Driver Billy Dobson has been battling with defending champion Jimmy Devaux at the top of the driver standings in the first few months of the 2022 campaign at Saratoga Casino Hotel with Stop Staring (So Surreal). Coming into Friday night second among local drivers in ‘22, the 38 year old reinsman swept both halves of the co-features.

With no Open on the card, two divisions of $10,500 pacing events for colts and geldings served as co-features and Dobson went coast-to-coast in both races. Stop Staring set a lifetime mark earlier in the season when he cruised to a 1:52.4 victory on the engine and while Friday’s victory wasn’t quite as fast as his previous score, the 1:53.2 final time certainly stood out as impressive.

The Amanda Kelley-trained Stop Staring had little difficulty prevailing on Friday and did so as his race’s 1-2 top choice in the wagering. Major Makover also went the distance with Dobson in tow as the Gary Levine trainee prevailed for the fourth time in his last five starts, scoring in a seasonal best 1:54.2 on Friday to complete the driving double for Dobson.

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

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Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser

Chasethecloudsaway (Sunshine Beach) is the winningest horse in Opens this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel and the Chris Petrelli-trained distaffer scored another victory in the Fillies and Mares Open on Monday afternoon. A sixteen-time winner in her breakout 2021 campaign, Chasethecloudsaway has proven last season was no fluke.

On Monday, the five year old powered out to the early lead in the $16,050 feature for the ladies, getting to the top in a fast first quarter of 27.2. The 4-5 betting favorite got a bit of a breather in the middle half before being asked for her best around the final turn by driver Luke Hanners. Chasethecloudsaway kicked away late and wound up reporting home a winner by a length. Last year’s Saratoga Horse of the Year Surreal Feeling (Alek Chartrand) drew post eight in the nine-horse Open and came charging hard late to be second while So Diva (Brett Crawford) closed to finish third.

Chasethecloudsaway’s win was her fifth in the local Open this year to put her in the lead among all Open horses, both pacer and trotter, for most victories in the feature in ’22. On Monday, she paid $3.60 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $23 and $239.50, respectively. Chasethecloudsaway is owned by David Del Pozzo of Methuen, MA.

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

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Remember Titans, trained by Jackie Greene, won Sunday’s open trot in 1:54.1. Jay Randall was the winning driver.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Lake Charles (Well Said) continued what has been a terrific start to the season in the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for trainer Amanda Kelley when the five year old pacer won the featured race on Saturday evening. He enjoyed a strong 2021 campaign at the Spa winning the Open three times in his first local season out of the Kelley stable, including two of the final three installments of the feature for pacers on the year. His successes spilled right over to ’22 as Lake Charles scored an Open win in both February and March at Saratoga before stopping the timer in 1:51.4 for a victory in a $22,500 race for top-flight pacers at Plainridge a couple of weeks ago.

On Saturday night, driver Leon Bailey powered Lake Charles out to the front end and despite posting first-half fractions of 27.1 and 56 seconds had plenty left for the final half en route to a wire-to-wire win in the $15,000 Open. Somebeach Baron (Shawn Gray) sat the pocket and finished second while Mikibytheseaside (Jay Randall) earned the show spot in a sizzling mile paced in 1:513. Lake Charles paid $4.60 to win as the 6-5 favorite and led an exacta and triple that returned $27.20 and $82.50, respectively.

The Open Pace win was the fifth for the Kelley stable who secured victories this season with Mach Le More and Belmont Major N in addition to three Open scores with Lake Charles in the first few months of the ’22 campaign at Saratoga. Lake Charles is owned by Scheigert and allies racing LLC of Saratoga Springs.

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

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Askmenoquestions, trained and driven by Phil Fluet won the $11,250 finale at Saratoga tonight in 1:58.4

Luck B Mine (Bettor’s Delight) scored her first Open win at Saratoga Casino Hotel last season when the John Podres trainee prevailed against the track’s top pacing mares in a feature in mid-September. Following up her career year of 2021 hasn’t been easy for Luck B Mine but she has rediscovered her top form of late and found herself in the Fillies and Mares Open again on Monday afternoon. The five year old was dismissed at odds of 15-1 despite drawing post two for her try in the $15,000 Open. Driver Leon Bailey found some early speed from the talented distaffer and positioned her in the pocket behind the race’s favorite Dashintothebeach N (Jimmy Devaux).

An eight-time winner in ’22, Dashintothebeach N was the public choice in the Open for distaffers for the second consecutive week and cruised unopposed through a first half in 56.4. The leader was met with the challenge of upset-minded Luck B Mine around the final turn and those two slugged it out in the stretch before Luck B Mine took over, eventually stopping the timer in 1:54.1 to set a new lifetime mark. Dashintothebeach N finished second while Chasethecloudsaway (Luke Hanners) earned the show spot.

Luck B Mine’s second career win in the local Open was her second victory of the ’22 campaign. The Podres trainee paid $32.40 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $100 and $213.50, respectively. The winner is owned by Steve Guido of Cicero, NY and Don Stockwell of Hudson Falls, NY.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening with Fridays being added to the racing calendar for the next months. First post time on Fridays will be 5PM. This week, there will be a Pick Five carryover of $3,513. The Pick Six Jackpot is up to one of its largest since the wager was instituted last year at Saratoga. The Jackpot is up to $11,417. It is a 20 cent wager.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Cash Me Out, trained by Kyle Spagnola, won today’s open trot at Saratoga. The 11yr old Cash Hall was driven to the win by Phil Fluet in 1:56

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Longtime local superstar Artful Way (Artistic Fella) made his return to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Saturday night. The Jackie Greene trainee last raced at the Spa in late March when he prevailed in the Open Pace. The ten year old recorded another Open win at Plainridge Park last month but then returned to town off a clunker. Artful Way was one of the 8-5 co-favorites in Saturday’s $15,000 feature and moved right out to the early lead with Billy Dobson guiding the way.

Repeal Or Replace (So Surreal), who took late board support to be the race’s other 8-5 shot, left to sit the pocket to Artful Way as the three-time Saratoga Pacer of the Year set fractions of 27.2 and 57 seconds in the first half. Leading driver Jimmy Devaux popped the pocket around the final turn and the battle was on as the co-favorites traded strides in the stretch before Repeal Or Replace took over under the shadow of the wire. Artful Way came up second best while longshot Somebeach Baron (Shawn Gray) finished third in his local debut.

Repeal Or Replace is owned by Karma Racing Inc of Parkland, FL and trained by John Podres. The win in the Open Pace wasn’t the first in the local career of the five year old who scored in the Spa’s featured race for pacers last November. Paying $5.30 to win on Saturday night, Repeal Or Replace led an exacta and triple that returned $19.40 and $78, respectively. The win in the Open was one of four on the evening for Jimmy Devaux as he padded his lead in the local driver standings while seeking to repeat as the track’s leading driver after winning his first Spa title in 2021.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon with a first post time of 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

The 7^th annual Virginia O’Brien Memorial Pacing Series was a short one this year at Saratoga Casino Hotel. With only enough fillies and mares entered to comprise one leg, the series concluded with Monday’s Final which consisted of just four lady pacers. New Zealand invader Alittlesidehustl N (He’s Watching) has been a monster in her first season in the U.S. and came into the series a winner of four of her five local starts. In her race leading up to the O’Brien Series, the Jackie Greene-trained Alittlesidehustl N won by seven lengths and paced in a career-best 1:53.4. In the lone leg of the series, the four year old got up in the final stride to score in 1:54.1 to end the impressive win streak of rival Watermelon Sugar (Brian Cross) who wound up as the runner-up. On Monday, those two squared off once again in a four-horse series Final that went for a purse of $32,000 and drew posts one and two, respectively.

Alittlesidehustl N continued her trend of being the betting favorite of odds of 2-5 or less in each of her local starts as she was the public’s 2-5 choice in Monday’s Final when she sat the pocket to upset minded Zebs Watching (Jimmy Devaux). Watermelon Sugar (Brian Cross), the runner-up to Alittlesidehustl N in the lone leg of the series, charged hard at Zebs Watching around the final turn while longshot Allboutthematerial was unwinding on the outside for driver Wally Hennessey. Alittlesidehustl N got loose late in the stretch and surged up the passing lane. The favorite got up in time to score in 1:54.1 to move her seasonal record to six for eight while scoring the biggest victory of her young career. Allboutthematerial closed to finish second and complete an exacta that paid $25.40. Watermelon Sugar finished third while Zebs Watching rounded things out. Alittlesidehustl N is owned in partnership by the Kellogg Racing Stables and Jackie Greene Stables.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a 5PM first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Perfect Vixen, a 3yr old filly by Muscles Yankee, won Sunday afternoon’s John Mongeon Sr Memorial Trot Final. After winning 2 out of three legs of the series she trotted to victory in the $33,400 final in 1:55.4. Perfect Vixen is trained by Scott Mongeon and was driven by John Stark Jr.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York