Trump De Vie (Devious Man) continued his magical run at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon. The Jackie Cantine-trained trotter has been simply sensational in 2023 and on Monday won for the seventh consecutive time when he parlayed a pocket trip to victory in leg two of the John Mongeon Sr. Memorial trotting series. Trump De Vie began his season in March by rattling off back-to-back scores after getting pocket rides but ever since, the three year old has been doing it in wire-to-wire fashion for Saratoga Hall of Fame driver Frank Coppola Jr. After paying $9.90 to win in his semi-upset in leg one, Trump De Vie was the betting public’s 3-5 favorite on Monday when he cruised past his race’s leader to prevail in 2:00.3 en route to moving his ’23 record to seven-for-seven. Coppola also piloted the Cantine-trained Sweet El Diablo to a Monday score as that young pacer rattled off his third straight victory for his red hot connections when he prevailed in a $9,500 pacing event on the matinee card.

The winner of the other $15,000 division of leg two of the John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trot was City Of Hope (Mel’s Hall) who overcame post eight to secure the upset at odds of 12-1 with Jimmy Devaux piloting for trainer Dave Dewhurst.  City Of Hope’s score in the afternoon’s finale was the second on the day for his connections as Primo Uomo went wire-to-wire in his division of the Dr. Richard Frank Memorial pacing series on Monday. City Of Hope is owned in partnership by Dewhurst and Philip Hale.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Nuttin But Finesse (Art Major) enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, one in which he won nine times and earned just shy of $90,000 en route to becoming a nominee for Pacer of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Janice Connor trainee won the Open Pace twice in ’22 and began his 2023 campaign squaring off against the track’s top pacers again.

Nuttin But Finesse posted a third and a second-place finish in his two starts leading up into Saturday night’s try in the $17,000 Open Pace. Leon Bailey piloted the five year old who powered out to the early lead and enjoyed soft fractions in the first half of the feature, coasting through lap one in 57.4 before being confronted by a rival in what would be a sizzling third quarter of 26.4.

Nuttin But Finesse registered his third career win in the Saratoga Open when he hit the wire first in 1:53 in Saturday’s feature after drawing away from his rivals to score by a decisive four lengths. Im No Outlaw N (Jay Randall) sat the pocket to the winner and wound up as the runner-up while Uncle Jord A (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot.

Nuttin But Finesse paid $8.80 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $71 and $181.50, respectively. The five year old is owned by the partnership of Connor, Stronka, Mc Gee and Lovett.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon with a matinee that begins at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

If Monday’s first leg was any indication of what’s to come, the first installment of the Dr. Richard Frank Memorial Pacing Series could set up to be a classic. A pair of three year old pacers came into the series’ first leg with a combined thirteen wins already on the young season and each member of that pair added another win to his tally on Monday.

Primo Uomo (Heston Blue Chip) has enjoyed a dominant 2023 campaign thus far and the Dave Dewhurst-trained pacer moved his record to seven for nine this season behind a front-running score in the $12,500 first leg of the Dr. Richard Frank Memorial Pace. The sophomore was piloted to a 1:55.2 victory by Jimmy Devaux to hold off his race’s major danger William Hanover (Leon Bailey) and record the win.

The Melissa Beckwith-trained Boozer (Huntsville) moved his record to eight for ten on the year with a wire-to-wire win of his own. In recording his leg one victory, Boozer held off pocket-sitting Excursion (Billy Dobson) who began his season with a four-for-four record himself before coming up second-best on Monday. Boozer was leg one’s fastest winner as he stopped the timer in a lifetime best 1:54.4 for driver Brett Beckwith.

The other Dr. Richard Frank Memorial Pacing Series leg one winner was Astaires Arsenal (In The Arsenal) who has also had the winning way this year and scored in 1:56.1 on Monday for his fourth victory in six seasonal starts. The three year old was piloted to the win by Billy Dobson for trainer Misty Carey.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee beginning at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Boozer (Huntsville) has been as sharp as any horse in the opening months of the racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Monday afternoon, the Melissa Beckwith trainee put in a career-best effort. Brett Beckwith pilots Boozer who rattled off four consecutive victories at Saratoga in March before finishing second in a start at Plainridge early in April.

On Monday, the three year old pacer was heavily backed as the 1-9 betting favorite and looked every bit the part. Boozer marched out to the early lead and never looked back before cruising to a decisive victory of more than five lengths. The final time of 1:55.2 served as a new lifetime mark for Boozer who won for the seventh time in nine starts in the ’23 campaign. The sophomore is owned by his trainer Melissa Beckwith in partnership with George Zitone of Montague, NJ. Boozer’s Monday score came while competing in a $9,500 event for colt and gelding pacers.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that starts at noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Summit City Sonny (Dover Dan) hasn’t lost a race at Saratoga Casino Hotel since mid-February and the Jesse McAssey-trained trotter extended that win streak on Sunday afternoon. He prevailed in his first ever try in the local Open when on March 19th, the four year old sprung the upset in the Sunday feature.

Following a two-race stint at Yonkers, it was back to the Spa on Sunday for the McAssey stable star who again was fairly ignored by the betting public who dismissed him at odds of 9-1. Leon Bailey is the regular driver for Summit City Sonny who flashed speed in the $17,000 Open Trot to wind up in the pocket behind the race’s longshot Xcuseme (John Stark Jr).

Summit City Sonny kept the leader in his sights every step up of the way before sliding out around the final turn to take on Xcuseme before ultimately powering past him to record a decisive three-plus length score in the feature. The final time of 1:55.1 marks a new career-best win time for Summit City Sonny who is co-owned by Jesse McAssey and Adam Friedland.

He paid $20.80 to win in the upset. Big Box Hanover came charging hard late to win a photo for place and complete a $90.50 exacta while Xcuseme earned the show spot in what was a $752 trifecta.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time of noon. There will be a carryover of $3,386 in the Pick Five that starts in the matinee’s first race.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Uncle Jord A (Rock N Roll Heaven) was the runner-up in the Open Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel on two occasions before winning the feature on March 25^th. Alicia Gray trains the Aussie invader who has been strong in his first season for his connections. Following a tough post draw led to a fifth-place finish in his start leading up to Saturday’s try, Uncle Jord A was aggressive in the early going in the $17,000 Open as reinsman Shawn Gray quarter-moved the eight year old pacer to the lead. Once he got there, he never looked back. Uncle Jord A enjoyed leisurely fractions on the engine as he hit the half in 58.2 before checking in at three-quarters in 1:26.4. A first-over Nuttin But Finesse (Leon Bailey) fought gamely overland as the favored Rocknroll Runa A (Matt Athearn) came charging hard in the final quarter. Uncle Jord A held strong in the stretch to win in 1:54.4 and record his second victory in the local Open for owner Doug Overhiser of New Smyrna Beach, FL. Rocknroll Runa A hit the board for the sixth consecutive week as he motored home to finish second while Nuttin But Finesse earned the show spot. Uncle Jord A paid $8.50 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $17 and $62, respectively. With the earnings from his Saturday score, Uncle Jord A is now less than a thousand dollars away from reaching the quarter million dollar mark in career bankroll.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee slated to begin at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Maczaffair N (Mach Three) went coast-to-coast in the Tuesday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Chris Dubois trainee recorded her second win in the local Fillies and Mares Open this year when she drew away in the stretch from pocket-sitting rival So Amazing (Leon Bailey).

The ten year old Maczaffair N, an earner of over a half million dollars in her career, was pressured early on in a first half that went in 56.3 but powered away in the stretch to score by four and a half lengths in a mile clocked in 1:54.1. It was the fourth victory in seven starts in the 2023 season for the veteran distaffer.

So Amazing finished second at odds of 10-1 while Maczaffair N’s co-favorite Alittlesidehustl N (Jay Randall) came on to finish third. Maczaffair paid $6.20 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $43.20 and $189, respectively. Jimmy Devaux piloted Macaffair N to the score in Tuesday’s $18,200 Open.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a first post time set for 5pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Jay Randall has been on a tear in the opening months of the 2023 season at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Saturday evening, the veteran reinsman added another five wins to his bulky total. The 61 year old Randall sits second in the local driver standings despite doing double duty piloting at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts. Randall guided a pair of Jackie Greene trainees to Saturday scores including the winner of the featured race. St Lads Sterling (Control The Moment) was coming off a win in last weekend’s $14,500 installment of the Winners Over for pacers when he repeated on Saturday night. In a race that saw first half fractions of 26.4 and 55.3 be posted by Kaporal (Mitch Cushing), the 2-1 second-choice in the wagering, St Lads Sterling powered off the rail heading to the three quarter pole before going toe-to-toe with Kaporal in the stretch. At the wire, it was St Lads Sterling who proved victorious in a mile clocked in a sizzling 1:52 on a warm evening in the Spa City. The winner, who is owned by Janie Kellogg and the Jackie Greene Stables of Fort Ann, NY, paid $5 as the betting favorite. Kaporal was the runner-up while longshot Lindas In Heaven (Mcgwire Sowers) earned the show spot. The victory with St Lads Sterling was the third of what would be five on the night for Randall and three for Greene as that tandem teamed up for a victory with veteran pacer Wyatt J earlier in the evening and with local legend Artful Way later on the card.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Angel Nation (Archangel) was a multiple-time Open winner at Saratoga Casino Hotel in 2022. Following a winter which saw him race out of town, the six year old trotter returned to the stable of trainer Melissa Beckwith once the calendar turned to April. Angel Nation won his return to the Spa when he went wire-to-wire on April 2^nd. On Monday, the Beckwith trainee drew post seven in the eight-horse Open Trot and subsequently took back to race from off the pace in the $17,000 feature. Driver Brett Beckwith got a cover trip for Angel Nation who came charging home in the stretch before scoring in 1:56. The race’s 4-5 betting favorite prevailed by a length and three-quarters to register what was his fourth victory of the year and second in as many starts at the Spa. Dewey Arnold (Jimmy Devaux) was the runner-up on Monday for the fifth time of the season while Reign Of Honor (Luke Hanners) earned the spot in the Open for the second week in a row. Angel Nation, who is owned by William Hartt of Carmel, ME, moved over the $350,000 mark in career earnings with the win.

Live racing continues on Tuesday at Saratoga and will feature a carryover in the early Pick Five of $2,860. First post time for the matinee is noon.

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mr Cool Seaeyre N (The Pres) has had a great year under the guidance of trainer Brett Derue at Saratoga Casino Hotel. On Monday afternoon, the eleven year old scored the biggest win maybe of his career when he went coast-to-coast in the $31,500 Step Up To The Plate Claiming Series Final for trotters. Brett Beckwith piloted Mr Cool Seaeyre N to each of his three victories in 2023 heading into Monday including a leg two score which came in 1:57. On Monday, the young reinsman powered the New Zealand-bred high-stepper out to the early lead and never looked back. Shadowed every step of the way by the race’s favorite Life Well Lived (Phil Fluet), Mr Cool Seaeyre N cruised unopposed through a first half in 58 seconds and encountered just a brief bid from the favorite in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:58 for the series win. Life Well Lived, the 6-5 public choice in the wagering, came up second best while Esa (Luke Hanners) concluded his successful series with a third-place finish in the Final. Mr Cool Seaeyre N, who paid $5.90 to win, is owned by Picarazzi, Derue and Bullard of NY. The exacta paid $13.20 in the matinee’s feature while the triple returned $51.50.

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

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York