All Speed Rising, trained by Andy Gardner, scored her 20th lifetime victory in today’s filly & mare feature pace at Saratoga. She was driven to the win by Billy Dobson in 1:57

Gigfy, trained by Brian Mattison and driven by Alek Chartrand, won this season’s first feature trot in 1:58.1.

Hudson Phil and driver Billy Dobson won the first open pace of 2022 in 1:55. Hudson Phil is trained by Jackie Greene.

Melissa Simser

Anytime N (Bettor’s Delight) drew the rail in her local debut at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Tuesday afternoon in what was the final feature for the 2021 season. The Melissa Beckwith trainee was aggressive in the early going in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open and retook the lead at the quarter from the favored Chasethecloudsaway (Luke Hanners). Anytime N looked strong throughout and never relinquished the lead en route to victory in 1:54.1 with Mark Beckwith in the sulky. Birch Island Betty (Billy Dobson) had hit the board in seven consecutive Opens before last week and started a new streak on Tuesday when she came up second-best to Anytime N. Chasethecloudsaway finished third in the Open. Anytime N, who is owned by Kdp Stable of Westlake Village, CA, paid $12.60 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $66.50 and $278, respectively. Jimmy Devaux, who won his first local driving title this season, piloted four winners on Tuesday’s final card of the season.

The 2021 racing season at Saratoga is now complete with the 2022 campaign kicking off on Saturday, February 5^th.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Larry Stalbaum wrapped up his training title at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon when his Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) scored impressively in the matinee’s feature. Stalbaum took home the award for both Trainer of the Year and Horseman of the Year after having just a sensational 2021 season at the Spa. On Monday, Big Box Hanover won the Open Trot for the third time since joining the Stalbaum stable in November. The four year old is wrapping up his third consecutive season of six-figure earnings and although he was a beaten favorite in the two installments of the Open leading up to Monday’s try, he proved up to the task in impressive fashion. Big Box Hanover wound up in the pocket behind aggressive and speedy leader Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) who has consistently finished second or third all year long and certainly of late. Gigfy tried to fend off Big Box Hanover in the stretch but his efforts were thwarted as the Stalbaum trainee cruised by to win in an impressive 1:54.2. Gigfy finished second while Xcuseme (John Stark Jr) earned the show spot. The win time serves as a new lifetime mark for Big Box Hanover whose Open victory was his third in six local tries. The winner is owned by the Red White & Blue Racing Stable of Matamoras, PA. Stalbaum’s Bucketlist Hanover completed a double for the Horseman of the Year as he came from off the pace to score in a $10,700 race for trotters.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon for closing day of the 2021 meet at Saratoga with racing set to resume on February 5, 2022. Closing day will feature a jackpot carryover of $9,370 in the Jackpot Super High Five which takes place in the afternoon’s finale. First post time on Tuesday is set for 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Sunday’s installment of the Open Pace was the final one for the 2021 racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Closing week for the meet got underway on Sunday and the $15,000 feature saw Lake Charles (Well Said) score an Open victory for the third time at the Spa this year. Trainer Amanda Kelley will wrap up the ’21 season with more Open Pace wins than any other conditioner at the Spa as she secured her seventh victory in the Sunday feature. Her Some Waratah A won four Opens earlier in the meet and has passed the baton to Lake Charles this fall who has taken it and ran. On Sunday, Lake Charles had Leon Bailey at the controls and paced out to the lead in 27.4 in the early going. After reaching the half in an honest but manageable 57.3, the four year old pacer was put to the test by a first-over rival and those two went through a third quarter of 27.2 before Lake Charles rebuffed that one’s challenge. Pocket sitting Elite Retreat (Jimmy Devaux), who made his debut in the Open on Sunday, was no match for Lake Charles in the stretch but finished a strong second to the winner who paid $7.50 to win as the race’s second choice in the betting. Elite Retreat completed a $47.40 exacta while another longshot, Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum), finished third and pumped the triple up to a hefty $262 in the six-horse feature. Lake Charles is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs. For Leon Bailey, it was his second Open win of the year at the Spa. His first Open Pace score came in November behind the John Podres-trained Repeal Or Replace who Bailey piloted to another score on Sunday in the $13,000 Winners Over for pacers.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

All Speed Rising (All Speed Hanover) has thrived out of the stable of trainer Andy Gardner this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The six year old mare came into her try in Tuesday’s feature off a victory in a $12,300 conditional race last week. Shawn Gray got the driving assignment behind All Speed Rising on Tuesday and moved the distaffer out to the early lead in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open. After cruising through a fast first quarter of 27.2, Gray backed things down with the 11-1 outsider and got a half in 58 seconds. All Speed Rising didn’t face much of a challenge before trying to open up around the final turn. The race’s longshot The Fun Marshall (Alek Chartrand) sat the pocket and tried to get to the leader in the stretch. Her chase proved futile as All Speed Rising held on to win her first Open of the year in 1:55.2. 23-1 shot The Fun Marshall finished second while Shecandance N (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in the Open for the second straight week. All Speed Rising, who is owned by George Tackley and Wendy Storrier, paid $25.60 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $277.50 and $1,958, respectively. The win was one of three on the day for Andy Gardner who has surged into second place in the trainer standings with one week remaining in the 2021 campaign.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a first post time set for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Squee Hanover finished as the runner-up for Trotter of the Year honors at Saratoga Casino Hotel in 2021 and the Andy Gardner trainee continued his breakout campaign on Monday afternoon. Finishing second in the voting to Cash Me Out, Squee Hanover is enjoying his career year and won the Open Trot for the seventh time of the season on Monday. Billy Dobson has been piloting the five year old for the last few months and finished first or second with him in every start but one dating back to the summertime. Drawing the outside post on Monday, Squee Hanover wound up starting from post five after a scratch and got away last of them all. The race’s favorite Big Box Hanover (Larry Stalbaum) worked hard in the early stages and though he got the lead he wanted, it took fractions of 27.1 and 56.4 in lap one for him. Squee Hanover revved up the engine and took his shot at the leader heading to three quarters. Those two squared off in a heavy duty duel before Squee got the best of Big Box in the battle of the Hanovers. Squee Hanover stopped the timer in 1:55.3 to register his seventh Open victory and thirteenth win for the season overall. Big Box Hanover had to settle for second while Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) earned the show spot. Squee Hanover, who is owned by Exceed Stables of Lamar, PA, paid $4.40 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $8.70 and $12.60, respectively, in the five-horse feature.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a first post time set for noon. There is a Pick Five carryover of $3,680. The Pick Five begins in the first race on the matinee card.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

The Open Pace has been the most wide open among the featured races at Saratoga Casino Hotel this season. No horse has been a dominant force this year in the regular Sunday feature and this week another unique winner prevailed in the $15,000 Open. Hudson Phil (Shanghai Phil) was a regular winner in the Open Pace a few years ago at Saratoga but has spent much of his season competing out of town in 2021. Following a third-place finish in last week’s feature, Hudson Phil was the even money betting favorite in Sunday’s installment of the Open. The Jackie Greene trainee wound up first-over while in pursuit of front-running Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum). Hudson Phil didn’t remain overland for long as he powered right up and past the leader approaching the three-quarter pole before drawing out to what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. The six year old pacer, who recently became a half millionaire, proved best on Sunday winning in 1:53.2 to boost his seasonal earnings to over the $100,000 mark. Macheasy A (Jay Randall), a four-time winner of the Open this year, was the runner-up to Hudson Phil on Sunday while Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum) had to settle for third. Hudson Phil, who was piloted to victory by Billy Dobson, became the fifth different winner of the Open Pace in the last five installments. He is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY whose Moonshine Kisses is another four-time winner in the Open in the ’21 season at the Spa. Hudson Phil paid $4.10 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $12.20 and $68, respectively.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Chasethecloudsaway (Sunshine Beach) has become an instant star at Saratoga Casino Hotel in a very short period of time. The Chris Petrelli-trained mare prevailed in the Fillies and Mares Open on Tuesday for the fourth time in just five starts in the $15,000 feature for lady pacers. Luke Hanners has been the regular reinsman for the four year old who has displayed versatility in winning her races and hit the wire first for the incredible sixteenth time of the season overall. Chasethecloudsaway was the 1-5 betting favorite on Tuesday in the six-horse Open and left a bit to get away fourth in the early going. Hanners moved the star distaffer first-over at the half and she chipped away at the lead of rival Birch Island Betty (Billy Dobson) before putting her away once and for all at the head of the stretch. Chasethecloudsaway stopped the timer in 1:55.1 to continue her winning ways. Birch Island Betty extended her streak of hitting the board in the Open to eight by finishing as the runner-up on Tuesday while invader Shecandance N (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. The exacta and triple in the race paid $5.90 and $13.20, respectively, with the big favorite on top. Chasethecloudsaway is owned by David Del Pozzo of Methuen, MA.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at noon. Prior to the race card, there will be an awards presentation taking place in the winner’s circle followed by a retirement ceremony for several 14 year old horses as the season begins to wrap up.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy