Cash Me Out, trained by Kyle Spagnola, won today’s open trot at Saratoga. The 11yr old Cash Hall was driven to the win by Phil Fluet in 1:56

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Longtime local superstar Artful Way (Artistic Fella) made his return to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday night. The Jackie Greene trainee last raced at the Spa in late March when he prevailed in the Open Pace. The ten year old recorded another Open win at Plainridge Park last month but then returned to town off a clunker. Artful Way was one of the 8-5 co-favorites in Saturday’s $15,000 feature and moved right out to the early lead with Billy Dobson guiding the way.

Repeal Or Replace (So Surreal), who took late board support to be the race’s other 8-5 shot, left to sit the pocket to Artful Way as the three-time Saratoga Pacer of the Year set fractions of 27.2 and 57 seconds in the first half. Leading driver Jimmy Devaux popped the pocket around the final turn and the battle was on as the co-favorites traded strides in the stretch before Repeal Or Replace took over under the shadow of the wire. Artful Way came up second best while longshot Somebeach Baron (Shawn Gray) finished third in his local debut.

Repeal Or Replace is owned by Karma Racing Inc of Parkland, FL and trained by John Podres. The win in the Open Pace wasn’t the first in the local career of the five year old who scored in the Spa’s featured race for pacers last November. Paying $5.30 to win on Saturday night, Repeal Or Replace led an exacta and triple that returned $19.40 and $78, respectively. The win in the Open was one of four on the evening for Jimmy Devaux as he padded his lead in the local driver standings while seeking to repeat as the track’s leading driver after winning his first Spa title in 2021.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon with a first post time of 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

The 7^th annual Virginia O’Brien Memorial Pacing Series was a short one this year at Saratoga Casino Hotel. With only enough fillies and mares entered to comprise one leg, the series concluded with Monday’s Final which consisted of just four lady pacers. New Zealand invader Alittlesidehustl N (He’s Watching) has been a monster in her first season in the U.S. and came into the series a winner of four of her five local starts. In her race leading up to the O’Brien Series, the Jackie Greene-trained Alittlesidehustl N won by seven lengths and paced in a career-best 1:53.4. In the lone leg of the series, the four year old got up in the final stride to score in 1:54.1 to end the impressive win streak of rival Watermelon Sugar (Brian Cross) who wound up as the runner-up. On Monday, those two squared off once again in a four-horse series Final that went for a purse of $32,000 and drew posts one and two, respectively.

Alittlesidehustl N continued her trend of being the betting favorite of odds of 2-5 or less in each of her local starts as she was the public’s 2-5 choice in Monday’s Final when she sat the pocket to upset minded Zebs Watching (Jimmy Devaux). Watermelon Sugar (Brian Cross), the runner-up to Alittlesidehustl N in the lone leg of the series, charged hard at Zebs Watching around the final turn while longshot Allboutthematerial was unwinding on the outside for driver Wally Hennessey. Alittlesidehustl N got loose late in the stretch and surged up the passing lane. The favorite got up in time to score in 1:54.1 to move her seasonal record to six for eight while scoring the biggest victory of her young career. Allboutthematerial closed to finish second and complete an exacta that paid $25.40. Watermelon Sugar finished third while Zebs Watching rounded things out. Alittlesidehustl N is owned in partnership by the Kellogg Racing Stables and Jackie Greene Stables.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a 5PM first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Perfect Vixen, a 3yr old filly by Muscles Yankee, won Sunday afternoon’s John Mongeon Sr Memorial Trot Final. After winning 2 out of three legs of the series she trotted to victory in the $33,400 final in 1:55.4. Perfect Vixen is trained by Scott Mongeon and was driven by John Stark Jr.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

On an evening that saw an historic upset in the Kentucky Derby, the featured race at Saratoga Casino Hotel consisted of a shocker of its own. The 2-5 betting favorite in the $31,900 J.P. Morel Memorial Pacing Series Final was JM’s Rockin. This Monticello invader had not only gone eight for eight in the win column this year but hadn’t trailed at any point in a mile this season.

Making every pole a winning one en route to put together the incredible win streak, JM’s Rollin was poised to once again cut the mile in the Series Final. Behind the gate though, the race’s big favorite made an untimely and extended break taking him out of the mix at the get go. The Final became wide open at that point and two-leg winner Mega Miki (Leon Bailey) took to the first-over path approaching the half. A closer in each of his consecutive victories heading into Saturday night, Mega Miki posted a career-best matching 1:55 win in leg two of the series when he sprung an upset at odds of 8-1 with Bailey in the bike.

In the Final, the four year old Joel Flanders trainee came a back half in under 57 seconds before drawing away from his rivals in the stretch to become the ninth winner in the history of the J.P. Morel Memorial Series. 43-1 shot Lannister Hanover (Wally Hennessey) charged hard late to finish second while leg one winner Pound For Pound (Shawn Gray) closed to be third in a race that was a longshot bettor’s delight.

The winner paid a middling $12.80 on top but the exacta and triple returned a bulky $631 and $4,721, respectively. Mega Miki is owned by Joel and Karen Flanders of Argyle, NY.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time set for 12 Noon. There will be a Pick Six Jackpot of $7,619. The Pick Six is a $.20 wager.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Monday afternoon’s feature saw a group of six distaffers take part in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Probert (Dali) made her Spa debut and wound up as the 3-5 betting favorite in the ladies’ feature. Wally Hennessey sat behind the five year old mare for trainer Melissa Beckwith who recorded a second and a third place finish in two starts with the mare while racing at Plainridge last month.

Hennessey wasted very little time moving the favorite out to the early lead on Monday and gave her a nice breather in the second quarter before reaching the half in 58 seconds. From there, the speedy Probert powered through a third quarter in 27 seconds flat before being met with the challenge of Birch Island Betty (Chris Long) in the stretch. After getting a pocket ride behind the Open’s favorite, Birch Island Betty powered out of the two-hole and made a run at Probert in the stretch before coming up short by just a head in 1:53.

The winner, who came a back half in 55 seconds flat, is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski. Probert paid $3.40 to win. The exacta with Birch Island Betty second came back $34.40 while the triple which was completed by Dashintothebeach N (Jimmy Devaux) returned $105.50. Hennessey piloted three winners on the Monday matinee card.

Live racing resumes on Saturday night at Saratoga and features a Pick Five carryover of $3,401. The Pick Six Jackpot sits at $7,013. The Pick Six encompasses race 8-13 on the program that starts at 5PM.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

The start to the season hasn’t been perfect for the Scott Mongeon-trained Perfect Vixen (Muscles Yankee) but it’s been close. The three year old filly came into the John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series as the one to beat after winning four races in five starts in the 2022 campaign. The clear favorite in the ninth annual installment of the Mongeon Memorial Series, Perfect Vixen set a lifetime mark in leg one scoring in 1:56.2 with John Stark Jr. in the sulky.

After drawing post eight, the filly had to settle for a third-place finish in leg two while squaring off against a strong group of competitors. On Sunday, Stark wasted very little time moving the race’s 1-5 betting favorite out to the lead where she never encountered an anxious moment before scoring in 1:56.3 to cement her role as the one to knock off heading into next Sunday’s Series Final. Titan On the Rail (Mickey McGivern) closed well to be second and finished his legs of the series with a win and a pair of seconds. Gavinator (Brett Crawford) earned the show spot.

In the other $10,000 division of the series’ third leg, Charlatan Hanover (Uncle Peter) powered out to the early lead and the leg two runner-up rolled to victory from there. Wally Hennessey piloted Charlatan Hanover to the front-running win as the Gary Levine trainee punched his ticket to next Sunday’s Final behind a 1:58 score. The win was one of four on the afternoon for Hennessey.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga and will feature a Jackpot in the Pick Six that sits at $6,358 beginning in race eight. First post time is set for Noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Record Year, trained by Jaymes McAssesy and driven by Billy Dobson, won Saturday night’s feature at Saratoga in 1:53.2

Watermelon Sugar (Huntsville) extended her impressive win streak on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the Brian Cross-trained and driven filly continues to dazzle in her first season on the track. Watermelon Sugar stepped up into the $10,500 winners of two but not more than five race lifetime condition last week (April 19) and scored a career-best victory. On Monday, the three year old was tasked with taking on a big favorite in her race and despite coming in on a five race win streak, Watermelon Sugar was the second choice in the wagering. With the favorite on the front end, Brian Cross sat patiently with his stable’s newest star before unleashing her approaching the half mile pole. Watermelon Sugar surged right past the favorite before opening up an imposing lead at the three quarter pole and going on to win in 1:54.2, a new lifetime mark. The filly will head into next week’s Virginia O’Brien Pacing Series as the one to beat being that she will be riding a six-race win streak for owner Brian Rozell of Queensbury, NY. In her most recent victory, Watermelon Sugar paid $5.80 to win and moved her seasonal bankroll to over the $40,000 mark in just nine starts.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Photo by: Cheyanne Mandy