Circuit Party is in the midst of a career year and on Friday night, the five year old extended his win streak to five by prevailing in the Open Trot. Wally Hennessey drove for trainer Dan Cappello Jr. as Circuit Party drew post eight for Friday’s try against the track’s top trotters. Hennessey was aggressive pulling the son of Donato Hanover approaching the opening quarter and raced almost the entire mile on the outside. Coming in on a four-race win streak and as a winner of the Open for the first time last week (Aug 18), Circuit Party put the swoop to the group in the $18,200 feature getting the better of rival Duckdodgendive (Brett Beckwith) in the stretch. In victory, Circuit Party became just the third high-stepper to win the Open in back-to-back tries in 2023. Duckdodgendive, who won his first career Open last month, was a strong second on Friday while Special Prosecutor (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot to hit the board for the third consecutive start in the local Open. Circuit Party paid $8.30 to win in a race that was evenly bet. The exacta and triple in the feature returned $42 and $170, respectively. The win for Circuit Party was his tenth of the season in twenty three starts. With the earnings from his Friday score, the rising trotting star boosted his career earnings to over the $100,000 mark for owner Lisa Unltd LLC of Schenectady, NY who recently acquired the up-and-coming trotter.

Live racing continues on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a 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

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

Invader Milieu Hanover (Betting Line) made her Saratoga Casino Hotel debut a winning one in Monday’s feature. Nick Devita trains the five year old who came into her try in the $17,000 Fillies and Mares Open a winner of back-to-back races but after being off close to a month. Milieu Hanover came from the back of a condensed pack of six distaffers on Monday and driver Brett Beckwith tipped her to the far outside past the three-quarter pole. The out-of-towner came charging home in the stretch and drew away to prevail by two and a quarter lengths in a final time of 1:54. The third consecutive win for Milieu Hanover was her fifth on the season in ten starts. The Open winner paid $9.00 to win as she bested the favored Our Lady Lara A (Jimmy Devaux), who brought a six-race undefeated local streak into the Monday feature but had to settle for second-best. Always Watching (Jordan Derue) earned the show spot. The exacta and triple in the ladies’ Open came back $20.40 and $84.50, respectively. Milieu Hanover is owned in partnership by Hamm, Giaccio and Devita Racing Stable, Inc.

Live racing will resume on Saturday evening at Saratoga and will feature a carryover of $3,917 in the early Pick Five. The Pick Five begins in Saturday’s first race which is set for 5pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Trainer Andy Sardella has seen a stable star emerge for him this season as Northern Luxury (Northern Luck) has gone on a springtime tear at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Northern Luxury rattled off five consecutive victories spanning the month of May and heading into June. The five year old mare graduated out of the class of her dominance and wound up getting parked the mile the following week.

On Monday, Northern Luxury drew post three for her try in the $12,500 feature for fillies and mares. Regular reinsman Phil Fluet sat behind the Sardella-trained distaffer and got a cover trip with her on Monday. The 2-1 second-choice in the wagering tracked down the favorite who was on the front end en route to her ninth victory in fifteen seasonal starts.

Longshot So Diva (Chris Long) closed up the rail to finish second while the favored American Tour N (Wally Hennessey) held on to finish third. Northern Luxury paid $6.90 to win as she stopped the timer in 1:54.3 for owner Billy Grass of Greenfield, MA. Sardella completed a training double on Monday when his HS Shauna (Up Front Charlie) went coast-to-coast with Chris Long in the sulky.

HS Shauna’s win, her fifth of the season, came in 1:55.4 in a $9,000 event for claiming pacing mares. HS Shauna is owned by Mike and Bill Pozefsky of New York.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time of 5pm. 

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Dewey Arnold (Deweycheatumnhowe) has been a winning machine over the years but the trotting star was a beaten favorite in each of his first three starts of 2023 heading into his Monday try in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel. On Monday, the Dave Dewhurst-trained star high-stepper was again the betting public’s top choice as he drew post position five in the six-horse feature. Jimmy Devaux marched Dewey Arnold out to the early lead, a lead the classy five year old would never relinquish. Dewey went coast-to-coast in 1:56.4 in the $17,000 Open besting last week’s feature winner Big Box Hanover decisively in what was a $13 exacta. Longshot Grinder (Andover Hall), the runner-up in the first Open Trot of the season, finished third on Monday to complete a $67.50 triple. Dewey Arnold is now just a few thousand shy of the $400,000 mark in career earnings after what was his 26th lifetime victory in just 61 starts. Dewey Arnold is co-owned by his trainer Dave Dewhurst and Philip Hale of New York.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time of noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

It isn’t often that a horse who wins a featured race in back-to-back weeks at Saratoga Casino Hotel winds up going off at 5-1 odds in his or her next try against a similar group. That was the case on Wednesday afternoon when Surreal Feeling (So Surreal) was somewhat ignored by the bettors in the $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open as she pursued a hat trick. Alek Chartrand picked up the catch-drive behind the Dale Lawton-trained mare whose early speed is so strong that she had no trouble making it to the top even from post position seven. Surreal Feeling paced the first half in 57.4 and was relatively untested through three quarters of 1:26.1. The six year old mare, who loves to win, did it again as she kicked away from her rivals in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:55 for an open-length score. The victory was the fourth in a row for Surreal Feeling including three straight in the Spa feature for distaffers. Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) sat the pocket to the winner before finishing second while Thats Incredible (Brett Crawford) earned the show spot. Surreal Feeling paid $13.80 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $147 and $880, respectively. Trainer Dale Lawton, of Verona, NY, co-owns Surreal Feeling with Chris Lawton, of Vernon, NY. The win in the feature was the first in an Open this season for reinsman Alek Chartrand who is in the midst of a terrific start to the 2021 campaign.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

There have been few hotter barns in the first month of the racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel than that of Margaret Spagnola. Defending top trainer Gary Levine leads the way in the early going of 2021 among conditioners but Spagnola hasn’t been far behind in the first few weeks of the campaign. On Monday, Spagnola’s barn stayed hot as the trotters from her stable shined. Match My Miracle (Imagistic) went coast-to-coast in a $6,150 trotting event to extend his win streak to three on Monday. Brett Crawford is the regular pilot for most of the Spagnola-trained horses and sat behind Match My Miracle as he set a new lifetime mark in his resounding, wire-to-wire victory on an afternoon in Saratoga that actually felt like springtime. Match My Miracle, who is owned by Dave Spagnola and the Our Blue Streaks Stable of NY, had a strong 2020 season that saw him win six races and hit the board eleven times in eighteen starts. Here in ’21, the five year old gelding is now three-for-three after his career best Monday score that came as the public’s odds-on favorite. Longshot Lazzaro (Billy Dobson) closed to finish second while Sweet Sofie T (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Another Spagnola-trained trotter, Amazing Sevens, almost went back-to-back with Match My Miracle on Monday as he got tracked down late in the mile in a $7,700 trotting race to finish a strong second while dismissed at odds of 9-1 as the hot start for the Spagnola stable continued.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee kicking off at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Gigfy (Broadway Hall) competed in the Open Trot on a few occasions last year at Saratoga Casino Hotel and while he didn’t fare well at that level, he is thriving in the early stages of the 2021 campaign at the Spa. Brian Mattison trains the seven year old trotter who recorded a win at the Meadowlands this winter after being lightly raced in the ’20 season. Last Monday (March 8), Gigfy dropped in class and went coast-to-coast in 1:57.3 for a decisive victory with Alek Chartrand in the bike. This week, looking to repeat, Gigfy drew post seven in a nine-horse field in the matinee’s $7,700 featured race. Chartrand was aggressive in the early stages with the sharp trotter and forwardly placed him at the start. After the race’s favorite Stone In Love (Brian Cross) surged first-over into the lead, Gigfy followed not far behind and took dead aim on the public’s even money top choice around the final turn before reeling him in to score at odds of 4-1. Gigfy stopped the timer in 1:57.2 on a cold, breezy afternoon in Saratoga to go back-to-back. Stone In Love finished second to complete a $28.80 exacta. If Not Why Not (Brett Crawford) rounded out what was a $191 triple. Gigfy is owned by Gerald D’Alessandro of Ocala, FL and Bridgette Mattison of Watervliet, NY.

Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga with a Noon first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino