Apex Seelster (Big Jim) is in the midst of a career year and on Saturday night, the Monticello invader looked to prevail in Saratoga Casino Hotel’s Open Pace for the first time. The Ken Koch-trained pacer came to town as a winner of three consecutive tries in the Monticello Open and after scoring in the $13,000 Winners Over in his Spa debut, Apex Seelster finished second in last weekend’s Open despite making a break before the start. On Saturday, the six year old drew post five in the eight-horse Open and wound up coming first-over on the race’s leader Lake Charles (Leon Bailey).

The winningest Open horse in the 2022 campaign at the Spa, Lake Charles left to overcome post eight and after getting a first half in 56 seconds was approached by Apex Seelster who looked to grind the leader into submission. In the meantime, Mikibytheseaside (Luke Hanners), who came into the race off an Open win of his own, sat the pocket behind the dueling leaders who brought their battle into the homestretch.

Those three fought it out to the wire where Apex Seelster emerged victorious in a mile clocked in 1:52.1 on a chilly evening in the Spa City. Mikibytheseaside finished second at odds of 12-1 while Lake Charles held third. The winner paid $4.60 and led an exacta and triple that returned $52.50 and $312, respectively. Apex Seelster is owned by Tom Milici of Montgomery, NY.

Live racing at Saratoga continues on Sunday afternoon with a Noon start to the Father’s Day matinee.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Infinite Symbol A (Indomitable Saab) posted the biggest upset win in an Open this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon when the Amanda Kelly-trained distaffer scored in the Fillies and Mares Open. The eight year old Aussie invader made her Spa debut earlier this year and although she has enjoyed some success at the lower levels had never competed in an Open before.

On Monday, she drew post two but was dismissed at odds of 24-1 in the $16,000 ladies’ feature. Phil Fluet sat behind Infinite Symbol A who wound up getting a pocket ride to rival Birch Island Betty (Chris Long). Just six weeks removed from competing in the lowest classification at the track, Infinite Symbol A scored a win in the Open after powering past the pacesetter to prevail in 1:54.1 on Monday.

Birch Island Betty finished second while the favorite Chasethecloudsaway (Luke Hanners) had to settle for third. Infinite Symbol A paid $51 to win in the upset and led an exacta and triple that returned a hefty $352 and $1,048, respectively. The winner is owned by the Scheigert&Alliesracing stable of Saratoga Springs who secured a double on the card when their young pacer NY Hardcore (American Ideal) broke her maiden in an $8,700 race for three year old fillies. Fluet piloted both halves of the double for the Scheigert&Allies stable and their trainer Amanda Kelley.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Saratoga Harness hosted the NYSS 3year old colt pacers today. Twin B Deluxe, trained by Andrew Harris, won the first of three New York Sire Stakes races each with a purse of $58,000. Driver Jason Bartlett steered Twin B Deluxe to the win in 1:53.

Im Sir Blake A (Alta Christiano N) came into his local debut off a three week layoff on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Erv Miller-trained seven year old is in the midst of a career season that has seen him pile up over $120,000 in earnings while competing primarily at Yonkers Raceway. The seven year old made his Spa debut in Saturday’s $16,000 Open Pace and was the assigned the outside post in the five-horse feature.

Veteran Artful Way (Billy Dobson) cut the mile in the feature and was pushed to the limit by a first-over bid from the favored Belmont Major N (Leon Bailey) while Im Sir Blake A followed his cover into the final turn. The invader powered up to take over the lead in the stretch and had enough left to withstand a late bid from Apex Seelster (Jimmy Devaux) who wound up coming up second-best to Im Sir Blake A who paid $5.50 to win as the 8-5 second choice in the wagering.

The exacta with Apex Seelster returned $17 while the triple, which was completed by Belmont Major N, came back $29.60. Im Sir Blake A, who is owned by Doug Overhiser of Shorewood, IL, paced the mile in 1:51.2, a final time that serves as the fastest for any horse this season at Saratoga. He was driven to the Open score by Shawn Gray.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at the Spa with NY Sire Stakes action highlighting a 13-race card. First post time is set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Sea Shadows (Shadow Play) made her debut out of the Melissa Beckwith stable a winning one on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The seven year old distaffer didn’t factor in her first start at the Spa this season when in the Fillies and Mares Open on May 16^th, she finished sixth in a seven-horse feature. A talented mare who came into Monday’s try in the Open as a seven-time winner in 2022 after competing primarily at Pompano Park in Florida before traveling north this spring, Sea Shadows was put in gear in the early going by driver Wally Hennessey who powered to the front-end with the race’s 2-1 second choice in the wagering.

The fractions in the feature were fast but despite posting a first half in 56.2, Sea Shadows (Shadow Play) showed no signs of letting up and in fact began to draw away from the race’s favorite, pocket-sitting Luck B Mine (Jimmy Devaux) approaching three quarters before powering out to win by four lengths in 1:52.3. Luck B Mine finished second while All Speed Rising (Justin Huckabone) earned the show spot. For Sea Shadows, it was win number eight on the campaign to match her win total from the ’21 season. She is owned by Paul O’Neil of Saratoga Springs. Beckwith and Hennessey followed up the victory in the feature with another win on Monday as Party Queen prevailed in a $10,500 for pacing mares in the race that followed the Open on the ten-race card.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5PM.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Dewey Arnold, trained by Dave Dewhurst, with regular driver Jim Devaux won Saratoga’s open trot on Sunday afternoon in 1:55.1

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mikibytheseaside (Always B Miki) was a winning machine upon coming to Saratoga Casino Hotel late last season. Trainer Andy Sardella acquired the young pacer in the fall of 2021 and wound up resting the then three year old after he scored victories in his first three local starts. After beginning his ’22 campaign with yet another victory in early April, Mikibytheseaside entered the Open.

The rising star was the runner-up in his first three starts in the $15,000 Open Pace before hitting a brief lull. The four year old Sardella trainee drew the rail for Saturday’s installment of the feature for pacers and despite being installed as the 3-1 second choice in the morning line was dismissed at odds of 7-1. Yonkers invader Picard A (Jimmy Devaux) set sizzling fractions on the front end and although Mikibytheseaside was part of the early speed tussle, he popped the pocket heading towards the three-quarter pole.

The young pacer ground the leader into submission turning for home before holding off a late charge from rival Belmont Major N (Leon Bailey) in the stretch to record his first Open victory. Belmont Major N closed to finish second while the favored Points North (Luke Hanners) earned the show spot. Mikibytheseaside paid $16.00 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that came back $46.20 and $108, respectively. The winner is owned by Mike and Bill Pozefsky of NY who recorded double on the card as their Gokudo Hanover (Shawn Gray) prevailed in a $9,350 event for claiming pacers.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Dashintothebeach N (Somebeachsomewhere) is in the midst of her breakout season and the Brett Derue trainee put in her best career performance on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Dashintothebeach N rattled off a lengthy winning streak earlier in the 2022 campaign but came into Monday’s try in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open off back-to-back tries when a beaten favorite in the track’s top race for distaffers. Dashintothebeach N got the lead that she likes on Monday and never relinquished.

The five year old went a first half in 56.1 before cruising past three quarters in 1:24.1. The Derue-trained mare braced for the challenge of pocket-sitter Birch Island Betty (Chris Long) around the final turn and held her off in the late stages of what wound up being a lifetime-best 1:52.4 score in the feature. It was the second Open victory and ninth win overall on the season for Dashintothebeach N who paid $8.90 to win in the mild upset.

Birch Island Betty was the runner-up to complete a $56 exacta while last week’s Open winner Chasethecloudsaway (Luke Hanners) came on to finish third in a triple that returned $275.50. Dashintothebeach N is owned in partnership by Steve Picarazzi of Clifton Park, NY and her trainer Brett Derue of Queensbury, NY.

Live racing will resume at Saratoga on Friday evening with a first post time of 5PM.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Winning the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel is starting to look easy for Lake Charles (Well Said) as he added another victory to his tally on Saturday night. Trainer Amanda Kelley has recorded more wins in the Open Pace than any other trainer in 2022 when Lake Charles won the $15,000 feature for the fourth time of the season. Starting from post six in a six-horse Open, Lake Charles wasted little time moving out to the front end and never faced much of a challenge while going coast-to-coast in 1:52.1.

The public’s 1-2 betting favorite held off pocket-sitting longshot American Zest A (Larry Stalbaum) who finished second while Keystone Dakota (Luke Hanners) earned the show spot. Lake Charles’ score was one of three on the night for his connections as owner Scheigert&Alliesracing, LLC, trainer Amanda Kelley and driver Leon Bailey also scored with multiple Open Pace winner Some Waratah A, who went wire-to-wire in an $11,500 conditional race on Saturday, and Belmont Major N, who prevailed in the $13,000 Winners Over.

Bailey piloted four winners on the card in total. Kelley’s six wins in the Open Pace this season are far more than any other conditioner in the ’22 campaign at the Spa.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser