But Why won his sixth Open Trot of the season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon. The Scott Mongeon trainee moved his career earnings to over the $200,000 mark with Monday’s score in the $18,500 Open. Jimmy Devaux piloted the four year old high-stepper who got away fifth in the eight-horse feature before coming first-over and surging in the backstretch approaching the three-quarter pole. But Why opened up what turned out to be an insurmountable lead around the final turn before reporting home a winner in 1:56 by a decisive two and a quarter lengths. Immigrant Am S (Leon Bailey) followed the winner and wound up as the runner-up in the Open while Platinum As (Jacob Cutting) came from post eight to finish third. But Why, the even-money betting favorite, won for the thirteenth time of the year and the twentieth time in just 55 lifetime starts. For Devaux, the win behind But Why was one of three on the day for the meet’s leading driver.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm. There is a $15,479 carryover in the Super High 5.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Big Box Hanover returned to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon and returned to the winner’s circle. The veteran trotter moved his career earnings to over the $900,000 mark with the victory in the $18,500 Open Trot Monday when he came from off the pace to prevail as the race’s co-favorite at odds of 2-1. Leon Bailey piloted Big Box Hanover to his ninth win of 2025 and his fifth score in the local Open on the campaign. Over a track labeled “sloppy”, the eight year old trotter picked up cover in pursuit of leader Fringed (Dan Daley) who rattled off first-half fractions of 27.1 and 57.1. Big Box Hanover continued to grind, steadily gained ground throughout but remained third at the head of the stretch before he got up to win by a head in a 1:57.2 mile. Fringed was the runner-up while But Why (Billy Dobson) came from last to earn the show spot. Big Box Hanover is owned and trained by Larry Stalbaum.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that starts at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Ramborain pulled off the upset in Monday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Dan Daley trains and drives the four year old who flashed early speed while dismissed at odds of 15-1 in the Open Trot. Ramborain sat the pocket to Grateful (Aaron Byron) who was making his debut in the $18,500 feature for high-steppers and set honest fractions of 28 and 56.4 in lap one. Without any significant pressure from the race’s favorites, Grateful travelled mostly unopposed throughout but was met with the challenge of upset-minded Ramborain in the stretch and couldn’t hold off the late charge from the Daley trainee. It was Ramborain who recorded his first victory in the local Open when he came on to stop the timer in 1:56.3 to spring the upset. Grateful was a strong second while longshot Andover Contessa (Wally Hennessey) closed late to be third. Ramborain completed back-to-back jacks on the card for Dan Daley whose Fringed scored in a $15,000 trot in the race that led into the Monday feature. Ramborain paid $32.92 to win in the Open upset.

For the fifth time this year, But Why secured a win in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Monday afternoon, the young high stepper scored in the $18,500 feature. Jimmy Devaux has been the regular driver for But Why who has become an Open force this season and on Monday recorded his twelfth win of the season. Devaux marched out early with But Why who was parked in the early going but didn’t stop until he reached the top and cleared rival Ikon Vang DK (Jacob Cutting) after an opening quarter that went in 28 seconds. The Scott Mongeon-trained But Why rolled along on the engine and clicked off a half in 57.2 before reaching three quarters in 1:26.4 and getting tested in the stretch by Ikon Vang DK. The chase proved to be futile and But Why was a decisive victor in 156.2 to prevail as the race’s 3-5 betting favorite. But Why, who is owned by Steve and Laura Stewart, is in the midst of a six-figure campaign as he attempts to become the second consecutive trotter out of the Mongeon stable to be named Trotter of the Year at Saratoga. Ikon Vang DK was the runner-up while last week’s Open winner Immigrant Am S (Leon Bailey) came on to finish third.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that starts at 12pm.

For the second consecutive week, trainer Larry Stalbaum and driver Leon Bailey teamed up for a win in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Last week (Sept 22), Big Box Hanover scored a wire-to-wire victory in the $18,500 trotting feature at odds of 6-1. Immigrant Am S made his debut out of the Stalbaum stable in Monday’s installment of the Open for trotters and drew post three for his try. The favored Ikon Vang DK (Jacob Cutting) set ordinary fractions on the front-end in the feature cruising unopposed in a first half in 59.1 before Bailey pulled Immigrant Am S to the outside to challenge the 4-5 betting favorite. Ikon Vang Dk checked in at three quarters in 1:28.2 while maintaining a length lead on a tenacious Immigrant Am S who would not be denied and prevailed in his local debut in 1:56.4 at odds of 5-2. Stalbaum co-owns Immigrant Am S with Walter Jurek. Ikon Vang DK was the runner-up while Send It In Hanover (Wally Hennessey) earned the show spot.

Live racing continues on Tuesday at Saratoga with a matinee that kicks off at 12pm.

Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) has been one of the top forces in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the past few seasons. On Monday, the Larry Stalbaum trainee was at it again and went coast-to-coast to record his fourth victory in the local Open in 2025 and eighth win of the season overall. Flashing early speed in the $18,500 feature, Big Box Hanover cruised to the top and tapped the brakes early on. After moving to the front in 28 seconds, the eight year old slowed things down to reach the half in 58.4 while travelling unopposed. The favored But Why (Jimmy Devaux) powered up on the outside to give the leader his first test after checking in at three quarters in 1:27.4. That pair brought its battle into the stretch where they were joined by Up Helly AA (Chris Long) who got the two-hole trip behind Big Box Hanover who held off the pocket-sitter to score in 1:56.2. Up Helly AA was the runner-up while But Why earned the show spot for the third consecutive week in the Open. Leon Bailey piloted the winner for owner/trainer Larry Stalbaum who saw his Big Box Hanover win for the 60^th time in his career en route to more than $890,000 in earnings. The winner went off at odds of 6-1.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Rose Run Xtra (Cash Hall) came from off the pace to win the Monday feature for the second consecutive week at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Monica Krist trains the six-year-old who recently returned from a layoff before landing in the Open Trot at the Spa. Following a second-place finish in his debut in the $18,500 feature, Rose Run Xtra prevailed last week (Sept 8) for the first time in the Open before drawing post seven for Monday’s try against the track’s top high-steppers. Driver Billy Dobson sat patiently in the early going with the 4-5 betting favorite while almost ten lengths off the lead at the opening quarter. Longshot Duke Lavictoire (Jordan Derue) cut the mile and travelled unopposed through a first half of 57.2 before checking in at three-quarters in 1:26.1. Rose Run Xtra steadily gained ground but was caught three-wide for the final quarter of a mile before surging late to prevail in 1:56.1 to complete his back-to-back jacks. Duke Lavictoire was the runner-up at odds of 16-1 while But Why (Jimmy Devaux) came on to be third despite drawing post eight for his try in the Open. Rose Run Xtra’s win was one of four on the day for Dobson who guided a pair of winners for Monica Krist and owner Rick Dobson whose Tiktok Roy just missed a new lifetime mark when he parlayed a pocket ride to a 1:57 score to upset the big favorite in his $9,200 race for trotters.

Rose Run Xtra (Cash Hall) won the Open Trot for the first time at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon. The Monica Krist trainee is still on the comeback trail after being lightly raced in the 2025 campaign. The six-year-old finished second in his Spa debut on August 25^th in the $18,500 Open before drawing post six for Monday’s try in the feature. Billy Dobson took back with the 9-5 betting favorite in a race that wound up with slow first-half fractions. Longshot Send It In Hanover (Wally Hennessey) coasted through a first lap in 59 seconds before facing his first challenge. In the meantime, Dobson revved up Rose Run Xtra and after three quarters went in 1:28, he was on the move to take over fourth but still with a lot of work to do. The classy Rose Run Xtra completed his late rally by surging in the stretch to score in 1:57.1. Send It In Hanover was the runner-up while dismissed at odds of 11-1 while But Why (Jimmy Devaux), who was coming off back-to-back jacks in the Open, closed from last to earn the show spot on Monday. Rose Run Xtra is owned by Rick Dobson of Howell, Michigan. The victory in the Open was one of three for reinsman Billy Dobson.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that starts at 12pm. The card will feature eight New York Sire Stakes Excelsior Finals. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $3,493. The Pick Five begins in race one.

But Why prevailed in the Open Trot for the second consecutive week at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Scott Mongeon trainee moved aggressively to the lead in Monday’s installment of the $18,500 feature. Quarter-moving to the front for reinsman Jimmy Devaux after a 28 second flat first quarter, But Why took the field through a half in 57.2. Rose Run Xtra (Billy Dobson) was making his Spa debut and after yielding to But Why in the early going, rode his coattails throughout. The leader was met with the challenge of the favored Big Box Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) but rebuffed that bid en route to a 1:55.3 victory, his fourth in the Open Trot this season and eleventh overall on the year. Rose Run Xtra was the runner-up in his Open debut while Big Box Hanover had to settle for third. But Why paid $6.30 to win as the race’s 2-1 second-choice in the wagering. But Why is owned by Steve and Laura Stewart. For Mongeon, it was the sixth training win in the Open Trot this season as his By The Book has recorded a pair of scores in the feature for high-steppers in ’25 after winning Horse of the Year honors in 2024. The victory in the Open was one of three on the card for Devaux.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven-Lookin Sharp-Andover Hall) scored the biggest win of her young career at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon. The freshman filly prevailed in her $156,600 New York Sire Stakes race for two year olds when she went wire-to-wire to record the second victory of her young career. Jeff Gregory was in town to pilot a trio of George Ducharme trainees all of whom prevailed on the Monday matinee concluding with the big win from Sharp Seven who stopped the timer in 1:58.2 en route to more than doubling the earnings in her young career. The Ducharme-trained Makeittothebell and Elqueen tandem scored in their $20,000 NY Sire Stakes Excelsior races on the card preceding the Sharp Seven victory. Owned by Purple Haze Stables, Sharp Seven now owns two wins and two seconds in the six starts she’s made in her freshman campaign.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo