Trainer Kelly Lancaster-Dailey was a nominee for the Peerless McGrath Award last season. The New Jersey-based conditioner was one of three to compete for the award which recognizes the track’s top up-and-coming trainer at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Lancaster-Dailey recorded a training double on Monday afternoon’s card at the Spa as she saw two of her trainees record upsets.

Caught Ya Looking sprung one of the biggest upsets of the young season at the Spa when the four year old overpowered the favorite in his $8,000 race for young trotters to prevail at odds of 28-1. Caught Ya Looking, a son of What The Hill, recorded his first victory of the year stopping the timer in 2:02.1 en route to a $59 win mutuel. Lancaster-Dailey’s Psalmsfortysixfive completed the training double when he went coast-to-coast to score for the second consecutive week.

Another four year old mare out of the Lancaster-Dailey stable, Psalmsfortysixfive wire-to-wire win moved her record to two-for-two in 2024 and set a new lifetime mark of 2:00.2. Psalmsfortysixfive paid $23.80 to win while completing the training double for Lancaster-Dailey. Mitch Cushing piloted both trotting mares to their Monday upsets.

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

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Shallow (Up The Credit) has spent much of her last few months racing against the top lady pacers both at Plainridge Park and at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Andy Gardner trainee finished second in the local Open for fillies and mares two weeks ago (Sept 11) but dropped in company off a sixth-place effort in last week’s ladies feature. Following a scratch on Monday, Shallow inherited the rail for her try in an $11,500 conditional race which served as the feature on the matinee card. Billy Dobson piloted the five year old mare who earned over $100,000 in her breakout 2022 campaign. Dobson moved Shallow out to the early lead where she would remain untested in a first half that went in 57.4. Her race’s odds-on betting favorite, Shallow kicked away from her rivals turning for home en route to victory in 1:54.3. Following up a twelve-win ’22 campaign, the five year old distaffer’s Monday score was just her third this season. Pocket-sitter HS Shauna (Luke Hanners) is in the midst of a terrific three-month stretch and continued her hot streak by finishing second to the favorite in Monday’s feature while Fond Memories A (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot. Shallow is owned by Room4040 LLC Stables of Yorktown, NY.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Always Watching (He’s Watching) became the second distaffer to win the Fillies and Mares Open four times this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Monday, Jordan Derue’s talented five year old went coast-to-coast in the $15,000 feature. Always Watching has hit the board in every one of her starts dating back to early summer and on Wednesday, she survived a win photo to prevail over a sloppy track. Derue owns, trains and drives Always Watching who moved out to the front-end and carved out first-half fractions of 27 and 56 seconds. The co-second choice in the wagering at odds of 5-2, Always Watching was tracked every step of the way by the race’s favorite Oaxacan Dream N (Jimmy Devaux) who drew even in the stretch with the leader before coming up just shy in a close photo for win. Always Watching stopped the timer in 1:53.2 for her fifth victory of the year and fourth in the local Open. Oaxacan Dream N completed a $26.40 exacta while American Tour N (Wally Hennessey) rounded out a $141.50 triple. Always Watching, an earner of over $100,000 in 2022, is well on her way to another six-digit campaign in ’23. Her fourth score in the ladies’ Open matches La Bella Vita N for most for any mare this season at the Spa.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a first post time of 5pm. There will be a $2,649 carryover in the early Pick Five, a wager that begins in the first race.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

It was an historic afternoon for driver Wally Hennessey as Monday matinees returned to the racing calendar at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Hall of Fame reinsman performed a feat rarely achieved in track history as he piloted five consecutive winners on the card en route to six victories in total for the day. The 66 year old Hennessey is still on top of his game in the sulky and on Monday rattled off victories in five straight races on the program, the last of which coming in the day’s featured race. Hennessey guided the Jackie Greene-trained Alittlesidehustl N (He’s Watching) to a wire-to-wire victory in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open to complete his five-bagger. Alittlesidehustl N had won back-to-back Opens in April but was winless in the local feature from that point on until Monday. She was guided to the feature score by Hennessey who piloted winners in the afternoon’s second through sixth races before wrapping up a six-win day later in the card. Alittlesidehustl N finished second in last week’s (Sept 3) ladies’ feature before recording what was her fourth seasonal score on Monday. With the earnings from her victory, Alittlesidehustl N saw her career bankroll move to over the $200,000 mark for the Kellogg Racing and Jackie Greene Racing Stables who co-own the five year old distaffer. Her score in the Open came in 1:53.2 as she bested longshot Shallow (Billy Dobson) who came on to be second while Always Watching (Jordan Derue) finished third to hit the board for her seventh consecutive start. Alittlesidehustl N was the odds-on favorite and paid $3.90 to win leading an exacta and triple that came back $25.40 and $70, respectively.

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

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

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

Sheikh Yabooty N (Big Jim) made her debut in the Fillies and Mares Open on Monday Saratoga Casino Hotel. The nine year old distaffer drew post position two for her try in the $17,000 ladies’ feature while coming off an impressive off-the-pace score in 1:53.3 in her last start. On Monday, she went off at odds of 5-1 and exhibited early speed to wind up sitting the pocket to the race’s odds-on favorite Probert (Brett Beckwith).

The fractions in the feature seemed to work to the favor of Probert who reached the half in a reasonable 57.1 and remained unopposed before Sheikh Yabooty N popped the pocket around the final turn. The Bob Leslie-trained nine year old surged up and past the favorite before drawing away to win for the third time six starts since coming to the Spa in May. Alittlesidehustl N (Jay Randall) worked her way up on the outside and, as she usually is, was a factor at the finish in the Open closing to be the runner-up on Monday.

American Tour N (Wally Hennessey), who, like the winner, was competing in the Open for the first time in her career, earned the show spot in a mile clocked in 1:54.1. Sheikh Yabooty N paid $12 to win in the mild upset and led an exacta and triple that returned $52.50 and $155.50, respectively.

The winner, who is owned by Robert Devine of Freehold, NJ, gave her trainer and driver a double on the card as the Bob Leslie-trained Dancethebigdance N set a lifetime mark prevailing in 1:55.2 with reinsman Mitch Cushing at the controls.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening when the New York Sire Stakes for three year old pacing colts and geldings are featured on a fifteen race card. First post time is set for 5pm.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Trainer Brett Derue has been sitting in the top three in the trainer standings all year long at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Monday, the veteran conditioner added three wins to his bulky tally to put him right up near the top. Derue’s Novella Seelster (Sportswriter) gave her trainer his first win on the matinee card when she parlayed her pocket ride to victory with Wally Hennessey at the controls.

Brett Derue quickly went back-to-back as Mini Rose (American Ideal) powered home in the stretch to score in her first start since moving to the Derue stable. Mini Rose drew the rail in an $11,000 conditional event and wound up tipping to the outside before storming in the stretch to score in 1:55.2 with Mitch Cushing piloting. Derue’s hat trick was completed in the afternoon’s finale when his American Tour N (American Ideal) had little difficulty prevailing in an $11,250 race for fillies and mares. American Tour N popped the pocket past the half and cruised to her fifth victory of the season when she stopped the timer in 1:54.2. The nine year old distaffer was guided to the win by Wally Hennessey who piloted four winners on the Monday card.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Trainer Brett Derue has been sitting in the top three in the trainer standings all year long at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Monday, the veteran conditioner added three wins to his bulky tally to put him right up near the top. Derue’s Novella Seelster (Sportswriter) gave her trainer his first win on the matinee card when she parlayed her pocket ride to victory with Wally Hennessey at the controls.

Brett Derue quickly went back-to-back as Mini Rose (American Ideal) powered home in the stretch to score in her first start since moving to the Derue stable. Mini Rose drew the rail in an $11,000 conditional event and wound up tipping to the outside before storming in the stretch to score in 1:55.2 with Mitch Cushing piloting.

Derue’s hat trick was completed in the afternoon’s finale when his American Tour N (American Ideal) had little difficulty prevailing in an $11,250 race for fillies and mares. American Tour N popped the pocket past the half and cruised to her fifth victory of the season when she stopped the timer in 1:54.2. The nine year old distaffer was guided to the win by Wally Hennessey who piloted four winners on the Monday card.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York