A Spa staple made his return to the winner’s circle on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Panocchio was the Horse of the Year at the track in 2014 and was named Pacer of the Year in both ’14 and ’15 as the Jimmy Mattison trainee was a dominant force for several seasons. Now at the age of ten, Panocchio (No Pan Intended) is still a talent and fairly regular participant in Opens both here at Saratoga and at Pompano Park in Florida where he spends much of his year. On Monday afternoon, Panocchio drew the rail while taking a drop in company off a third-place finish in last week’s Open Pace. The veteran utilized his inside post to power out to the lead though the fractions were fast considering he was untested in the early going in the $5,750 conditional race. Despite posting first half fractions of 27.1 and 56 seconds, Panocchio was up to the task on Monday and drew away from his rivals late in the mile before stopping the timer in 1:52.4 for his third win of the season and his first since returning to the Spa. Saratoga has been a place of consistency and at times dominance for the superstar pacer who has amassed over $640,000 in career earnings behind 71 lifetime victories. Gerry Mattison, the regular reinsman for Panocchio when he competes at the Spa, sat behind him on Monday for the wire-to-wire score.

The afternoon’s feature once again went the way of Crockets Cullen N (Christian Cullen) who went coast-to-coast for owner/trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum. The defending Pacer of the Year has been the fixture in the local Open Pace and its dominant force for close to a year now. After scoring ten consecutive Open wins at one point from 2019 into the start of 2020, Crockets Cullen N has now prevailed in four of the last five installments of the Open Pace as he sparkled in a 1:51.4, a clocking which serves as the fastest of the season at the Spa. The 3-5 favorite of the bettors on Monday, Crockets Cullen N survived first lap fractions of 26.1 and 54.4 to have something left in the stretch and make yet another trip to the winner’s circle for Stalbaum who has been on a tear of late.
Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

It was a fantastic week at Saratoga Casino Hotel for Larry Stalbaum. The veteran reinsman piloted his 6,000^th career winner on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, Stalbaum guided three winners including in the Open Pace with his superstar Crockets Cullen N. The wins kept coming on Wednesday for Stalbaum who had three victories with his trainees including one in the feature. Miss Irish Rose A (McArdle) went coast-to-coast in the Fillies and Mares Open on Wednesday evening scoring in 1:54.2. The eight year old mare’s victory was her third in the local Open for distaffers this season. She was the public’s 3-2 betting favorite as she held off late charges from pocket-sitter Thats Incredible (Billy Dobson), who was the runner-up in the Open for the third time in the last four weeks, and longshot Surreal Feeling (Jay Randall), who earned the show spot. The exacta and triple in the paid $14.20 and $72.50, respectively. Stalbaum also guided his Jericho Diva (Rock N Roll Heaven) and Abby Rose (Heston Blue Chip) to Wednesday wins. Abby Rose, a two year old filly, is now two-for-three in her young career after following up a victory in the New York Sire Stakes Excelsior Series A with a decisive score in her local debut which saw her stop the timer in 1:56.3. Stalbaum drove eight winners and secured five training victories during the week’s action at the Spa.

Live racing takes place next week on Monday and Tuesday afternoon beginning at 12 noon and on Wednesday evening starting at 7:15pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Waiting On A Woman (Northern Bailey) overcame a bit of a tough start to win the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the second time in three weeks. The Kyle Spagnola trainee was his race’s even money favorite starting from post three in the seven-horse feature and driver Phil Fluet asked the twelve year old for some early speed. He and rival Mister Muscle (Shawn Gray), last week’s Open winner, squared off in a battle to the quarter which yielded a sizzling panel of 26.4. Mister Muscle made it to the top and got a half in 56.2 but wound up tiring a bit in the stretch as Waiting On A Woman closed up the inside. Longshot Mugshots Bro (Jay Randall) charged off his cover to become a stretch threat before ultimately coming up second-best to Waiting On A Woman who came on to score in 1:56.1. The veteran trotter went five years between Open wins before setting a track record for twelve year old trotters two weeks ago when he prevailed in 1:55.1 in the $8,500 Open. Mugshots Bro was the runner-up while Mister Muscle earned the show spot on Monday afternoon. The even-money favorite led an exacta and triple that returned $48.20 and $245, respectively. Waiting On A Woman, whose victory was the incredible 77^th of his career, is owned by Mike Polansky of Loudonville, NY.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee beginning at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

There were three divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for two year old colt and gelding pacers contested at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Wednesday night. The overwhelming favorite among the freshman pacers heading into the evening was American Courage (American Ideal-Nota Fool Bluechip- Art Major) who was the dominant force in the recently completed Springfield Pace at Yonkers Raceway. The Travis Alexander trainee went two-for-two in the series highlighted by a career-best 1:53.3 victory in the $104,250 Final. The good-looking freshman came into Wednesday’s try in the $47,967 division of the NYSS with an undefeated three-for-three record and was subsequently the betting public’s 1-9 favorite as he looked to remain unbeaten. Driver Matt Kakaley wasted little time getting American Courage to the early lead and they never looked back winning decisively in 1:54.3 over a track labeled ‘good.’ American Courage already has earnings of more than $93,000 and looks poised to have an even bigger summer as the Sire Stakes season progresses. American Courage is owned by the Fiddler’s Creek Stables of West Bloomfield, MI.

Town Gossip (American Ideal-Flibbertigibbet-Albert Albert) was the runner-up to American Courage in his first two career starts in the Springfield Series but on Wednesday broke his maiden in front of driver Joe Bongiorno. Town Gossip was his race’s odds-on favorite as he cruised to the front-end and drew away late to prevail in 1:56.1. Owned by Robert Weinstein of Bellmore, NY, Town Gossip earned the winner’s share of the $48,867 purse in his division of the NYSS on Wednesday. The talented gelding is trained by Jenn Bongiorno.

The third and final division for the freshman pacing colts went the way of King James Express (Art Major-More Diamonds- Dragon Again) who parlayed his pocket ride to victory with Jason Bartlett at the controls. The Mark Harder-trained freshman drew the rail and sat the two-hole to the race’s favorite Carrythetorchman (Marcus Miller) and when Bartlett gave King James Express his cue around the final turn, the gelding stormed past the favorite before stopping the timer in 1:56.3 to record his first career victory in just his second lifetime start. King James Express is owned by Harder, Frost, Carleton and Lockhart.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time set for 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa  Simser-Iovino

Bontz N has been the female force among pacers at Saratoga Casino Hotel this season. The nine year old distaffer won her fifth Filly and Mare Open of the year on Tuesday afternoon as her regular pilot Shawn Gray got the favored mare to coast through a comfortable first lap before drawing off from the competition in the final half. Bontz N was the 4-5 betting favorite in the $8,500 feature and cruised uncontested through a first half that went in 58.1. From there, the chase was futile for the rivals of the favorite who prevailed by a measured half length over pocket-sitter Thats Incredible (Billy Dobson) in a mile clocked in 1:55.1. Barynya A (Sam King) sat third behind the top two throughout the mile and earned the show spot. Bontz N led an exacta and triple that returned $9.70 and $55, respectively. Bontz N’s trainer Gary Levine came into the week atop the trainer standings this season but conditioner Melissa Beckwith piled up three wins on the Tuesday card as she and Levine remain very close at the top. With the driving victory in the ladies’ Open, Shawn Gray has now piloting the winner of the most recent installment of the Fillies and Mares Open, the Open Pace and Open Trot.

Live racing continues on Wednesday evening with a mostly New York Sire Stakes filled program as two year old pacing colts and geldings are featured. First post time is set for 7:15pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Mister Muscle won the Open Trot five times last season after coming to Saratoga Casino Hotel late in the summer. The Melissa Beckwith trainee opened up his 2020 campaign with a pair of Open victories prior to the quarantine shutdown. On Monday afternoon, making his second start back since the break, Mister Muscle (Muscle Mass) had Shawn Gray piloting as he got a pocket trip in the $8,500 trotting feature. Last week’s Open winner Waiting On A Woman (Phil Fluet) once again cut the mile this week and clicked off a first half in 57.1. Challenger Stone In Love (Brian Cross) charged up first-over past three quarters in 1:26.2 and served as a threat to Waiting On A Woman. All the while, Mister Muscle was waiting for open road in the passing lane. The six year old trotter surged up the rail and got by Waiting On A Woman before stopping the timer in 1:55.4 to record his third Open victory of the season. Waiting On A Woman came up second-best while Stone In Love earned the show spot. Mister Muscle paid $7.50 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $57.50 and $305.50, respectively. The victory was one of two on the afternoon for the track’s defending leading trainer Melissa Beckwith and also served as one of three wins for Gray in the sulky on the Monday card.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee beginning at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

There were double features on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as both the Open Trot and Open Pace were part of the thirteen race matinee. Waiting On A Woman (Northern Bailey) last recorded an Open win at Saratoga in March of 2015. The veteran trotter has been a staple out of the Kyle Spagnola stable for years and has competed at numerous tracks throughout the northeast over that time. Now at the age of twelve, Waiting On A Woman is back in Open company and was coming off a third-place finish in last week’s feature when he started from post two on Sunday afternoon. Dismissed at odds of 8-1 in the six-horse co-feature, Waiting On A Woman marched out to the early lead and felt no pressure in lap one going down to the half in a leisurely 59.2. At that point, the veteran had plenty left to cruise through a final lap in 55.4 while drawing away to win by more than five lengths in 1:55.1. Waiting On A Woman paid $18.60 to win and bested last week’s Open winner and runner-up Gemologist (Jordan Derue) and Volare (Billy Dobson) who ran two-three in this week’s installment of the $8,500 Open Trot. The exacta and triple returned $45 and $114, respectively. Waiting On A Woman is owned by Mike Polansky of Loudonville, NY.

The other co-feature on Sunday was the $8,500 Open Pace which saw Hudson Phil finally shake his seconditis to record an Open win. The Jackie Greene trainee was an eight-time Open winner in 2019 but finished up his campaign with runner-up tries in three of his final four starts. His ’20 season began in June with three more second-place finishes. This week, reinsman Shawn Gray put Hudson Phil on the front-end, taking the lead just before the quarter pole. The five year old would not have to settle for second-best this week as he dug in to win in 1:53.3 holding off a late charge from Deetzy (Jay Randall) who ended up finishing second. Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum), the winner of two straight Opens heading into Sunday, went a big mile before having to settle for third. Hudson Phil, who is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY, was the 4-5 betting favorite in the co-feature and led an exacta and triple that paid $12.40 and $57, respectively.

Live racing resumes on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12 Noon. There will be a $2,855 carryover in the Pick Five pool with the Pick Five beginning in race one on Wednesday afternoon’s card.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino