Talking Tom came from well off the pace to win his first Open Pace of the season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday.  The Perry Simser trainee has recorded a handful of Open victories in past seasons and added one to his tally when he put the swoop to the group in Sunday’s feature.

With the fractions being set by Jahan Hanover (Wally Hennessey), Talking Tom was patient in lap one, a lap that went in 57.2.  Driver Leon Bailey grabbed the cover of rival Primo Uomo (Jimmy Devaux) and together they closed in with every stride before Talking Tom fanned off that one’s cover turning for home. The Simser trainee came on in the final stretch drive to take over command and stop the timer in 1:54.2 to record the mild upset at odds of 5-1. Primo Uomo was the runner up while Jahan Hanover finished third in the $16,000 Sunday feature.   Talking Tom, who paid $12.60 to win, is owned by his trainer Perry Simser in partnership with Dennis Nye.  The win in the Open Pace was one of three scores on the card for reinsman Leon Bailey.

Live racing was canceled for Monday and Tuesday due to the high heat index and will resume on Sunday 6/29 with a matinee starting at noon.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Casino Hotel

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Rock Solid Express (Huntsville) won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time when on Sunday afternoon, the Kyle Spagnola trainee outclosed his competition to score in 1:53.4. Just two weeks removed from a wire-to-wire victory in 1:52.1 while racing in the condition ranks, Rock Solid Express moved into the $16,000 Open on Sunday and was bet down to be the race’s 4-5 favorite. Billy Dobson piloted the Spagnola-trained pacer who got away fifth in the early going and sat more than seven lengths off the leader at the opening quarter. The five year old pacer moved to the outside approaching the half-mile pole and gained ground with every stride before closing to be third at the top of the stretch to begin what wound up being a terrific stretch drive which wound up with five of the race’s seven participants finish within a length and a half of each other at the wire. When the dust settled, it was Rock Solid Express who emerged victorious in 1:53.4. Little Willy (Brett Beckwith) toughed out a first-over trip to be the runner-up in the feature while Primo Uomo (Jimmy Devaux) finished third. Rock Solid Express, who is owned by James DeArmond and David Towne, won for the third time in the 2025 season.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Unrivaled Hanover (Bettor’s Delight) won the local Open Pace for the second time this season when on Sunday afternoon, the Jackie Greene-trained pacer went coast-to-coast in the $16,000 feature. Unrivaled Hanover took advantage of his inside post position to secure the early lead and once the four year old got to the top, he never looked back. Unrivaled Hanover set sizzling fractions on the engine clicking off a first quarter in 26.1 before reaching the half in 55 seconds flat. The race’s 1-2 betting favorite felt very little pressure throughout the mile before exploding into a six-length lead to score in 1:52.1. Little Willy (Brett Beckwith) closed to be second to the favorite while Talking Tom (Leon Bailey) earned the show spot. Unrivaled Hanover, who is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables, won for the fifth time in thirteen tries this year behind his seasonal-best effort on Sunday. Jimmy Devaux piloted the Greene trainee to the Open victory.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Last year’s New York Sire Stakes champion Courts On Fire (Courtly Choice-Ashlee’s Spitfire) picked up where he left off from his superstar freshman campaign on Sunday afternoon when the Blake Macintosh trainee posted a 1:52.2 score in an $85,500 even for three year old pacing colts and geldings. Courts On Fire cruised on the engine for Brett Beckwith to record a two and a quarter length victory. The other $85,500 division went the way of Thirsty Thursday (Huntsville- Tequila Monday) who also stopped the timer in 1:52.2 as his race’s 1-9 betting favorite with Tyler Buter driving for trainer Hunter Oakes.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Sunday afternoon’s card marked the kickoff of the 2025 New York Sire Stakes season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. There were two divisions of the NYSS for three year old filly trotters that served as co-features on the fifteen race program. Driver Tyler Buter swept the co-features highlighted by a score with My Debt Collecter (Chapter Seven-Magic Presto-Kadabra). Nifty Norman trains the filly who was the runner-up in the Sire Stakes Final as a freshman in ’24 but was the 3-5 betting favorite in her $82,500 division for sophomore fillies on Sunday. Buter wasted no time powering My Debt Collecter to the front where she would remain for every step of the 1:55.4 mile. Royal Mission (Scott Zeron), the defending Stakes champion, was the runner-up to My Debt Collecter in their first square off of the season on Sunday while Seventh Gen (Jeff Gregory) finished third. My Debt Collecter’s win was her second in four tries in 2025.

Buter’s other victory came while sitting behind Pink Bomb (Chapter Seven-Go Go Dancer- Credit Winner) when she scored a decisive five-length romp in the other $82,500 co-feature. Pink Bomb prevailed in her only start as a two year old in ’24 before winning in her first start back this season. On Sunday, Buter moved the John Butenschoen-trained trotter to the front-end where she wound up romping in 1:56 to record the biggest win of her young career and move her record to three-for-three. Pink Bomb paid $12.00 to win in the mild upset.

Mr Huggins sprung the mild upset in the Doc Frank Memorial Pace Final contested on Sunday after at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Larry Stalbaum-trained pacer was winless in his 2024 freshman campaign but discovered the winning way early in ’25. Mr Huggins entered the Doc Frank Memorial with three wins in six starts and by the time the series concluded, the three-year-old doubled that win total. In Sunday’s $31,400 Final, reinsman Matt Athearn powered Mr Huggins out to the early lead while dismissed at odds of 8-1. The sophomore rattled off first-half fractions of 27.4 and 57.3 while battling parked out rival Full Metal Jacket (Leon Bailey) who fought gamely every step of the way. Mr Huggins proved to be too tough and would not be denied the score in the Series Final as he stopped the timer in 1:54.4, a career-best clocking in the biggest race in his young career. Full Metal Jacket finished second while longshot Tricky Captain N (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Mr Huggins, who is owned by Gary Smith, paid $18.20 to win in what was the sixth victory of his season.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett  – stock photo

Unrivaled Hanover (Bettor’s Delight) won the Open Pace for the first time at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday afternoon when the Jackie Greene-trained pacer went coast-to-coast. The four year old enjoyed a big season in 2024 but didn’t vault into Open company until debuting in the $16,000 feature on Sunday when Jimmy Devaux sat behind the rising star. Devaux piloted Unrivaled Hanover to a 1:53 score when coming from off the pace last week (Apr 27) when competing in the conditional ranks. In his Open debut, Unrivaled Hanover flashed speed and surged through a first quarter in 26.3 before backing it down for a 31 second second-quarter breather. Supported to the tune of odds of 8-5, Unrivaled Hanover completed a coast-to-coast victory in 1:53.1 over a track labeled ‘good.’ Huntanover (Brett Beckwith) sat the pocket to the winner and finished second while Komodo Beach (Wally Hennessey) earned the show spot. Unrivaled Hanover is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Mr Mclaren N (Mach Three) had a strong debut at Saratoga Casino Hotel on April 21^st when the Larry Stalbaum trainee battled through a first-over trip to finish second in his U.S. debut. On Sunday afternoon, Stalbaum once again sat behind the newest member of his stable as the eight year old went coast-to-coast to prevail for the first time in the $16,000 Open Pace at the Spa. Mr Mclaren N rattled off fast fractions of 26.4 and 55.3 in the opening half while parking out a rival every step of the way. The Spa newbie stayed strong rattling off three quarters in 1:24.1 before stopping the timer in 1:53.3 for his first local score. Longshot Pirate Hanover (Aaron Byron) closed sharply at odds of 14-1 to be the runner-up once again in the feature while Captain Tell (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot in his Open debut. Mr Mclaren N, who was the even-money betting favorite in the Sunday feature, is owned by Eric Prevost. Stalbaum’s stable had two winners on the card as his Mr Huggins went wire-to-wire in leg two of the Doc Frank Memorial Pacing Series on Sunday with Matt Athearn in the sulky.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Little Willy (Up The Credit) won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time in 2025 when the Melissa Beckwith trainee came from off the pace to power past his rivals on Sunday. Reinsman Brett Beckwith sat patiently with Little Willy in a race that saw fast first-half fractions of 27 seconds and 55.2. The seven year old moved off the rail and to the far outside around the final turn after leader Jahan Hanover (Wally Hennessey) checked in at three quarters in 1:23.4. When Little Willy hit the straightaway, he surged pacing past Jahan Hanover and the favorite Lanjo Lee (Jacob Cutting) to score in 1:53.2 in the $16,000 feature. Little Willy paid $8.10 to win in what was one of four victories on the card for Brett and Melissa Beckwith who teamed up for a Sunday grand slam. Mark Beckwith owns the Sunday Open winner.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

The Good Doctor has been the force in the Open Pace over the course of the first two months of the racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Jaymes McAssey trains the five year old who debuted in the local Open in February and has turned himself into a star. On Sunday, The Good Doctor was the 1-9 betting favorite in the $15,000 Open but after getting away fourth in the six-horse feature maintained that position until shaking loose in the stretch. With first-half fractions of 26.4 and 56.1 being posted up front, The Good Doctor took advantage of the early speed before storming home to win in 1:55.1 to record his fourth Open victory in the 2025 campaign while hitting the board in seven of his eight seasonal tries. Ozone Blue Chip (Billy Dobson) got the pocket ride on Sunday and wound up as the runner-up to The Good Doctor while Itsallaboutfaith N (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot. The Good Doctor, who is owned by Morrison Racing Stables, was piloted to his Open score by Brett Beckwith.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a first post time of 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo