Long shot Mark Of A Beast (trained by Andrew Byler) and driver Phil Fluet scored an upset win in today’s open trot. Leaving at the start, Mark Of A Beast went wire to wire in 1:55. The only potential challenger, and heavy favorite, Dewey Arnold (trained by David Dewhurst) made a break after the ¾, leaving Mark Of A Beast to coast away from the rest of the field. The 5 year-old trotter paid $74.50 to win.

Saratoga Casino Hotel

Melissa Simser

No trainer has won the Open Pace more times in the last decade at Saratoga Casino Hotel than Jackie Greene. The track’s two-time leading trainer splits her time between Saratoga and Plainridge as she has several top-flight, Open caliber pacers. On Saturday evening, Greene’s Moonshine Kisses (Sunshine Beach) was the 2-5 betting favorite in the local Open Pace as the six year old made his return to town off a victory in the Plainridge Open last week.

Driver Jay Randall took back early with the public’s odds-on choice on Saturday but with the first half going in just 57.2, it didn’t necessarily shape up to be a closer’s race. Moonshine Kisses picked up the cover of rival Optical Illusion N (Chris Long) who has become a force in the Open this summer and was coming off a win in last week’s installment of the $16,000 feature. The outer tier thrived and as Optical Illusion N wore down the leader, Moonshine Kisses tipped off his cover and came charging hard in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:52.4 to record his second local Open win of the year and his sixth victory overall in thirteen seasonal starts.

Optical Illusion N was the runner-up while Patrikthepiranha A (Brett Beckwith) closed to be third. Moonshine Kisses, who is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY, paid $2.90 to win as the big favorite and led an exacta and triple that returned $11.80 and $36, respectively. The victory was the sixth at the Spa this season in the Open Pace for Jackie Greene.

Live racing continues on Sunday with a matinee beginning at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Trainer Gary Levine enjoyed a big month of September at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Friday night, the veteran conditioner wrapped up the month in style. The 40 year old former leading trainer at the Spa scoring a training double on the Friday card as his Somiki (Always B Miki) made his local debut a winning one in a dominant effort to kick off the evening’s program. Somiki was the public’s 1-5 top choice in the wagering in the $8,700 Friday opener and raced just like an overwhelming favorite should. Hall of Famer Wally Hennessey brushed Somiki to the lead heading to the quarter pole and once he got there, it was over.

The three year old opened up daylight approaching three quarters before reporting home an eleven length winner in 1:55.4. Late in the card, Skyline Blue Chip (American Ideal) was making just his second start out of the Levine stable when he, like his stablemate earlier in the evening, was backed to the tune of 1-5 in the betting. Despite being the big favorite, the three year old Skyline Blue Chip sat patiently in the early stages of his try in a $9,500 race for young pacers.

Reinsman Billy Dobson pulled the right line and the sophomore pacer charged up and past the leaders before stopping the timer in a career-best 1:55.2 to complete a training double for Levine who has vaulted into third in the trainer standings behind what was a monster month of September for him at the Spa.

Live racing continues on Saturday at Saratoga with a first post time set for 5pm. There is a Pick Six Jackpot that sits at $14,269. The Pick Six begins in Saturday’s sixth race.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

It’s been a hot stretch at Saratoga Casino Hotel for trainer Alicia Gray and driver Shawn Gray and on Monday, the tandem teamed up for their second Open Pace win in the last three days at the Spa. Their Alluneedisfaith N won the Open Pace on Saturday night on an evening that saw Shawn Gray pilot five winners. In Monday’s matinee, the Alicia Gray-trained La Bella Vita N (Changeover) was the public’s overwhelming favorite in the wagering after the would-be favored Sea Shadows got scratched.

Gray took the 1-5 shot La Bella Vita N back in the early going in what was a field of five in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open. The big favorite sat patiently in a first half that went in 56.3. Gray picked up cover with his seven year old distaffer and in a matter of just a few strides, she put the swoop to the group pacing away from her rivals to score in 1:52.2. For La Bella Vita N, it was victory number nine on the season and her second in the local Fillies and Mares Open. With the earnings from Monday’s score, La Bella Vita N went over the $100,000 mark for the ’22 campaign. The New Zealand invader is owned by Bowie Racing of Shorewood IL and Michael Goldberg RacingLLC of Massachusetts.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening at Saratoga with will feature some intriguing carryovers. The Pick Five, which begins in race 1, has a carryover of $2,453. The Jackpot in the Pick Six has climbed to $10,071 while the Super High Five Jackpot in the evening’s finale will carry $3,611.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Big Box Hanover, and trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum coasted to an easy open win for the second week in a row Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel, Saratoga Springs, New York.

After getting away fourth, Larry Stalbaum pulled first up at the half mile marker with Big Box Hanover and took the lead, winning by 3 lengths in 1:56.

Melissa Simser

Alluneedisfaith N (Art Major) recorded his first local Open victory at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday in what was a huge night for driver Shawn Gray. He was a beaten favorite in his two Spa starts coming into Saturday’s try when he drew post six in the six-horse Open Pace. The 5-2 second-choice in the wagering, Alluneedisfaith N got away last in the $16,000 feature and with fractions nothing close to blistering up front, the chances appeared bleak for the Alicia Gray trainee after the first half went in 56.4.

The favorite was carving out the fractions while confronted by a first-over Optical Illusion N (Billy Dobson). Those two slugged it out as Alluneedisfaith N remained sixth and last at the three-quarter pole. Gray fanned the New Zealand import to the far outside around the final turn and the eight year old made the kind of move rarely seen when racing against top flight competition. The classy veteran powered past his rivals to score in 1:52.3 to register his first win in a local Open highlighted by a final quarter of 27.1.

Alluneedisfaith N paid $7.30 to win and led an exacta with Keystone Dakota (Brett Beckwith) second that returned $35.40. Optical Illusion N finished third and rounded out a $156 triple. Gray’s win behind Alluneedisfaith N, who is owned by Doug Overhiser of Illinois, was one of four consecutive victories and five on the night in total for the veteran reinsman who sits fourth in the driver standings for the season.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with first post time set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

For the second consecutive Friday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel, the evening belonged to the tandem of driver Luke Hanners and trainer Jaymes McAssey. Just a week removed from an evening which saw Hanners pilot four winners, three for McAssey, the pair pulled off a near carbon copy to last Friday’s performance. McAssey scored another training hat trick on the Friday card with his trainees accounting for three of four winners on the card for the up-and-coming Hanners.

Luke Hanners, who is in his first full season in the sulky at the Spa, currently sits third among local reinsmen on the season while McAssey is also third among Saratoga conditioners in 2022. With no Open on the docket Friday evening, a pair of $11,000 races for trotters served as co-features and it was McAssey and Hanners teaming up for a front-running score in one of them as young filly Just Liv Broadway (E L Titan) went coast-to-coast to record her first victory in what was her fifth local try.

Sophomore filly Dingle recorded her second win in as many local starts when she romped for McAssey and Hanners making good at odds of 1-5 to set a new lifetime mark of 1:58.1. The red-hot pairing’s third Friday score came in one of the pacing events on the card when JK’s Dobbins (JK Endofanera) went wire-to-wire to pull off a mild upset at odds of 5-1. Hanners’ other winner on the program came while piloting the Joel Flanders-trained Takoda Blue Chip who broke his maiden in his Saratoga debut on Friday.

Live racing continues on Saturday evening with a first post time of 5pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Probert (Dali) has enjoyed a massively successful 2022 campaign while racing a handful of different tracks. Despite piling up more than $85,000 in earnings and winning four times on the season, the five year old hadn’t recorded a victory in a couple months when she made her return to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon.

The Melissa Beckwith-trained Probert was back to the Spa to compete in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open just three weeks after being a well-beaten favorite in the local feature. Probert finished second or third six times in her previous seven starts heading into Monday’s tilt and wound up being the even money in the ladies’ feature. Brett Beckwith pulled Probert first-over on the leader and eventually ground that one into submission before drawing away to win by two lengths.

Demeter N (Larry Stalbaum) also thrived from off the pace in Monday’s Open and closed to finish second while pocket-sitting Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson) came on to be third. It was the second win in the local Open this year for Probert who scored in the feature back in May. On Monday, she paid $4.30 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $21.40 and $91, respectively.

The Open score was one of two victories on the day for trainer Melissa Beckwith and driver Bret Beckwith who teamed up for a wire-to-wire score with Seafood Sweetheart (American Ideal) in a low-level conditional race. Probert is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Talking Tom (Artspeak) won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time in his career on Saturday night doing so in upset fashion. The Perry Simser-trained pacer drew the rail just one week removed from a strong-closing third place finish in the $16,000 feature. Driver Chris Long powered out from the rail on Saturday with Talking Tom who was dismissed at odds of 12-1.

As the five year old approached the half-mile pole, rival Velocity Smoke (Phil Fluet) came powering up to his outside and cleared in a half that went in 57.1. Talking Tom then rode the leader’s coattails as the pacesetter was confronted by the race’s 2-5 betting favorite Moonshine Kisses (Jay Randall). Velocity Smoke was holding firm until mid-stretch when his two rivals got the better of him.

Talking Tom charged hard in the passing lane as Moonshine Kisses gave one last surge towards the wire but it was the Simser trainee who emerged victorious in a mile clocked in 1:53, a win time that serves as a new lifetime mark for him. Moonshine Kisses finished second to complete a $55 exacta while Velocity Smoke earned the show spot and rounded out a $194 triple.

Talking Tom, who moved over the $100,000 mark in career earnings with the win, is owned by his trainer Perry Simser in partnership with Dennis Nye of Saratoga Springs.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with eight NY Sire Stakes Excelsior Finals each going for a purse of $50,000. First post time is set for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser