There were three divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for two year old trotting colts and geldings that took place on Monday’s matinee at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The three races, which each went for a purse of more than $46,000, were highlighted by a showdown between two trotters in one of the divisions that each came into the day undefeated. Justice (Chapter Seven-Religulous-Muscles Yankee) came into Monday’s try two-for-two for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt. The freshman faced the toughest task of his young career as he took on the Jim Campbell-trained Cool Papa Bell (Jason Bartlett) who was three-for-three heading into Monday’s tilt. Svanstedt moved Justice, who was bet down to odds of 1-9, right out to the early lead and enjoyed pretty leisurely fractions with Cool Papa Bell stalking him from the pocket throughout. Justice trotted his back half in 58 seconds and needed every tick of it to hold off Cool Papa Bell who surged in the stretch before coming up shy by a head in a mile clocked in 1:58.1. Justice moved his career earnings to over the $63,000 mark in just three lifetime starts for owners Ake Svanstedt, Torbjorn Swahn, Myfab, and Little E.

The second division of the afternoon saw the biggest upset among the Sire Stakes races on Monday. Valentine Express (Chapter Seven- Cantata- Donato Hanover) got the pocket ride behind the favored Quincy Market (Corey Callahan) in the five-horse NYSS event. Valentine Express rode the coattails of the two-time Sire Stakes winner throughout before powering past him in the stretch to record the biggest win of his young career. Coming into the race with less than $2,000 in earnings, Valentine Express earned the winner’s share of the $47,067 purse for owners Salvatore Vullo and James De Armond of New York. Valentine Express, who is trained by Jessica Okusko, scored in 1:59.4.

The final division of the day went to Molotov Cocktail (Chapter Seven-Moonlight Cocktail-Kadabra) who never had an anxious moment before stopping the timer in 1:58.3. The two year old trotter came in off an eleven length victory at Batavia which was the second win in NY Sire Stakes competition in his freshman campaign. The public’s 1-2 betting favorite on Monday coasted to a wire-to-wire victory with Brian Sears in the sulky. Molotov Cocktail is owned by Richard Gutnick and Gary Cocco of PA in partnership with Thomas Pontone of Holmdel, NJ and trained by Linda Toscano.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon featuring a carryover of $3,872 in the Pick Five pool starting in the first race which is set for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Surreal Feeling (So Surreal) brought her talents back to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday night and the pacing mare who has made winning a habit at the Spa added another victory to her collection in the evening’s co-feature. Surreal Feeling has raced at Yonkers and Pocono Downs in recent months and has thrived but her successes at Saratoga have been stark this season. The Dale Lawton-trained distaffer was the 1-5 betting favorite in the Fillies and Mares Open on Saturday, a race that served as the co-feature along with the $15,000 Open Pace for the boys. Driver Alek Chartrand moved Surreal Feeling out early but had to settle into fourth position in the six-horse co-feature before pulling her first-over approaching the half mile pole. The six year old mare took it from there and despite racing overland in a 27.3 third quarter powered past the leader before drawing away in the stretch to win by a measured length and a quarter in 1:53.3. Earlier this season, Surreal Feeling put in a track record-matching performance as she scored in a dazzling 1:51.3 to tie the previous mark for fastest of any aged pacing mare in the 80 year history of racing at Saratoga. On Saturday, Surreal Feeling won the local Open for the sixth time this season and for the fourth consecutive start in it. Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) finished second while Pammy Jo (Mark Beckwith) earned the show spot. Surreal Feeling, who is co-owned by Chris Lawton and her trainer Dale Lawton, has hit the board in all nineteen of her starts this year in what has been a masterful campaign for the talented mare.

The $15,000 Open Pace for the boys went to Crockets Cullen N (Christian Cullen) who scored for the third time in his last four starts in the feature for colts and geldings. Crockets Cullen N is the winningest horse in the local Open Pace over the course of the last three seasons but didn’t have a win in the Saturday feature before scoring on July 31^st. The ten year old veteran went coast-to-coast last Saturday (Aug 14) and had little difficulty doing the same in this weekend’s installment of the Open Pace as he overcame a 26.4 first quarter on the lead to prevail in 1:52.2 for owner/trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum. Quagmire Bluechip (Brett Beckwith) was the runner-up in the Saturday co-feature while Odds On Brexit (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in his Open debut. The exacta and triple with the 9-5 second-choice in the wagering on top paid $35.40 and $116.50, respectively. The win was one of three on the night for Stalbaum as both a trainer and driver as his Itsonlyrocknroll A and Union Station also secured Saturday scores.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Iteration continued her sensational sophomore season on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the three year old filly kicked off a big day for her connections. In her $74,000 division of the New York Sire Stakes, Iteration (Chapter Seven-Steamy Windows-Muscle Massive) wasted little time moving out to the lead with Brian Sears at the controls and the super soph had no difficulty cruising to her fourth victory of the season. Over a track labeled ‘sloppy,’ Iteration never faced a legit challenge before stopping the timer in 1:57.4 to move her seasonal earnings to just shy of $320,000 and her lifetime bankroll to close to $635,000. Sweeping Rainbow (Scott Zeron) finished second to the 2-5 betting favorite and completed a $5.90 exacta while Titans Hope (Jason Bartlett) earned the show spot and rounded out an $11.40 triple in the five-horse field. Iteration’s connections of owner Courant Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida, trainer Marcus Melander and driver Brian Sears scored a natural hat trick on the Tuesday card when their big Sire Stakes victory was followed up by wins with Insured Am S (Chapter Seven), who came from well off the pace to score in a $15,000 NYSS Excelsior A event for three year olds, and Izzy Demsky (E L Titan) who completed the natural hat trick for her connections.

The $72,700 division of the NY Sire Stakes for sophomore fillies went the way of Moni For Lindy (Credit Winner- Live Moni-Conway Hall) who prevailed with Yannick Gingras at the controls. Moni For Lindy left alertly to overcome her “outside” post as she drew the four post in a four-horse race. The sophomore filly made it to the top before being confronted and bypassed by Contested Hanover (Scott Zeron) approaching the quarter. Gingras was content to sit the pocket which turned out to be the right move as Moni For Lindy trotted by that rival in the stretch to win in 1:56.4. Contested Hanover finished second while Splash Blue Chip (Ake Svanstedt) ended up third. Moni For Lindy, who is owned by Greathorse, of Hampden, MA, paid $8.40 to win in the four-horse field as she recorded her fifth victory in eight seasonal tries for trainer Domenico Cecere.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Lazzaro (Explosive Matter) has had his breakout season in 2021 at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Monday the five year old trotter won the Open for the first time in his career. The Monica Krist-trained Lazzaro put together an impressive win streak early on in the campaign before moving up into Open company at the Spa. The trotter, who is owned by Rick Dobson of Howell, MI, went through a brief funk at the beginning of the summer but righted the ship with a career-best score at Tioga Downs in July when he won in 1:55.4 over the 5/8 mile track in the Southern Tier of New York. Upon winning in his return to the Spa the following week, Lazzaro wound up back in the Open and finished third against the top trotters on August 2^nd. After making a break in last week’s installment of the Open, Lazzaro went off at odds of 7-2 on Monday afternoon when he wound up getting a first-over trip with Billy Dobson in the sulky. The five year old spent about 5/8 of the mile on the outside before finally putting away Bridge Works (Jimmy Devaux) who had won the last two Opens at the Spa. Millionaire trotter Cash Me Out (Phil Fluet) sat the pocket to Bridge Works before getting by him in the stretch to finish second to Lazzaro who stopped the timer in a career-best 1:55.4. The win in the $14,000 feature was the first in the Open Trot in the career of Lazzaro whose victory was his eleventh on the season. Paying $9.00 to win, Lazzaro led an exacta with Cash Me Out second that returned $31.60. The triple, completed by Bridge Works, paid $95.00.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee beginning at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Crockets Cullen N (Christian Cullen) added another win to his lengthy tally of Open Pace victories in his career at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday night as the veteran pacer went coast-to-coast. The ten year old veteran made it look easy as he cruised out to the early lead with his owner/trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum guiding the way. Crockets Cullen N was the even-money betting favorite on Saturday as he traveled unopposed for the majority of the mile, clicking off a first half in 56.4 before powering away from his rivals to win in 1:52. The horse who owns the fastest time of the season at Saratoga from a 1:50.3 score back in July, Crockets Cullen N recorded his decisive victory by three and a half lengths. His win was the second in the Open in 2021 but adds to his total as the winningest Open Pacer at the Spa over the course of the last three seasons. Michaels Boy (Brian Cross), the longest shot on the board, was the runner-up to Crockets Cullen N in the feature while Quagmire Bluechip (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot. The Stalbaum stable star paid $4.10 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $45.60 and $222, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Two year old pacing fillies took center stage on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel when the New York Sire Stakes were featured as part of the fourteen race matinee. There were two divisions of the Sire Stakes that went for purses of more than $70,000 and while each race consisted of a big favorite only one of them saw the favorite prevail. Freshman filly Gotthegreenlight (American Ideal) came into the day on a four-race win streak and the Nifty Norman trainee wound up as the 1-5 betting favorite in the $71,600 division of the NYSS. Gotthegreenlight wound up having to come first-over with Mark Macdonald at the controls and while she made a big push on the outside got passed in the stretch by rival Hamptons Babe (American Ideal-Anndrovette-Riverboat King) who surged in the passing lane and got up to win for the first time in her young career. The Tony Alagna trainee stopped the timer in 1:53.4 to break her maiden in resounding fashion and paid $13.20 to win in the mild upset. The favored Gotthegreenlight had to settle for second while Wine N Dine Me (Joe Bongiorno) finished third. Hamptons Babe, who was the runner-up in her first two tries in Sire Stakes competition before recording Tuesday’s win, is owned by Crawford Farms Racing of Syracuse, NY.

While the 1-5 favorite came up second-best in the first of the two divisions of the NYSS on Tuesday, the public’s odds-on favorite thrived in the $72,900 race for freshman fillies. Just Divine (Huntsville-Divine Caroline-Rock N Roll Heaven) came in as a winner of both starts in NY Sire Stake competition and was well positioned for the stakes hat trick as she drew post three on Tuesday. Matt Kakaley piloted the Ron Burke-trained filly who moved to the lead in the early stages and just powered away from her rivals before recording a decisive victory in 1:55 while under wraps at the wire. The heaviest of favorites at 1-9, Just Divine remained undefeated in NYSS competition and continued to make her case as the one to beat among freshman fillies this season. Just Divine is owned by Donovan, Sbrocco, Henderson and Purnell & Libby. A Girl That Twirls (Dan Dube) closed sharply to be second while Symphony Girl (Jason Bartlett) earned the show spot.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Bridge Works (Dejambro) became the fourth horse to go back to back in the Open Trot this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel when the Brett Derue trainee cruised to a wire-to-wire win on Monday afternoon. Acquired by Derue just two weeks ago, Bridge Works prevailed in his debut for new connections last week (Aug 2) when he pulled off a mild upset winning in 1:56.2 after a first-over journey. On Monday, Bridge Works wasted little time as his race’s 4-5 betting favorite as reinsman Wally Hennessey powered the five year old out to the early lead in the $14,000 feature. After coasting through a comfortable first half in 57.4, Bridge Works didn’t face much of a challenge in the final lap as he cruised to a nearly three-length victory in a career-best 1:55.1. Gettin Messi (Chris Long) was the runner-up to Bridge Works for the second consecutive Monday afternoon to complete a $20 exacta while longshot Bucketlist Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) finished third in a triple that paid $191. Bridge Works, who is owned by Picarazzi, Bullard, Petillo and his trainer Brett Derue, won for the sixth time of the season and has now piled up over $60,000 in earnings in 2021. The rising star adds his name to the list that consists of Gruden, Cash Me Out and Exarch as trotters to win the Open on at least two consecutive occasions. It was just another day at the office on Monday for Hennessey as the Hall of Fame driver piloted three winners on the card.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

A strong, well-balanced group of young trotters squared off against each other in a $9,500 conditional race on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The group of eight featured one horse riding a five-race win streak and another coming in while a winner of three straight. Neither of those two were the favorite and in fact, there was a 4-5 betting favorite in the race with a horse dropping out of Sire Stakes competition. KS Dream (Conway Hall) has been red hot since joining the stable of trainer Andy Gardner. The four year old was lightly raced in his first couple of seasons but here in 2021 has come into his own. On Tuesday, KS Dream drew post seven in the strong group of trotters but leading driver Jimmy Devaux wasted little time in blasting the razor sharp trotter out early. KS Dream made it to the lead but it took a blistering quarter of 27.1 to get to the top. Dismissed at odds of 12-1, KS Dream got a breather in the second quarter, getting to the half in 57.2. Though Tesla Seelster, who was riding the five-race win streak, made a break after the start, it was the favored Credit Con (Wally Hennessey) who tried to put a threat together in the final half. The effort proved futile and it was longshot Royal Soldier (Dan Cappello Jr) who emerged as the stretch threat for KS Dream before having his threat thwarted by the Gardner trainee who held strong to win for the fourth time in as many tries. The victory in 1:56.2 served as a new lifetime mark for KS Dream. Royal Soldier finished second at odds of 45-1 while the longest shot on the board Kasha’s Boy (Chris Long) came on to be third. KS Dream, who paid $26.80 to win, is now four-for-four in his brief time at Saratoga. The exacta and triple in the featured trotting race paid $642 and $4,638, respectively. KS Dream is owned by Karen Smith- Ashley of Brushton, NY.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Trainer Brett Derue has had another terrific season this year at Saratoga Casino Hotel and the top-flight conditioner enjoyed another big day on Monday afternoon. Derue is part of the ownership group who acquired trotter Bridge Works (Dejarmbro) this week and debuted him in the Open Trot on Monday. Wally Hennessey piloted Bridge Works who was tasked with facing the combo of Exarch and Cash Me Out who between them had won six of the previous seven installments of the Open Trot. With Cash Me Out setting soft fractions on the engine, Bridge Works powered up first-over and cruised past the millionaire trotter highlighted by a third quarter in which he trotted 27.4. The five year old opened up a sizeable lead turning for home and despite having rivals Gettin Messi (Chris Long) and Lazzaro (Billy Dobson) closing in on him in the stretch held on to win the $14,000 feature in 1:56.2. Bridge Works paid $9.50 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta with Gettin Messi second that came back $207. The triple with Lazzaro third returned $2,022. Bridge Works was one of two winners on the day for the ownership team of Picarazzi, Petillo, Bullard and Derue, all of NY, whose Meadowbrook Nate prevailed in his Saratoga debut in the afternoon’s opener with leading driver Jimmy Devaux in the sulky.

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

Mike Sardella

No horse has won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel more than Crockets Cullen N has since 2019. Larry Stalbaum owns, trains and drives the veteran pacer who loves to win and recorded victories in the local pacing feature fifteen times between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. This year, though the now ten year old came into Saturday night’s try with four wins on the season, he had yet to prevail in the Open Pace in ’21. That changed on Saturday for Crockets Cullen N as he got a ground-saving journey in the $14,000 feature before finding open road in the stretch and flying home. Crockets Cullen N got away third in the six-horse Open and stuck to the inside path as the leader Some Waratah A (Greg Merton), a four-time winner of the local Open Pace this season, set the fractions in the feature. Hudson Phil (Billy Dobson) sat the pocket to Some Waratah N and powered past that one late in the mile. All the while, the rail opened up for Crockets Cullen N who surged in the stretch before reeling in his rivals to record the first win of the season in the local Open for a horse who has made a home in the Saratoga winner’s circle over the last couple of years. On Saturday, the classy veteran stopped the timer in 1:53, paying $11.40 to win in the mild upset. Hudson Phil was the runner-up to complete a $34.60 exacta while Some Waratah A finished third to round out a $149 triple. Stalbaum went back-to-back on Saturday as his American Zest A cruised to a decisive victory in 1:53.1 in a $10,500 conditional race for pacers.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy