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

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. They 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