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.

For the second consecutive Saturday night, Heaven On High N went coast-to-coast in the feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Mcgwire Sowers picked up the catch-drive for trainer Larry Stalbaum as Heaven On High N drew post seven for his try in the most recent installment of the $15,000 Open Pace. The New Zealand invader powered up to the front in a sizzling first quarter of 26.3 and never let up. Heaven On High N rattled off middle half fractions of 55.1 and 1:23.1 before drawing away at the top of the stretch en route to a 1:51.4 victory of three and a quarter lengths. The win time matched the previous lifetime mark of the talented pacer set at Yonkers in 2023. Longshot Talking Tom (Chris Long) shook loose in the lane and came on to finish second at odds of 18-1 while Im No Outlaw N (Brett Beckwith), who got the pocket ride behind the Open winner, had to settle for third. Heaven On High N paid $8.60 in what was his third Open score of the season at the Spa and he led an exacta and triple that returned $52.50 and $718, respectively. Heaven On High N, a seven year old son of Rock N Roll Heaven, is owned by Shark Racing Stable of Bainbridge, NY.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Boozer (Huntsville) was a winning machine in his breakout three year old campaign in 2023. Competing out of the stable of Melissa and Mark Beckwith, Boozer enjoyed an eleven-win season and accrued over $81,000 in earnings in ‘23.

The now four year old pacer is off to a strong start at Saratoga Casino Hotel again this year and on Saturday night, the Mark Beckwith trainee prevailed for the second consecutive week. Brett Beckwith has been on an absolute tear in the racing season’s first month and piled up another four-win evening on Saturday.

Beckwith pointed Boozer right out to the lead in the evening’s $11,500 feature and the youngster never let up, wiring the field in 1:55.1. His race’s 3-5 betting favorite, Boozer won for the thirteenth time in 33 career starts. Mark Beckwith teamed up with Brett for three winners on the Saturday card as his son piloted Go Dancing A and Little Willy to victories to join Boozer to comprise the duo’s hat trick.

Both Beckwiths wound up with four wins on the night. Saturday’s card was the seventh consecutive in which Brett has recorded at least three winners in what has been a dynamic opening month of the campaign for the 21 year old rising sulky star.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Rocknroll Runa A (Rock N Roll Heaven) won the local Open Pace for the third time this season when on Saturday evening, the Larry Stalbaum trainee overcame post position eight to record the victory in the $15,000 feature. The well-traveled Rocknroll Runa A came into the race with more than $216,000 in earnings on the year by way of eleven wins and dominated the competition despite getting a first-over trip in his return to town.

Young reinsman Matt Athearn piloted the Stalbaum trainee who overpowered the front-runner in the race before opening up an insurmountable lead past the three-quarter pole. Rocknroll Runa A stopped the timer in 1:53.1 on a chilly December evening in the Spa City to secure his third local Open win of 2023. Vintage Cheddar N (Brett Beckwith) was making his first start in over five weeks when he came charging hard to be a solid, albeit well-beaten, second in the feature.

Islandspecialmajor (Jay Randall) earned the show spot. Rocknroll Runa A was the 4-5 betting favorite despite having started from post eight in what was his twelfth win of the season. The victory served as the third in Opens at Saratoga in less than two weeks for the Stalbaum stable whose Big Box Hanover and Magical Maya A scored wins in the Open Trot and Fillies and Mares Open, respectively. Stalbaum owns the Aussie invader Rocknroll Runa A who has enjoyed a sensational first season in the U.S.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York