Prairie Rocknroll (A Rocknroll Dance) took advantage of his inside post to take the field coast-to-coast in Saturday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Kyle Spagnola trains the four year old who came up a head short and a length short of winning the Open in his previous two tries but would not be denied in Saturday’s installment of the $18,500 feature. Phil Fluet sat behind Prairie Rocknroll who sizzled through a first quarter in 26.4 before getting a bit of a breather and reaching the half in 56.4. The youngster had plenty left for the final half as he completed a wire-to-wire win in 1:53 for his first ever score in the local feature. Talking Tom (Leon Bailey) got the pocket trip and wound up as the runner-up while Ahi Sunshine (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Prairie Rocknroll, who is owned by Laurie Poulin, was one of two winners out of the Spagnola stable on Saturday night as the conditioner’s Rock Solid Express prevailed on the front-end for the second consecutive week in a $15,000 conditional race for pacers. Billy Dobson piloted Rock Solid Express to his back-to-back jacks. Prairie Rocknroll paid $5.80 as the 9-5 betting favorite in the Open.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Photo: CMS Photography

Variegated (Chapter Seven- White Cheetah- Muscle Mass) broke the track record for three-year-old trotting colts on Saturday evening at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Marcus Melander-trained high-stepper was the 1-9 betting favorite in his $82,500 division of the New York Sire Stakes and lived up to the hype. Variegated competed against top-flight trotters in recent weeks racing in the Stanley Dancer and Hambletonian Elims at the Meadowlands before returning to half mile racing in the Sire Stakes on Saturday. Jason Bartlett sat behind the sophomore for the first time and cruised to the early lead with the public’s overwhelming favorite. The first half of the race appeared to be nothing extraordinary as Variegated posted fractions of 28.4 and 58.1 but when the speedy invader was asked to crank it up, he responded in record fashion. The Melander trainee cruised through a final half in 56.1 en route to stopping the timer in 1:54.2 to lower the track record for sophomore trotting colts. The previous record of 1:54.3 was held by The Veteran who did it in 2018 with Scott Zeron in the sulky. Karinchak (Mark Macdonald) was the runner-up to Variegated while defeated by close to seven lengths. Seismic Step (Jordan Stratton) earned the show spot. The track record holder is owned by S R F Stable of Delray Beach, FL.

The other division of the NYSS for colts and geldings went the way of Seven Layer (Chapter Seven- Coffeecake Hanover- Cantab Hall) who sprung a bit of an upset on Saturday evening scoring on the engine while dismissed at odds of 8-1. Noel Daley trains Seven Layer whose victory was the first of his career despite the fact that the three year old came into the race with six-figure earnings in the ’25 campaign.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm. There is a $17,239 carry over in the Jackpot High 5.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Mr Mclaren N (Mach Three) won for the fourth time in the Open Pace this season when on Saturday evening at Saratoga Casino Hotel, Larry Stalbaum moved the eight year old to the early lead and they never looked back. Mc Mclaren N won three Opens in the springtime before taking a bit of time off leading up to a start in last week’s featured race for pacers. Following a non-productive return try, Mc Mclaren N proved ready to roll in this week’s installment of the $16,000 Open and powered out to front-end. Stalbaum owns and trains the New Zealand invader who got a first quarter in 27.2 before slowing things down to reach the half in a leisurely 57.4. Talking Tom (Leon Bailey) sat the pocket to the leader while Soho Skyfall A (Jay Randall) followed that pair along the pylon path throughout the mile. The outer flow didn’t thrive and the top three finished just as they started with Mr Mclaren N prevailing in 1:54 over pocket-sitting Talking Tom and Soho Skyfall A. Mr Mclaren N paid $11.00 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $39.20 and $103, respectively. Mr Mclaren N joins The Good Doctor and Lanjo Lee as four-time Open Pace winners at the Spa this season.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a 12pm first post. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $2,136 in the matinee’s first race.

The biggest upset in the sixteen year history of the Joe Gerrity Jr Memorial Pace was recorded on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Binge On Yankee pulled off the shocker at odds of 43-1 when he parlayed his pocket ride to victory in the richest race of the year at the Spa. Braxten Boyd sat behind the Todd Luther-trained pacer who drew the rail for his try in the $250,000 feature. The heavily favored Desperate Man (Matt Kakaley) assumed the early lead and cruised through a first half in a fast but reasonable first half of 55.2. As Desperate Man took on a pair of rivals in the third quarter, Binge On Yankee sat comfortably in the two-hole before finding room up the rail when he got loose late in the stretch. The 1-2 shot Desperate Man battled but wound up second-best to the longshot winner as Binge On Yankee came on to score in 1:51.1 to record the biggest win of his career. Howlenthehills (Ridge Warren) earned the show spot. Todd Luther became the sixteenth different trainer to win the Gerrity in its sixteen installments while Braxten Boyd became the fifteenth different driver to score a victory in the history of the year’s biggest race. Only Jason Bartlett, who piloted five winners including both of the $74,000+ New York Sire Stakes races contested on the Saturday card, has prevailed multiple times in the Gerrity. Binge On Yankee paid $89.50 to win in what was his fifth victory of the season. He is owned by Greg Luther Racing LLC of Blacklick, Ohio.

Live racing resumes on Monday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Mrs Cheese (American Ideal- Ms Cheesman- Betterthancheddar) sprung the upset in the $174,000 featured New York Sire Stakes race on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Matt Kakaley sat behind the Scott Di Domenico-trained pacing filly who drew the rail for her try in the big NYSS event. Mrs Cheese came to town off a win in a $50,000 race at Yonkers but was dismissed at odds of 13-1 in what was her third start in Sire Stakes competition. The sophomore filly sat the pocket to Send It Down Slim (Mark Macdonald) who carved out sizzling fractions of 26.4 and 56.1 in lap one. The leader held firm through three quarters in 1:24.1 feeling pressure from upset-minded Strutsville (Ridge Warren) who was first-over force in the feature. Those dueling rivals were joined in the stretch by Mrs Cheese who found open road in the passing lane before surging to score in 1:53.2 to complete the upset. Send It Down Slim was the runner-up while Strutsville was a game third-place finisher. Kakaley piloted three winners on the card as he also sat behind a pair of Excelsior Series winners on Saturday. The 37 year old reinsman guided three year old fillies Time To Strike and Beantown Deuce to victories in their respective $20,000 races. Mrs Cheese, who paid $28.40 in the upset victory, is owned by Triple D Stables Inc of Jamesburg, NJ.

Soho Skyfall A (Sweet Lou) stayed razor sharp on Saturday night when the Rob Harmon trainee prevailed in the feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Driver Jay Randall brushed the Aussie-born pacer to the lead past the half mile pole following a first lap that went in 56.2. Soho Skyfall A powered away some from his competitors while pacing a third quarter in 27.4 before holding off a late surge in the stretch from even-money favorite Little Willy (Shawn Gray) to score in 1:52.3. Paying $8.10 to win on Saturday, Soho Skyfall A’s victory was his fifth in ten seasonal tries. Imoutthedoor (Jacob Cutting) came on to finish third in the $13,000 conditional pace that served as the Saturday feature with no Open Pace on the docket this week. The five-year-old is owned by Go For Glory Stable LLC.

Hot Joe (Roll With Joe) completed a series sweep of the Charlie Hoffman Pace on Saturday night (Dec 7) at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The six-year-old gelding came from off the pace to prevail for the third consecutive week. Joe Nassimos trains the Vernon Downs-based pacer. Leon Bailey was in the sulky for owner JC’s Get R Done Stable of Buffalo NY. Yamaka (Aaron Byron) took second place, and Quagmire Bluechip (Chris Long) earned the show spot.

The Charlie Hoffman Pacing Series began eight years ago recognizing the longtime employee of the track who worked in the mutuel department for more than six decades! Hoffman, at the age of 101, was in attendance on Saturday night for a presentation in the winner’s circle to the victor of the series named in his honor. Hoffman is the longest ever employee of the track and was joined by friends and former co-workers to greet Hot Joe and his connections with his well-known smile and quick wit. Charlie Hoffman, truly a Saratoga treasure.

Live racing continues on today at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm. There is a $24,847 carryover for the Jackpot Super High Five.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett Photo

There were two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes contested on Saturday evening at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Three-year-old colt and gelding trotters took center stage at the Spa and Sir Pinocchio (Met’s Hall) was the star of the show. The Ed Hart-trained sophomore is in the midst of a sensational season and came into Saturday’s try with six wins and four seconds in eleven starts in 2024. Jason Bartlett is the regular driver for Sir Pinocchio who drew post five in his five-horse division on Saturday. The gelding surged out to the early lead and cruised unopposed for the majority of the mile in his $82,500 division and had plenty left in the stretch to draw away for a victory of close to four lengths. Sir Pinocchio stopped the timer in 1:55.1 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ With the earnings from his seventh seasonal score, Sir Pinocchio, who paid $4.50 to win as his race’s second choice in the wagering, moved his ’24 earnings to over the $400,000 mark. The sophomore is owned by Carolyn Atherton of Scarsdale, NY.

The other division of the NYSS for three-year-olds went the way of Mister Mellby (Chapter Seven) who sprung the upset with driver Tyler Buter piloting for trainer Aka Svanstedt. Mister Mellby utilized his early speed to secure an easy lead into the first turn and maintained that lead throughout before clocking a 1:56.1 victory pulling off the upset at odds of 9-1 in the five-horse Sire Stakes event. For Mister Mellby, it was the second win in eight tries in ’24. The three-year-old colt is owned by Mellby Gard Inc of Delray Beach, FL.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening (Sept 7) with a first post time of 5pm. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $1,242 beginning in the evening’s first race.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Hestherightstuff has had a feast or famine month of August at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Gary Levine-trained pacer won the Open on August 3^rd to kick off his month before encountered an equipment break and subsequently going offstride in his following start. Hestherightstuff headed into Saturday’s start in the $15,000 Open Pace coming off another break but drew post two for his try in the feature. Billy Dobson picked up the catch-drive for Levine and found some early speed from the seven year old pacer who very rarely plays the role of leaver. The 8-5 second-choice in the wagering on Saturday, Hestherightstuff traveled unopposed in first-half fractions of 27 and 56 seconds and never suffered an anxious moment in completing a coast-to coast score in an impressive 1:51.4. Pickup Man Hanover (Wally Hennessey) sat the pocket to the two-time 2024 Open Pace winner and wound up as the runner-up while Talking Tom (Chris Long) hit the board for the third consecutive week in the feature by earning the show spot. Hestherightstuff, who is owned by his trainer Gary Levine, reported home a decisive three-length winner on Saturday night and paid $5.30 to win. The exacta and triple in the feature returned $13.20 and $60.50, respectively.

Live racing resumes on Thursday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 5pm.

Coaches Corner (Always A Virgin) paced the fourth fastest mile in the history of Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday evening as the Per Engblom trainee scored an impressive victory in the 15^th Annual Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace. Jason Bartlett piloted Coaches Corner who hadn’t raced in over a month before his try in the $250,000 Gerrity but drew post two off a qualifier at the Meadowlands in which he covered the mile in 1:50 with a sparkling final quarter of 25.4.

The morning line favorite in the Gerrity, Coaches Corner went off as the 5-2 second-choice in the wagering with “major danger” Desperate Man drawing post eight for his try. Coaches Corner paced out to the lead in a sizzling 26.2 first quarter before reaching the half in 54.4. As Desperate Man (Matt Kakaley) revved up his engine, he was caught three-wide past three quarters in 1:22.

Bartlett asked Coaches Corner for all he had turning for home just as pocket-sitter Backstreet Shadow (Tyler Buter) took his shot at the leader in the stretch. At the wire, it was four year old Coaches Corner who reigned supreme, stopping the timer in 1:49.3, the fourth fastest clocking in track history.

In the win, the Engblom trainee held off Backstreet Shadow who finished second, coming up just a length shy of the victory. Longshot Pleaseletmeknow (Mark Macdonald) earned the show spot while the favored Desperate Man had to settle for fourth after navigating through a difficult journey in the season’s richest race at the Spa.

Coaches Corner, who is owned in partnership by Brian Carsey and Jeff Fought Racing, paid $7.10 to win as he boosted his lifetime earnings to over the half million dollar mark. With the win, Jason Bartlett became the first driver to prevail twice in the Gerrity in its fifteen years worth of installments as he piloted the 2015 winner PH Supercam for trainer Jeff Bamond Jr. Engblom is now the fifteenth different trainer to send out a Gerrity winner. Bartlett made three trips to winner’s circle on the Saturday evening card at the Spa.

Live racing resumes at Saratoga on Thursday evening with a first post time set for 5pm.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York