Tuesday’s matinee featured two divisions of the second leg of the Bunny Lake Pacing Series at Saratoga Casino Hotel. North Country (Roll With Joe) emerged from leg two as the only repeat winner after Billy Dobson piloted the Monica Krist trainee to her second consecutive pocket-sitting victory. After setting a career-best 1:54.4 victory in leg one, North Country again got a two-hole trip on Tuesday while mirroring the moves of fellow leg one winner Gingerbred Girl (Larry Stalbaum). The race’s favorite, Always Watching (Shawn Gray), who finished third in the race in which North Country set her new lifetime mark, came first-over on Tuesday and slugged it out with Gingerbred Girl. North Country surged up the passing lane and got the best of her rivals while stopping the timer in 1:56.4 to head into next Tuesday’s (October 26) final of the Bunny Lake Pace as the one to beat. Always Watching finished second while Gingerbred Girl had to settle for third.

In the afternoon’s other division, Tsimis (Mach Three) toughed out a first-over victory for trainer Andy Gardner and reinsman Jimmy Devaux. Tsimis, the runner-up to North Country in leg one, had the daunting task of taking on her race’s big favorite Pursuit Of Speed (Larry Stalbum) who recorded the fastest win of the series heading into next week’s Final when she cruised to a 1:54.3 score in leg one. On Tuesday, the Stalbaum trainee was again tough on the lead but succumbed to the pressure late from Tsimis who proved best in 1:55.3 to spring the mild upset at odds of 5-1. The inaugural Bunny Lake Pace Final will go for a purse of upwards of $30,000 and will be the feature on the matinee next Tuesday (October 26).

Live racing resumes on Sunday at Saratoga with a card set to kick off at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Cindy Michelle (E L Titan) became the only two-leg winner in the Jim Derue Memorial Trot Series on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel when the John Stark Jr trained and driven filly continued her winning ways. The sophomore filly who scored in the $50,000 New York Sire Stakes Excelsior Final last month recorded her eleventh win of the season on Monday when she went coast-to-coast to prevail in leg two of the Derue Memorial in 1:58.2. The only winner of both legs will head into next Monday’s (October 25) Final as the one to beat after recording another decisive victory. Cindy Michelle is owned by Peter Barbato of Demarest, NJ and Sam Bova Racing LLC of Irving, NY.

Larry Stalbaum’s Creemore (Chapter Seven) avenged a leg one break when on Monday the three year old recorded a win in 1:58.3 to likely sure-up a spot in next week’s Final. Creemore’s victory was his first in five starts since coming to Saratoga last month.

The fastest of the leg two winners on the matinee card was Pass Key (Cantab Hall) who is owned, trained and driven by Jordan Derue, the son of the late Jim Derue for which the trotting series is named. Pass Key, who made a break in leg one, was confidently piloted by Derue as he quarter moved in the early going and never looked back stopping the timer in 1:57.4 to be the fastest of the leg two winners and likely secure his spot in the $30,000+ Final which will take place next week.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga and will feature a carryover of $3,025 in the Pick Five pool. The Pick Five begins in the matinee’s first race which is scheduled for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Moonshine Kisses and Billy Dobson crossed under the wire in 1:51.4 in Sunday afternoon’s open pace. Moonshine Kisses is trained by Jackie Greene.

Melissa Simser-Iovino

New Zealand invader Rckaroundtheclock N (A Rocknroll Dance) has been a winning machine in her first year racing in the USA and on Tuesday afternoon, the Amanda Kelley trainee added Open winner to her growing resume. The 2-5 betting favorite in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open despite starting from the second tier, Rckaroundtheclock N wasted little time in getting to the lead as driver Shawn Gray quarter-moved her in the backstretch. The five year old distaffer got to the quarter in 27.4 and clicked off a half in 56.4 before facing a challenge. Bontz N (Mike Simons), who got away third, took her shot past three quarters and the regular Open threat made the top one earn it before settling for second-best behind Rckaroundtheclock N who stopped the timer in 1:53.2 over a track labeled ‘good.’ Pocket-sitter All Speed Rising (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in the $16,000 Open for the ladies. Rckaroundtheclock paid just $2.90 to win but the exacta and triple in the feature returned $48.20 and $360, respectively. The winner of a baker’s dozen in 2021 is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs, NY.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Squee Hanover (Crazed) continued his stable’s hot streak on Monday afternoon when the up-and-coming Andy Gardner trainee won the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the second time in the last three weeks. The five year old won the $15,000 Open for the first time in his career two weeks ago when he went coast-to-coast in a lifetime-best matching 1:55.2. On Monday over a sloppy track at the Spa, Squee Hanover worked hard in the early going and raced parked to the first quarter in 27.2. With Billy Dobson at the controls, the Gardner trainee didn’t get much of a breather before reaching the half in 56.2. Bridge Works (Jimmy Devaux), who owns four feature wins this summer, moved three-wide late in the mile and came charging towards the leader but the chase proved to be futile. Squee Hanover stopped the timer in 1:56.1 while scoring by almost two lengths. Bridge Works was the runner-up in the Open for the second consecutive week while Mister Muscle (Brett Beckwith) finished third. Squee Hanover, who is owned by the Exceed Stables of Lamar, PA, continued what has been a strong stretch for conditioner Andy Gardner who scored a pair of victories on Sunday’s card and has rolled his summer successes right over into the fall. The 38 year old conditioner currently sits fourth in the trainer standings this season at the Spa. The Open winner paid $12.00 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $58.50 and $222.50, respectively.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee starting at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Birch Island Betty (Big Jim) rode a mini win streak into the Tuesday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Eve Bergeron trainee was assigned the rail for her try in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open after rattling off back-to-back jacks in the conditional ranks. Brett Crawford picked up the catch-drive behind the six year old mare who secured a pair of Open victories last season at the Spa. Almost a year to the day of her first feature score, Birch Island Betty sat patiently in the early going on Tuesday and even got shuffled back a bit in the six-horse Open for distaffers. Rival Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) surged first-over on the race’s favorite approaching three quarters and those two looked like they would decide it before the backfield got in motion around the final turn. Birch Island Betty, who surged in the stretch to record each of her successive victories that led up to Tuesday’s tilt, shook loose and flew home in the lane before coming on to win in 1:54.1. Thats Incredible finished second while Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) closed to be third. The winner is owned by Dany Grenier of Quebec, Canada. Paying $12.40 to win in the mild upset, Birch Island Betty led an exacta and triple that returned $74 and $296, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Dewey Arnold (Deweycheatumnhowe) has had a magical year in 2021 and the young trotter added another credential to his resume on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Dave Dewhurst-trained trotter was a dominant force in the New York Sire Stakes this summer and came into his second lifetime try in the local Open Trot with ten wins and five second-place finishes in nineteen starts in ’21. Dewey Arnold finished second in last Monday’s (Sept 20) feature and thus wound up being the 2-5 favorite in this week’s $15,000 Open after drawing post position three. Leading driver Jimmy Devaux tried to put the super sophomore trotter into play early but instead of getting mired in an early speed duel backed Dewey Arnold off in the early going. With Bridge Works (Wally Hennessey), a four-time Open winner in his own right this summer, on the front-end, Dewey Arnold was left to approach that one via the first-over path. Those two locked horns throughout the final quarter of a mile before Dewey Arnold surged in the stretch to come on and win in 1:55.1. Bridge Works was a solid second while Mister Muscle (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot. For Dewey Arnold, the earnings from the win moved his bankroll to over $245,000 in what has been simply a sensational season for the three year old. The 2-5 betting favorite on Monday led an exacta and triple that paid $6.30 and $27.80, respectively. Dewey Arnold is owned by Philip Hale in addition to his trainer Dave Dewhurst. The Open score was one of       five on the afternoon for Jimmy Devaux who is poised to win his first ever driving title at Saratoga this season and enjoyed one of his biggest days of the meet on Monday.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that is set to kickoff at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Winning the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel is nothing new for the Kellogg Racing Stables and their trainer Jackie Greene. Led by track superstar Artful Way and pacer Hudson Phil, no one has won more Opens at the Spa over the course of the last decade than Kellogg and Greene. On Sunday afternoon, they added another to their bulky total when Moonshine Kisses (Sunshine Beach) made his return to the Spa a winning one. The five year old pacer had a pair of runner-up tries in the pacing feature this spring but took three months off to heal from an injury suffered in May. Reinsman Billy Dobson sat behind Moonshine Kisses in each of his three qualifiers that were used as preps for his return to Open company and off a resounding victory in 1:52.2 in his most recent qualifier was aggressive with the Greene trainee in the early going on Sunday. Moonshine Kisses captured an easy lead in the $15,000 feature before cruising through a first half in 56.3. Bet down as the race’s 2-1 second choice in the wagering, Moonshine Kisses never faced much of a challenge and in fact powered away from the competition around the final turn. The Greene trainee stopped the timer in 1:52.1 in what was the fastest of his four wins on the season and his first Open score in ’21. Last week’s Open winner Quagmire Bluechip (Brett Beckwith) closed to finish second to extend his streak of hitting the board in the feature to eight straight while Matticulous GB (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot. Moonshine Kisses, who wound up prevailing by better than three lengths, paid $6.00 to win and led an exacta and triple in the six-horse Open that paid $31.20 and $54.50, respectively.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time set for noon. The Pick Five will have a carryover of better than $2,000 on Monday and begins in the first race on the matinee card.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Last Tuesday afternoon (Sept 14), Bontz N outclosed the group of distaffers in the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Gary Levine trainee, who has been one of the top mares at the track for the last few years, was disqualified from first and placed fifth in that start after causing interference while making a break past the three-quarter pole. This week, Bontz N again drew post four for her try in the $15,000 feature and driver Wally Hennessey didn’t waste any time getting her to the lead. The ten year old mare had to pace her first quarter in 26.4 to get to the front but got a nice breather once she settled in. After completing her first lap in 57 seconds, Bontz N was tested first-over by a longshot who took the lead at three quarters but never got clear of the stubborn and gusty Bontz N who rallied on the rail to reclaim the lead heading for home. The six pacing mares in the Open were separated by a total of about three lengths from leader to last at the head of the stretch but late in the game, it was still Bontz N who had enough left to prevail in 1:53.4, a seasonal best-matching time for the Levine trainee. The winningest mare in the local feature over the course of the last three seasons, Bontz N’s Tuesday score was her first in the Open this year. Invader Stowaway Hanover (Mark Beckwith) came from last to finish second to Bontz N while Somebeachsomefra (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Bontz N paid $8.10 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $43.40 and $169.50, respectively. The winner, who is owned by April Aldrich of Greenfield Center, NY, accounted for one of two victories on the card for defending leading trainer Gary Levine. Hennessey piloted three winners on the matinee card.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Squee Hanover (Crazed) continued the hot streak for his stable on Monday afternoon when the five year old won the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time in his career. Coming in off of a wire-to-wire win in the $13,000 Winners Over for trotters last week, Squee Hanover stayed sharp with a front-running score in Monday’s $15,000 feature. The Andy Gardner stable has been on a tear of late and scored its first Open win of the season when Squee Hanover flexed his muscles early on, getting to the top in 27.3 before reaching the half in 57.1. Dispatching a first-over challenge, Squee Hanover powered away after clicking off three quarters in 1:25.4. The favorite Dewey Arnold (Jimmy Devaux) began to rev it up from the rear and came powering home in the stretch but fell just short, coming up second-best to Squee Hanover who stopped the timer in 1:55.2 in his first Open score. Dewey Arnold was the runner-up while Bucketlist Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) closed to be third. Squee Hanover, who is owned by the Exceed Stables of Lamar, PA, paid $13.00 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $68.50 and $504. The winner was driven to victory by Phil Fluet. Gardner and Fluet teamed up for another score on Monday as well as young trotter Ready For Workout (Whataworkout) prevailed in his first start out of the Gardner barn to complete the double for his connections.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee kicking off at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino