HS Shauna (Up Front Charlie) has established herself as one of the top claiming pacing mares at Saratoga Casino Hotel this summer and on Sunday, she won her biggest race of the season to date. The eight year old mare was claimed out of the $10,000 claimers last month by owner Mark Rowland for trainer Kyle Spagnola.

HS Shauna had been thriving in the ten claimers but after switching connections stepped up in class. The veteran distaffer scored in the fifteen claimers before moving up in company once again. After a second and a third-place finish upon stepping up again, HS Shauna drew the rail for Sunday’s try in the optional twenty thousand dollar claimer and drew the rail.

Driver Shawn Gray was content to sit the pocket in Sunday’s $12,500 race which saw first-half fractions of 26.4 and 56 seconds. The leader, favored Rockabillycockshut (Luke Hanners), continued to roll along unopposed through three quarters in 1:23.4 and held the lead until the final strides when HS Shauna surged up the passing lane to come on and win by a head.

Rockabillycockshut finished second while longshot Tipperary Hill (Jim Devaux) earned the show spot. HS Shauna paid $10.60 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $23.40 and $106.50, respectively. The victory, which was number eight on the season for HS Shauna, came in a seasonal best 1:52.4.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening at Saratoga with a 6:45pm first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Cecil Hanover Headlines $171,000 NYSS

A $171,000 New York Sire Stakes race for three year old colt and gelding trotters was the feature on a Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel that saw a big crowd on hand to watch the highly anticipated match race between driver Brett Beckwith and thoroughbred jockey Flavien Prat.

The stakes race for sophomores went the way of Cecil Hanover, a three year old son of Chapter Seven by the Muscle Massive mare Columbia. Cecil Hanover came to town off a resounding victory in a Sire Stakes race at Yonkers that saw him prevail by four and a half lengths with his trainer Ake Svanstedt in the sulky. On Saturday, Svanstedt gave the lines to Hall of Fame reinsman Wally Hennessey who sat behind Cecil Hanover for the first time and powered him out to an early lead in a sizzling first quarter of 27.1.

After yielding to a rival in the early going, Cecil Hanover wound up shaking free at three quarters before overwhelming the competition late in the game en route to a five and a quarter length victory in a time of 1:54.3. The win was the fourth in seven tries this season for the three year old gelding who is owned in partnership by S R F Stb& Midnight Sun Prtns, Jorgen Sparredal and his trainer Ake Svanstedt. Cecil Hanover paid $4.30 to win as the favorite. Spending Crazy (Luke Hanners) finished second while Some Kinda Crazy (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot.

The charity match race was contested after the evening’s sixth race on the card and saw Brett Beckwith, who currently sits second in the driver standings at Saratoga this season, get the better of top thoroughbred jockey Flavien Prat. Both reinsmen piloted three year old trotting fillies in an event that has been highly touted all summer long. Beckwith’s Cross Creek Samara got the better of Prat’s Foxe Ella who led for roughly a half mile before seeing her rival cruise by before drawing away to prevail decisively.

Beckwith was driving for the Franklin Community Center while Prat drove for BCCA Faith’s House of Saratoga. All together the event raised roughly $10,000 for the charities and brought an excited buzz to the track which came from the big crowd who made it out to support the event which elicited a lot of crossover support from the thoroughbred side of the sport.

Live racing continues on Sunday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

With no Open Pace on the Saturday evening card at Saratoga Casino Hotel, the $14,500 Winners Over was the feature. The race featured an open draw and no clear-cut favorite. Isaac, a five year old son of American Ideal, drew the rail for his return from Plainridge Park where he scored an impressive victory in 1:51.3 on August 3^rd. On Saturday, driver Shawn Gray was aggressive with Isaac and after relinquishing the lead in the early going wasted little time in retaking the top spot in a first quarter that went in 27 seconds.

After rattling off a half in 55.1, Isaac was tested throughout the second lap before prevailing by a length. The fourth win of the season for Isaac came in 1:53 for the Alicia Gray trainee. Longshot Six Degrees (Jimmy Devaux) came from the back of the pack to finish second and complete a $70 exacta while Black Hawk Joe A (Matt Athearn) closed to be third for the second consecutive week. Isaac, who paid $6.40 to win, is owned by Amy Cable of Vernon Center, NY.

The Grays secured a double on Saturday when their Battlefield (Sweet Lou) prevailed for the second straight week in a $9,500 event for young pacers. The three year old Battlefield was heavily backed at odds of 1-9 in his 1:55.1 victory which was his fifth in six local starts. Battlefield is owned by Doug Overhiser of New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Live racing continues on Sunday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Joxter (Chapter Seven) toughed out a first-over victory in the Friday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Dan Daley trains and drives the five year old who is no stranger to the Open Trot and after finishing second in the local trotting feature a few weeks back got the job done on Friday. Joxter was co-favored along with Special Prosecutor (Jimmy Devaux) as those two 2-1 shots slugged it out for a half mile before the former got the better of his rival in the stretch.

Joxter stopped the timer in 1:56.2 in what was his third win of the season but just the first in a handful of starts in the local Open. Special Prosecutor wound up as the runner-up for the second straight week in the feature while Malibu Kid (Matt Athearn) earned the show spot. Joxter paid $6.20 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $19.20 and $88.50, respectively. The Open winner is owned by Ann-Mari Daley of Lakeworth, FL.

Live racing continues on Saturday evening at Saratoga with first post time set for 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Talking Tom (Artspeak) won the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time in September of last year. The Perry Simser trainee has returned to the Open this summer and enjoyed some success. Highlighted by a second-place finish while competing against the track’s top pacers, Talking Tom hit the board a handful of times this summer before heading into Saturday evening’s try in the $18,200 featured race.

Driver Chris Long asked Talking Tom for early speed and got him to the front in a 27.1 first quarter. The six year old got a bit of a breather but reached the half in an honest 56.4 before being confronted by last week’s Open runner-up Soul Assassin (Mitch Cushing) who came first-over on the Simser trainee. Those two squared off for close to a half mile before Talking Tom put that rival away and held strong to score in 1:53.1. The second Open win in the career of the Perry Simser trainee came while dismissed at odds of 5-1. Soul Assassin came up second-best for the second consecutive week while Black Hawk Joe A (Matt Athearn) earned the show spot.

Talking Tom, who is co-owned by his trainer Perry Simser along with Dennis Nye, paid $12.80 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $42.80 and $215.50, respectively. The win time of 1:53.1 set a new seasonal mark for Talking Tom and was just a tick off his lifetime best win time of 1:53.

Live racing continues on Sunday evening at Saratoga with a thirteen race program set to begin at 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Hall of Famer Brian Sears came to town and dominated the action in the New York Sire Stakes on Friday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The superstar driver piloted the winners of both $74,000+ Sire Stakes races for two year old colt and gelding trotters guiding freshmen Situationship and Wild Ticket to stakes scores. Situationship won for the first time in his three career starts by posting a dazzling 1:56.2 mile, one of the fastest in track history for a two year old trotter.

Brian Sears guided Situationship to his maiden win for trainer Ake Svanstedt and owners Knutsson Trotting Inc, Tomas Andersson and Little E LLC in his $75,900 division of the New York Sire Stakes. The son of Chapter Seven out of the Cantab Hall mare Meegan Hall, Situationship was the 8-5 second-choice in the wagering in his maiden victory on Friday.

Sears wasted little time winning his second race on the evening as he completed the sweep of the early double guiding Wild Ticket to his second consecutive New York Sire Stakes score. Wild Ticket was the 1-5 favorite in his $74,500 stakes event as he went wire-to-wire with Sears sitting behind. Marcus Melander trains the freshman for the ownership team of Amg Stb Inc, Kjellgren, Mantrop LLC and Heights Stb.

Wild Ticket powered away from his rivals late in the mile to prevail by a resounding eight and three-quarters lengths. Sears won his third race of the evening when he piloted Inflation (Chapter Seven-Fraulein Blucher-Cantab Hall) to victory in a $20,000 Excelsior race for trainer Lucas Wallin.

Live racing continues on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyenne Mandy

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Trainer Brett Derue is in the midst of the biggest season of his career at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Derue has been in a near dead-heat with Melissa Beckwith atop the trainer standings at the Spa for most of the 2023 campaign and on Sunday, the young conditioner enjoyed his biggest night of the year. Derue had six horses entered over the course of the thirteen race card on Sunday and all of his trainees appeared to have at worst a decent shot to prevail in their respective races. By the time the evening came to an end, Derue did in fact add four wins to his bulky total for the ’23 season. Love Yourself (Rock N Roll Heaven) concluded the big night for Derue when he outclosed his rivals in a $10,700 claiming pace to complete a natural hat trick (three consecutive winners on the card) while recording win number four on the evening for his trainer. Wally Hennessey piloted Love Yourself to the victory when the eight year old shifted gears late in the mile to swoop the group. Love Yourself paid $13.80 in the mild upset. His owners, Steve Picarazzi, Brett Derue and Darreyl Bullard also saw their Hot Joe (Brett Beckwith) score a first-over victory on Sunday while their Okie From Muskogee went coast-to-coast with Shawn Gray in the sulky. Picarazzi and Derue teamed up with Hennessey once again for a win when their American Tour N held on to secure her seventh victory of the season. Derue surged back in a small lead in the training standings with his Sunday grand slam.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening with action starting at 6:45pm. There will be a pick five carryover of $4,220 in the early pick five which start in Friday’s first race.     

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

The 14^th annual Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel featured two former winners of the season’s biggest race at the Spa. Tattoo Artist and This Is The Plan won the two previous two installments of the Gerrity and drew into much different spots in this year’s $250,000 pace. The Chris Ryder-trained Tattoo Artist, the 2022 Gerrity winner, drew post three as he looked to repeat against the top-flight competition. This Is The Plan drew post seven and subsequently went off as one of the bigger longshots in the race. Tattoo Artist wound up heavily backed by the betting public going off at odds of 2-5 in what wound up being a wire-to-wire attempt. Jason Bartlett sat behind Tattoo Artist as he paced through first half fractions of 27 and 55.3 before asking the favorite to kick away around the final turn. All the while, longshot Idealsomemagic A, a nine year old son of American Ideal, followed the cover of a fellow Yonkers invader and although the trip got the best of his cover, Idealsomemagic A continued to progress steadily as the field came to the top of the stretch.

Tattoo Artist briefly scampered away from pocket-sitter Hellabablou (Joe Bongiorno) late in the game but just when it appeared that the favorite was about to pull off the repeat, Idealsomemagic A shifted gears and powered up and past the leader to prevail by three-quarters of a length. Idealsomemagic A, who is owned by Vip Internet Stable LLC and Stratton Stable Inc and trained by Cory Stratton, became the biggest longshot to prevail in the fourteen years of the Gerrity, scoring at odds of 27-1. The veteran pacer picked a good time to post a career-best effort as he stopped the timer in 1:50 to set a new lifetime mark behind perfect George Brennan piloting. With the win, Brennan and Stratton, incredibly, become the fourteenth different driver and trainer, respectively, to record victories in Gerrity history. Tattoo Artist finished second on Saturday while Hellabalou earned the show spot. The exacta and triple with the 27-1 shot on top returned $159 and $489.50, respectively.

Live racing continues on Sunday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 6:45pm.      

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Uncle Jord A (Rock N Roll Heaven) has been a solid force in the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel all year long. On Saturday evening, the Alicia Gray-trained pacer drew post five in the seven horse feature. Driver Shawn Gray asked the veteran for early speed and landed briefly on the lead before yielding to rival St Lads Sterling (Jay Randall) approaching the opening quarter.

Uncle Jord A rode the coattails of the leader through a first half of 55.4 and that tandem was joined by Talking Tom (Chris Long) in the stretch for a three-horse battle to the wire. Uncle Jord A began to impose his will midway through the lane as he overpowered St Lads Sterling late in the game before drawing off to win decisively in 1:52.2. Talking Tom closed sharply to finish second while St Lads Sterling had to settle for third in the $17,000 feature. Uncle Jord A paid $13.80 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that came back $72.50 and $213.50, respectively.

The victory in the Open was the third on the season for the eight year old Uncle Jord A who is owned by Doug Overhiser of New Smyrna Beach, FL. A picture of consistency this season, he has now hit the board in nine of his twelve starts in the Saratoga Open in 2023.

Live racing continues at Saratoga on Sunday evening with a thirteen race card set to kick off at 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Shecouldbegood N (Well Said) lengthened her win streak to five on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Trainer Luke Hanners claimed the ten year old mare in late May and enjoyed immediate success with the veteran distaffer. Shecouldbegood N rattled off four consecutive victories, including one that came in a lifetime best 1:52.1, before stepping up to make her first career start in the Fillies and Mares Open on Monday. Shawn Gray catch-drove for Hanners who continues to recover from injuries sustained in an on-track accident. Gray took Shecouldbegood N back at the start to not get involved in what wound up being a pretty significant speed duel in the early going. Her co-favorite, Our Lady Lara A (Jimmy Devaux), powered into the lead in a fast first quarter of 26.4 before backing it down to 57.3 in the first half. Shecouldbegood N began to progress mildly from off the pace and just kept grinding away leading up to a stretch drive that would result in a blanket finish. When the dust settled, Shecouldbegood N emerged with her first Open score in a race that saw all seven participants finish within a length and a quarter of each other. Co-favored at odds of 9-5, Shecouldbegood N paid $5.70 to win. Always Watching (Jordan Derue) closed to finish second while Our Lady Lara A had to settle for third in the $17,000 Open for the ladies. Shecouldbegood N’s victory, which came in 1:54.4, was her seventh of the season. The Open winner is owned by Michael Milazzo of Goshen, NY who teamed up once again with Gray and Hanners later in the card for a victory with claiming pacing mare HS Shauna as she completed a double for her connections.

The live racing calendar will feature Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening for the next two months with first post time each evening set for 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York