 campaign on Saturday evening and an eleven race card got the season started on a cold night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Invader Take A Gamble (Bettor’s Delight) came to town off back-to-back wins in 1:52 at Yonkers and drew the outside post in the $18,200 Open Pace on Saturday. Leon Bailey piloted the Jared Bako-trained pacer who cut the mile in the season’s first feature. Leading in a first half of 56.4, Take A Gamble was met with the challenge of Spa first timer Rocknroll Runa A (Larry Stalbaum) when got past the leader turning for home. In the stretch though, Take A Gamble rallied back and reclaimed the lead late in the mile before hitting the wire first in 1:54.2. Longshot Optical Illusion N (Chris Long) shook loose in the lane and charged hard to be second while Rocknroll Runa A tired late and wound up as the third-place finisher in the Open. Take A Gamble, who is owned by Stephen Klunowski of Ontario, Canada, paid $6.40 as the race’s favorite and led an exacta and triple that returned $112 and $424, respectively.

Live racing will take place on both Sunday and Monday afternoon with first post time set for noon for each of the matinees.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Probert & Brett Beckwith

The Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel has belonged to leading trainer Melissa Beckwith this year. Putting the finishing touches on her ninth training title this season, Beckwith has had two mares dominate the action in the regular Monday feature and this week scored her twelfth victory in the top race for the ladies.

Probert (Dali) came into her most recent try in the $16,000 feature as an owner of four Open wins this year despite racing well over half her races out of town in 2022. On Monday, Probert wound up as her race’s 1-5 betting favorite in the five-horse Open and took back in the early going. In a half mile clocked in 59 seconds, the Beckwith trainee sat patiently before being unleashed by driver Brett Beckwith approaching the three-quarter pole.

Resistance was futile for the rivals of Probert who surged past her competition en route to stopping the timer in 1:56.1 for her fifth Open score, a number that is second only to stablemate Sea Shadows and her seven Open victories among top-flight mares at the Spa this year. Invader Newsy N (Ron Cushing) was the runner-up to Probert in a chalky $6.60 exacta while Pammy Jo (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot in a $17.80 triple.

Probert, who is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski, now has ten wins to her credit in a year in which she has piled up over $150,000 in earnings.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening for closing weekend of the ’22 season. Saturday’s first post time is 5pm to be followed by closing day’s matinee on Sunday which will kick off at noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Mass Confession & Billy Dobson

Mass Confession (trained by Kari Finn) and driver Billy Dobson won Sunday’s final for The Bullet Bob Meyer Memorial Trot in impressive fashion. After easily making the front, the 7 year old gelding by Muscle Mass went wire to wire in 1:57.3. He was also the winner of the second leg of the series last week, trotting in 1:59.1.  Today’s final went for a purse of $21,400. Mass Confession paid $2.70 to win.

Racing continues tomorrow, first post is set for noon. | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York
Melissa Simser

Gigfy & Alek Chartrand

On a weekend in which Gigfy (Broadway Hall) was announced as a nominee for the Trotter of the Year Award at Saratoga Casino Hotel, the Brian Mattison trainee recorded his third Open win of the season. Gigfy drew the rail for his try in the $16,000 Open Trot and took full advantage of his inside post to cut the mile in the feature.

The eight year old high-stepper cruised unopposed through a first half of 58.4 and held strong in the race’s back-half before stopping the timer in 1:56.4 for the third Open score in his ’22 campaign. Innisfallen (Jordan Derue) sat the pocket and finished second while the favored Angel Nation (Brett Beckwith) came on to be third. Gigfy was piloted by Alek Chartrand and was dismissed at odds of 9-1, paying $21.40 for win. The exacta and triple returned $160 and $616.

Gigfy is owned by Gerald D’Allessandro of Ocala, FL and Bridgette Mattison of Watervliet, NY. Gigfy now has earnings of over $97,000 in what has been a terrific season for the veteran trotter in a season that has resulted in him being named one of five nominees for the track’s top honor for trotters.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee that starts at noon. | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Probert & Brett Beckwith

Probert (Dali) & Brett Beckwith

The Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel has belonged to trainer Melissa Beckwith this season. Putting the finishing touches on what will be her ninth local training title, Beckwith has had a couple of distaffers who have thrived in the ladies’ feature throughout the 2022 campaign. Sea Shadows owns a track-best seven Open wins this year but it was a different Beckwith trainee who competed in Monday’s installment of the $16,000 feature.

Probert (Dali) has had a terrific ’22 season while racing both locally and at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts. Following a pair of Open scores and a third-place finish at Plainridge, Probert was back in town on Monday and despite drawing post six in the six-horse feature, the Beckwith trainee was the public’s 3-5 betting favorite. Young reinsman Brett Beckwith found an early landing spot with Probert in a race in which Always Watching (Jordan Derue) was cutting the mile.

Always Watching got to the half in 57 seconds but when Beckwith gave Probert her cue, the five year old surged to challenge the leader who would not relent. Always Watching and Probert battled stride-for-stride with each other until hitting the stretch when the Beckwith trainee powered away to win in 1:53.3. It was the fourth Open score at the Spa for Probert who is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski.

The earnings for Probert push her seasonal total to over the $140,000 mark. Always Watching finished second on Monday to complete a $16.40 exacta while So Amazing (Jimmy Devaux) completed a $48.80 triple.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a 5pm first post. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $2,444 with the Pick Five beginning in the first race.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Big Box Hanover & Larry Stalbaum

Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) has been a solid force in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel since coming to town last year. This season, the Larry Stalbaum trainee has been a picture of consistency and came into Sunday’s try in the feature with three Open wins to his credit this year but while finishing in the top three in 21 of his 31 starts in ’22.

Big Box Hanover finished second or third in four consecutive starts in the Open before drawing his best post in months on Sunday afternoon. The five year old wound up being the betting public’s 3-5 favorite in the $16,000 Open and Stalbaum flashed speed from post four with the talented trotter. Yielding in the early going to Majestic Fire (Luke Hanners), Big Box Hanover sat the pocket in a first lap that went in 58 seconds.

Majestic Fire, who won the Open two weeks ago, was in complete control through three quarters in 1:26.2 but Big Box Hanover popped the pocket around the final turn. Longshot Quadratic Bluechip (Chris Long) came surging up the rail in the stretch but it was Big Box Hanover who hit the wire first to register his fourth Open score of the season and eighth victory overall in the ’22 campaign. An earner of six figures for the third consecutive year, Big Box Hanover’s fourth Open win came in 1:56.1 on Sunday.

The Open winner is owned by the Red, White and Blue Racing Stable of Matamoras, PA. Quadratic Blue Chip was the runner-up on Sunday to complete a $20.40 exacta while Majestic Fire wrapped up the $95 triple in the feature.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser