Rocknroll Runa A enjoyed a sensational campaign last year for owner/trainer Larry Stalbaum. As a seven year old in 2024, the son of Rock N Roll Heaven amassed just shy of $350,000 in a monster season which saw him as an occasional participant in the local Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel. While not having the same kind of year in ’25, Rocknroll Runa A has again enjoyed a big campaign and on Sunday won the Open Pace for the second time of the year. Stalbaum sat behind his star pacer who blasted off the car and secured an early lead in a 28.2 first quarter. The 5-2 shot in the wagering coasted unopposed through a half in 58.1 and three quarters of 1:26.2 before being met with the challenge of pocket-sitter Favorable Draw (Shawn Gray). That rival, though, came up a half length short in a mile clocked in 1:54.3 in the $18,500 feature. Rocknroll Runa A’s victory was his fifth of the year overall and moved his seasonal earnings to over the $100,000 mark. Favorable Draw was the runner-up while Mach N Cheese (Matt Athearn) earned the show spot.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

CMS Photography photo

With no Open Pace on the card, a $15,000 event for pacers stood as the feature on the Sunday matinee at Saratoga Casino Hotel. A highly competitive race went the way of Hunter Hill and driver Aaron Byron who moved first-over on the favorite who came in riding a three-race win streak. First-half fractions of 27 and 55.4 took their toll on the weary leader and Hunter Hill powered right by approaching the three-quarter pole. The Scott West-trained pacer surged into the lead just past a 1:24.4 panel before surging into a commanding lead around the final turn. Rival Little Willy (Jacob Cutting) followed the Hunter Hill cover and closed sharply in the stretch before coming up a half-length short in a mile clocked in 1:53.4. Mr Huggins (Larry Stalbaum) came on to finish third. Hunter Hill, who is owned by his trainer Scott West, won for the sixth time of the year. He paid $17.86 to win in the upset.

Live racing continues on Monday at Saratoga with a 12pm first post.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Unrivaled Hanover (Bettor’s Delight) scored his sixth Open Pace win of the season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday. Jackie Greene trains the four year old who recorded his eleventh victory overall in 2025 when he went coast-to-coast in the $18,500 feature for pacers as reinsman Jimmy Devaux put the race’s odds-on favorite on the front-end and they never looked back. Unrivaled Hanover was the 1-4 betting favorite in the Open as he rattled off fractions of 28.1 and 57.3 in the first half before cruising unopposed through three quarters in 1:26. The Greene trainee was asked to crank up the speed around the final turn and his response was instant as the favorite for Pacer of the Year at Saratoga cruised away from his rivals to win by close to three lengths in 1:53.2 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ Handlelikeaporsche (Shawn Gray) sat the pocket to the winner and ended up finishing second in his Spa debut while Rocknroll Runa A (Larry Stalbaum) closed to finish third in the Sunday feature. Unrivaled Hanover moved his seasonal earnings to over the $100,000 mark with the win. The up-and-coming star is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Hunting Zone (Huntsville) invaded Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday afternoon and the Jeff Cullipher-trained outsider overcame his outside post to record a victory in the $18,500 Open Pace. Brett Beckwith piloted Hunting Zone to a score at Plainridge Park last week and stuck with him for the five year old pacer’s try in the local Open. Hunting Zone left, found good placement in the early going and was kept close to the pace as rival Prairie Rocknroll (Billy Dobson) carved out first-half fractions of 27.3 and 56.3 while stalking the pacesetter from the pocket. Longshot Ahi Sunshine (Jimmy Devaux) swung out of third to test Prairie Rocknroll and those two sparred around the final turn. Once the passing lane opened up, Hunting Zone surged before getting up to win in 1:52.3 on a beautiful fall afternoon in Saratoga Springs. Ahi Sunshine, at odds of 18-1, was the runner-up while Prairie Rocknroll held on for third. Hunting Zone went off at odds of 7-2 in what was his eighth victory of the 2025 campaign. Beckwith piloted the winner for owner Pollack Racing LLC.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Sunday’s matinee at Saratoga Casino Hotel featured a Drivers Challenge for charity. “Young Guns” Brett Beckwith, Mitch Cushing, Jacob Cutting and Matt Athearn got the better of “The Veterans” Wally Hennessey, Mark Beckwith, Chris Long and Jimmy Devaux in the four-race challenge to benefit the Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program and Harness Horse Youth Foundation. Although the “old guard” won three of the four races that comprised the challenge, it was the Young Guns who “outpointed” the Vets by a total score of 54-50 as points were awarded to the top five finishers in each race. Brett Beckwith piloted the lone winner in the contest for the Young Guns as he guided Can Am to a decisive victory on Sunday en route to being the top point earner (18) among all the participants. Mitch Cushing was the only driver to record at least one point in all four of the contest races (points were awarded to the top five finishers in each race.) Wally Hennessey led the Veterans with 17 points while Jimmy Devaux and Chris Long joined Hennessey in piloting a winner in the contest. An incredible $48,000 was raised in the charity event which was put on by Jessica Hallett. A big thank you to all those who participated in the event including Hallett, all of the dozens of sponsors and the drivers who took part in the challenge.

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

Talking Tom (Artspeak) went back-to-back in the Open Pace when he pulled off a bit of a Sunday surprise at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Perry Simser-trained pacer won the Open for the first time in 2025 last week (June 22) when he came from well off the pace to pull off a mild upset at odds of 5-1. Leon Bailey guided Talking Tom to that Open score and was back in the sulky on Sunday when the eight year old left to sit the pocket to the favored Natameri (Wally Hennessey). The heavily-backed Natameri carved out sizzling first-half fractions of 26.2 and 56 seconds while being tracked in the two-hole by Talking Tom. Little Willy (Brett Beckwith) chipped away first-over at the lead of Natameri who checked in at three-quarters in 1:24.1. The race was up for grabs turning for home when all five Open participants were within three lengths of the lead. Talking Tom found late racing room in the passing lane and surged up in time to score in 1:53, a time that matched his lifetime mark. Talking Tom, who is owned in partnership by his trainer Perry Simser and Dennis Nye, was the longest shot on the board in the $16,000 feature and paid $21.80 to win in the Open upset. The victory was the third on the season in nine tries for Talking Tom. Natameri was the runner-up while Little Willy hit the board for the fifth consecutive start earning the show spot in the feature.

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

Jessica Hallett photo

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.