Chasethecloudsaway (Sunshine Beach) was a winning machine in 2021 scoring an impressive sixteen times over the course of the year. While most of the Chris Petrelli-trained mare’s victories took place at Monticello, the then four year old did thrive at Saratoga Casino Hotel as well. A four-time winner of the local Fillies and Mares Open in ‘21, Chasethecloudsaway made her seasonal debut on Tuesday afternoon with just one winning qualifier under her belt. Luke Hanners was the regular driver for the talented distaffer late last year and sat behind her for Tuesday’s try in the $15,000 feature. Hanners flashed some early speed with the race’s 8-5 betting favorite but had to settle for fourth in the early going as Somebeachsomefra (Jimmy Devaux) set honest fractions on the front end. Chasethecloudsaway made her move just past the half and marched up first-over before grinding the leader into submission in the stretch and prevailing by three quarters of a length in a mile clocked in 1:56.1. Somebeachsomefra finished second while Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum), the runner-up in last week’s ladies’ Open, had to settle for third on Tuesday. Chasethecloudsaway paid $5.50 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $19.60 and $83.50, respectively. The trip to the winner’s circle in the feature was one of three consecutive on the card for young reinsman Luke Hanners who scored a natural hat trick on the matinee card.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a 13 race card set to begin at 5:00pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Last year marked the breakout season for Squee Hanover (Crazed) as the Andy Gardner trainee won the local Open Trot seven times. After finishing up his campaign in red-hot fashion, Squee Hanover took about a month and a half off before returning to the Open last Sunday (Feb 6). The six year old finished third in his seasonal debut and on Monday afternoon Squee Hanover looked to get back into the win column while participating in the $15,000 feature. Billy Dobson was the regular reinsman for Squee Hanover during the majority of his late season hot streak in ’21 and has gotten off to a great start to his 2022 campaign in the sulky. Dobson powered Squee Hanover out to a pretty easy lead on Monday and from there, it was over. The Gardner stable star loves the front-end and held firm on the engine before trotting away from his rivals in a mile clocked in 1:56.3 to record his first Open victory of the year. Last week’s Open winner Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) charged hard in the stretch to get up for second while Xcuseme (John Stark Jr) earned the show spot. Squee Hanover was one of two 8-5 co-favorites on Monday and subsequently paid $5.40 to win. The exacta and triple in the trotting feature returned $20.80 and $74, respectively. Squee Hanover, who is owned by the Exceed Stables of Lamar, PA, gave his trainer Andy Gardner one of his three winners on the Monday card.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee carded in place of the regular Sunday matinee which didn’t occur due to it being Super Bowl Sunday. First post time Tuesday is set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Lake Charles (Well Said) won the Open Pace three times in 2021 at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Amanda Kelley trainee took the feature in two of the final three installments of it last season. Following a second-place finish in his ’22 debut last weekend, Lake Charles found himself in a four-horse Open on Saturday night. Leon Bailey sat behind the five year old who wound up powering past former Saratoga Pacer of the Year Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum) in the early going. The Kelley trainee sizzled through a first quarter of 26.4 before reaching the half in 56.4. The favored Hudson Phil (Billy Dobson) won last week’s installment of the $15,000 Open Pace and revved up the engine late in the mile on Saturday but did just enough to come up second-best to Lake Charles who hit the line in 1:54.3. Lake Charles, a winner by two and a quarter lengths, returned $7.50 to win and led an exacta with the favorite second that paid $11.60. Crockets Cullen N finished third. The winner is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at Noon.

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

Gigfy, trained by Brian Mattison and driven by Alek Chartrand, won this season’s first feature trot in 1:58.1.

Hudson Phil and driver Billy Dobson won the first open pace of 2022 in 1:55. Hudson Phil is trained by Jackie Greene.

Melissa Simser

Anytime N (Bettor’s Delight) drew the rail in her local debut at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Tuesday afternoon in what was the final feature for the 2021 season. The Melissa Beckwith trainee was aggressive in the early going in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open and retook the lead at the quarter from the favored Chasethecloudsaway (Luke Hanners). Anytime N looked strong throughout and never relinquished the lead en route to victory in 1:54.1 with Mark Beckwith in the sulky. Birch Island Betty (Billy Dobson) had hit the board in seven consecutive Opens before last week and started a new streak on Tuesday when she came up second-best to Anytime N. Chasethecloudsaway finished third in the Open. Anytime N, who is owned by Kdp Stable of Westlake Village, CA, paid $12.60 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $66.50 and $278, respectively. Jimmy Devaux, who won his first local driving title this season, piloted four winners on Tuesday’s final card of the season.

The 2021 racing season at Saratoga is now complete with the 2022 campaign kicking off on Saturday, February 5^th.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Larry Stalbaum wrapped up his training title at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon when his Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) scored impressively in the matinee’s feature. Stalbaum took home the award for both Trainer of the Year and Horseman of the Year after having just a sensational 2021 season at the Spa. On Monday, Big Box Hanover won the Open Trot for the third time since joining the Stalbaum stable in November. The four year old is wrapping up his third consecutive season of six-figure earnings and although he was a beaten favorite in the two installments of the Open leading up to Monday’s try, he proved up to the task in impressive fashion. Big Box Hanover wound up in the pocket behind aggressive and speedy leader Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) who has consistently finished second or third all year long and certainly of late. Gigfy tried to fend off Big Box Hanover in the stretch but his efforts were thwarted as the Stalbaum trainee cruised by to win in an impressive 1:54.2. Gigfy finished second while Xcuseme (John Stark Jr) earned the show spot. The win time serves as a new lifetime mark for Big Box Hanover whose Open victory was his third in six local tries. The winner is owned by the Red White & Blue Racing Stable of Matamoras, PA. Stalbaum’s Bucketlist Hanover completed a double for the Horseman of the Year as he came from off the pace to score in a $10,700 race for trotters.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon for closing day of the 2021 meet at Saratoga with racing set to resume on February 5, 2022. Closing day will feature a jackpot carryover of $9,370 in the Jackpot Super High Five which takes place in the afternoon’s finale. First post time on Tuesday is set for 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Sunday’s installment of the Open Pace was the final one for the 2021 racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Closing week for the meet got underway on Sunday and the $15,000 feature saw Lake Charles (Well Said) score an Open victory for the third time at the Spa this year. Trainer Amanda Kelley will wrap up the ’21 season with more Open Pace wins than any other conditioner at the Spa as she secured her seventh victory in the Sunday feature. Her Some Waratah A won four Opens earlier in the meet and has passed the baton to Lake Charles this fall who has taken it and ran. On Sunday, Lake Charles had Leon Bailey at the controls and paced out to the lead in 27.4 in the early going. After reaching the half in an honest but manageable 57.3, the four year old pacer was put to the test by a first-over rival and those two went through a third quarter of 27.2 before Lake Charles rebuffed that one’s challenge. Pocket sitting Elite Retreat (Jimmy Devaux), who made his debut in the Open on Sunday, was no match for Lake Charles in the stretch but finished a strong second to the winner who paid $7.50 to win as the race’s second choice in the betting. Elite Retreat completed a $47.40 exacta while another longshot, Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum), finished third and pumped the triple up to a hefty $262 in the six-horse feature. Lake Charles is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs. For Leon Bailey, it was his second Open win of the year at the Spa. His first Open Pace score came in November behind the John Podres-trained Repeal Or Replace who Bailey piloted to another score on Sunday in the $13,000 Winners Over for pacers.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

All Speed Rising (All Speed Hanover) has thrived out of the stable of trainer Andy Gardner this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The six year old mare came into her try in Tuesday’s feature off a victory in a $12,300 conditional race last week. Shawn Gray got the driving assignment behind All Speed Rising on Tuesday and moved the distaffer out to the early lead in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open. After cruising through a fast first quarter of 27.2, Gray backed things down with the 11-1 outsider and got a half in 58 seconds. All Speed Rising didn’t face much of a challenge before trying to open up around the final turn. The race’s longshot The Fun Marshall (Alek Chartrand) sat the pocket and tried to get to the leader in the stretch. Her chase proved futile as All Speed Rising held on to win her first Open of the year in 1:55.2. 23-1 shot The Fun Marshall finished second while Shecandance N (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in the Open for the second straight week. All Speed Rising, who is owned by George Tackley and Wendy Storrier, paid $25.60 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $277.50 and $1,958, respectively. The win was one of three on the day for Andy Gardner who has surged into second place in the trainer standings with one week remaining in the 2021 campaign.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a first post time set for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser