There are two things that pacing mare Surreal Feeling  (So Surreal) seems to really like. The six year old loves to win and she loves Saratoga Casino Hotel. On Wednesday, those two things came together and the Dale Lawton-trained distaffer recorded a wire-to-wire win in the $10,000 featured race for fillies and mares. Surreal Feeling came to town off a career-best victory last week at Pocono Downs where she romped in 1:51.1, a new lifetime mark. On Wednesday, the mare who has won a local Open in each of the last two seasons worked hard early showcasing her speed in a 27.2 first quarter. From there, she didn’t face much of a challenge in a half of 57.2 before clicking off three-quarters in 1:25.4. Jimmy Devaux asked the classy mare for her best around the final turn and though rival Pammy Jo (Shawn Gray) made progress in the stretch, the chase was futile. Surreal Feeling stopped the timer in 1:54.2 to record what was her 23^rd win in 70 career starts. The 2-5 betting favorite on Wednesday, Surreal Feeling led an exacta with Pammy Jo second that returned $8.40. Longshot Thats Incredible (Billy Dobson) finished third to round out a $41.40 triple in the six-horse feature for the ladies. Trainer Dale Lawton co-owns Surreal Feeling with Chris Lawton of Vernon, NY.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga and will feature a growing jackpot in the Jackpot Pick 6. The Pick 6 jackpot is up to $7,534 and will be awarded to whoever holds the unique pick 6 ticket that day. If no one is the lone winner, a portion of the pool will be paid out to anyone who hit the pick 6 and the remainder will go to the jackpot as that continues to build. First post time on Monday is set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

There has been no horse that has enjoyed as much success at Saratoga Casino Hotel in the last five years as Artful Way. The Jackie Greene-trained pacer piled up awards last decade for Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year while the dominant force in the local Open Pace. Owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY, Artful Way (Artistic Fella) was lightly raced last season after suffering an injury but scored a couple of victories while competing throughout the wintertime at Yonkers Raceway.  On Tuesday afternoon, Artful Way was back in town and back into the Open Pace where he drew post three in the six-horse feature. Billy Dobson piloted the nine year old stalwart who was dismissed at odds of 9-1. Dobson sat back patiently in a first half that went in a fast 55.3. The favored Some Waratah A (Greg Merton) came first over approaching the three-quarter pole before powering past the leader in three quarters of 1:24. All the while, Artful Way took up the chase and followed the move of the favorite before gunning him down in the final strides to secure his first Open win of the year in his first try in the $12,000 feature. Paying $21.20 to win is something that would have never happened in previous seasons for Artful Way who led an exacta with Some Waratah A second that returned $59. Invader Kerford Road A (Jay Randall) closed to finish third and rounded out a $261.50 triple. For Artful Way, it was win number 61 in 163 career starts for the Greene stable star. Dobson became the sixth different driver to win an Open in the six installments of features in the young season at the Spa.

Live racing continues on Wednesday at Saratoga with first post time set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Winning Opens is something Cash Me Out (Cash Hall) has pretty much always done. The Kyle Spagnola trainee won the Open Trot nine times in his 2019 Horse of the Year campaign at Saratoga Casino Hotel before adding another three local Opens to his tally in the ’20 season. It only made sense that in the first Open Trot contested this year that Cash Me Out prevailed on Monday afternoon. Phil Fluet piloted the veteran trotter who cruised to victory on opening day of the meet (March 1^st) when in a conditional race. In the season’s first installment of the $11,000 Open Trot on the season, Cash Me Out was the public’s 4-5 betting favorite while assigned post six in the six-horse feature. The post didn’t bother the millionaire trotter who marched out to the early lead and just cruised once he got there. When it was all said and done, Cash Me Out stopped the timer in 1:58.1 on a windy afternoon in Saratoga to record his first Open score of the year in what was his 60^th lifetime win. The local star is owned by Mike Traylor of Ballston Spa, NY. Longshot Yonkers invader Freddie Mac (Jay Randall) sat the pocket to the winner and finished second to complete a generous $68.00 exacta while Gruden (Billy Dobson) came up third-best to complete a $198.50 triple. The win was one of two on the day for Spagnola whose If Not Why Not (Muscle Mass) also made good as an odds-on favorite on Monday, cruising to a wire-to-wire win in a $6,450 trotting event with driver Brett Crawford at the controls.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

The ladies take center stage at Saratoga Casino Hotel every Wednesday afternoon and while there was no Open for fillies and mares contested this week, the matinee’s featured race did wind up with a stretch duel between two distaffers who between them have almost a million dollars in career earnings. Invader Certified Ideal (Western Ideal) came to town for trainer Sheena Mcelhiney and drew post seven in the $7,200 featured race for pacing mares. Though the eleven year old has piled up over $700,000 in earnings over the course of her illustrious career, Certified Ideal hasn’t had a big winning way about her in the last couple of years. Reinsman Shawn Gray sat behind the veteran who ten days ago won for the first time since 2019 when she went coast-to-coast at Pocono Downs. In that start, the classy mare displayed early speed and powered away from her rivals while on the engine. Gray attempted a similar plan on Wednesday with Certified Ideal who was pointed right out to the early lead in her return to Saratoga. The veteran laid down fast fractions, reaching the half in 56 seconds before checking-in at three quarters in 1:25.2. Certified Ideal finished the job, stopping the timer in 1:55.3 to record her second victory of the season. The race’s favorite Glenferrie Blade A (Mark Beckwith) got the pocket trip behind the winner and stuck with her for most of the mile before turning for home where Certified Ideal busted it wide open. Glenferrie Blade A wound up as the runner-up while Misty Memory N (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot for the fourth consecutive week in her four local tries. Certified Ideal was dismissed at odds of 12-1 paying $26.80 to win and leading an exacta and triple that returned $78.50 and $214.50, respectively.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon (March 29) at Saratoga with first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Crockets Cullen N (Christian Cullen) was the 2019 Pacer of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel and would have likely taken home those same honors had there been awards given out last year. The now ten year old standout, who is owned, trained and driven by Larry Stalbaum, was the runner-up in his first two local Open Pace starts this season. On Tuesday afternoon, with no Open on the docket, the feature was a $8,500 pacing event in which Crockets Cullen N went off as the 3-5 betting favorite. Stalbaum moved his stable star out to the early lead and just rolled him. The veteran pacer went to the quarter in 27.2 before traveling unopposed to the half in 55.2. At that point, Crockets Cullen N shifted gears yet again and powered away from his rivals before checking in at three-quarters in 1:22.4. The favorite made good in the feature, stopping the timer in 1:52.2 for the fastest mile of the young season at the Spa. Sports Obsession (Jimmy Devaux) came into the race on a three-race win streak and again was terrific, finishing second to the favorite to complete a $7.10 exacta. Wyatt J (Mark Beckwith), who like Crockets Cullen N dropped out of the Open, closed to finish third and rounded out a $56 triple. The winningest horse in the Saratoga Open Pace in the past two seasons recorded his first local victory of the campaign on Tuesday which was his second win overall in 2021 as he cruised to front-running score at Yonkers in January.

Live racing continues on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

There have been few hotter barns in the first month of the racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel than that of Margaret Spagnola. Defending top trainer Gary Levine leads the way in the early going of 2021 among conditioners but Spagnola hasn’t been far behind in the first few weeks of the campaign. On Monday, Spagnola’s barn stayed hot as the trotters from her stable shined. Match My Miracle (Imagistic) went coast-to-coast in a $6,150 trotting event to extend his win streak to three on Monday. Brett Crawford is the regular pilot for most of the Spagnola-trained horses and sat behind Match My Miracle as he set a new lifetime mark in his resounding, wire-to-wire victory on an afternoon in Saratoga that actually felt like springtime. Match My Miracle, who is owned by Dave Spagnola and the Our Blue Streaks Stable of NY, had a strong 2020 season that saw him win six races and hit the board eleven times in eighteen starts. Here in ’21, the five year old gelding is now three-for-three after his career best Monday score that came as the public’s odds-on favorite. Longshot Lazzaro (Billy Dobson) closed to finish second while Sweet Sofie T (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Another Spagnola-trained trotter, Amazing Sevens, almost went back-to-back with Match My Miracle on Monday as he got tracked down late in the mile in a $7,700 trotting race to finish a strong second while dismissed at odds of 9-1 as the hot start for the Spagnola stable continued.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Racine Bell (So Surreal) was up into the Fillies and Mares Open Pace on Wednesday at Saratoga Casino Hotel off a decisive victory in the $10,000 Winners Over for distaffers last week. The Dave Dewhurst-trained mare, who won the Open twice in 2020, drew post six in the six-horse Open this week and was asked for early speed from driver Brian Cross to overcome the outside post. The four year old former NY Sire Stakes stalwart worked hard to get to the top but made the front after a 27.3 first quarter. Cross gave the race’s 1-2 betting favorite a bit of a second-quarter breather as they reached the half in 57.2. Without facing a legit challenge, Racine Bell drew off from her rivals clicking off three quarters in 1:26 while opening up what wound up being an insurmountable lead. Pammy Jo (Shawn Gray), the runner-up to Racine Bell both last week and in the Open contested two weeks ago, wound up coming from off the pace to be second once again on Wednesday. The Charging Moa N (Jay Randall) sat the pocket to the winner but got outpaced heading to three-quarters before ending up finishing third. Racine Bell reported home a two-length winner and led an exacta and triple that paid $4.60 and $14.60, respectively, in a chalky feature. Racine Bell is owned by Chris and Dale Lawton of New York.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon and will feature some carryovers/jackpots for bettors to shoot for. There is a Pick 5 carryover of $4,005 starting in the first race of the day. The jackpots in the Jackpot Pick 6 and the Jackpot Super High 5 continue to grow as well. They sit at $4,150 for the Jackpot Pick 6 and $4,704 for the Jackpot High 5.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Some Waratah A (Somebeachsomewhere) put up the fastest mile of the young racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Tuesday, he went coast-to-coast to prevail in his local debut. Greg Merton piloted the Amanda Kelley trainee and moved the 4-5 betting favorite to the top in the $12,000 featured Open Pace. Some Waratah A came from Australia this winter and debuted for the Scheigert Racing Stable, of Saratoga Springs, at Yonkers in February. He rattled off back-to-back jacks downstate including a win in the Open Pace. In Tuesday’s feature, the seven year old set fast fractions throughout but looked every bit the part before stopping the timer in 1:53, the fastest time of the young meet at the Spa. Some Waratah A was briefly met with the challenge of last week’s Open winner Walkinshaw N (Jimmy Devaux) before turning that one away in mid-stretch. Pocket sitter Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum) wound up finishing second while Walkinshaw N held third. Some Waratah N, who paid $3.90 to win in his local debut, was one of two winners on the card for Merton, Kelley and the Scheigert Racing Stable who teamed up for a victory in a $6,150 pacing event with Nagle (Dali).

Live racing resumes on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that kicks off at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Gigfy (Broadway Hall) competed in the Open Trot on a few occasions last year at Saratoga Casino Hotel and while he didn’t fare well at that level, he is thriving in the early stages of the 2021 campaign at the Spa. Brian Mattison trains the seven year old trotter who recorded a win at the Meadowlands this winter after being lightly raced in the ’20 season. Last Monday (March 8), Gigfy dropped in class and went coast-to-coast in 1:57.3 for a decisive victory with Alek Chartrand in the bike. This week, looking to repeat, Gigfy drew post seven in a nine-horse field in the matinee’s $7,700 featured race. Chartrand was aggressive in the early stages with the sharp trotter and forwardly placed him at the start. After the race’s favorite Stone In Love (Brian Cross) surged first-over into the lead, Gigfy followed not far behind and took dead aim on the public’s even money top choice around the final turn before reeling him in to score at odds of 4-1. Gigfy stopped the timer in 1:57.2 on a cold, breezy afternoon in Saratoga to go back-to-back. Stone In Love finished second to complete a $28.80 exacta. If Not Why Not (Brett Crawford) rounded out what was a $191 triple. Gigfy is owned by Gerald D’Alessandro of Ocala, FL and Bridgette Mattison of Watervliet, NY.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a Noon first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Racine Bell (So Surreal) has been a winning machine over the course of her young career. The Dave Dewhurst trainee was a New York Sire Stakes star in her first two racing seasons, amassing over $285,000 in earnings in her two and three-year-old campaigns. The talented mare made her 2021 debut at Saratoga Casino Hotel last Wednesday (March 3) in the Fillies and Mares Open and finished a solid third. This week, Racine Bell was the public’s even money favorite in the $10,000 Winners Over for distaffers and reinsman Brian Cross moved the talented mare right out to the early lead in the five-horse feature. Racine Bell clicked off a first half in 57.2 before powering away from her rivals behind a 27.4 third quarter to open up an insurmountable lead. The four year old stopped the timer in 1:54 for her first victory of the year and her 11^th in 27 lifetime starts. Pammy Jo (Shawn Gray), the runner-up in last week’s Open, came up second-best once again. Bontz N (Billy Dobson) finished third. Racine Bell accounted for one of two wins on the card for her owners Chris and Dale Lawton of New York and trainer Dave Dewhurst who also teamed up for a victory with young trotter Me Three (Chapter Seven) who broke her maiden on Wednesday with Jimmy Devaux in the sulky.

Live racing resumes next Monday afternoon with jackpots continuing to build in the Jackpot Pick 6 and Jackpot Super High 5. The Pick 6 jackpot currently sits at $2,569 while the Super High 5 jackpot is at $3,068.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino