Always Watching (He’s Watching) established herself as a top-flight mare last season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Jordan Derue owns, trains and drives the distaffer who enjoyed a six-figure campaign in 2022 by way of ten wins, many of which came in the Fillies and Mares Open. The ’23 season didn’t start out as strong for the now-five year old although the mare did hit the board in the Open on a few occasions before dropping down in class to secure her first win of the season on April 18^th. Following that score, Always Watching moved back into Open company and rattled off her second consecutive victory when she wired the featured field of ladies. Ever since, Always Watching has hit the board in each of her starts leading up into Monday’s try in the $17,000 Fillies and Mares Open.

Derue’s top distaffer was the public’s 8-5 betting favorite on the Memorial Day matinee and wasted little time moving out to the front-end. Cruising unopposed through a fast first half in 55.4, Always Watching wound up powering away from her rivals turning for home en route to her third win of the year and second in the Open. The final time on a beautiful afternoon in the Spa City was 1:53.2 for a much-the-best Always Watching. Fond Memories A (Billy Dobson), last week’s Open winner, was the runner-up on Monday while Alittlesidehustl N (Jay Randall) came on to finish third. Always Watching paid $5.40 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $35.20 and $78.50, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Jessica Hallett

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

The Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel has belonged to leading trainer Melissa Beckwith this year. Putting the finishing touches on her ninth training title this season, Beckwith has had two mares dominate the action in the regular Monday feature and this week scored her twelfth victory in the top race for the ladies.

Probert (Dali) came into her most recent try in the $16,000 feature as an owner of four Open wins this year despite racing well over half her races out of town in 2022. On Monday, Probert wound up as her race’s 1-5 betting favorite in the five-horse Open and took back in the early going. In a half mile clocked in 59 seconds, the Beckwith trainee sat patiently before being unleashed by driver Brett Beckwith approaching the three-quarter pole.

Resistance was futile for the rivals of Probert who surged past her competition en route to stopping the timer in 1:56.1 for her fifth Open score, a number that is second only to stablemate Sea Shadows and her seven Open victories among top-flight mares at the Spa this year. Invader Newsy N (Ron Cushing) was the runner-up to Probert in a chalky $6.60 exacta while Pammy Jo (Shawn Gray) earned the show spot in a $17.80 triple.

Probert, who is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski, now has ten wins to her credit in a year in which she has piled up over $150,000 in earnings.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening for closing weekend of the ’22 season. Saturday’s first post time is 5pm to be followed by closing day’s matinee on Sunday which will kick off at noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Probert (Dali) & Brett Beckwith

The Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel has belonged to trainer Melissa Beckwith this season. Putting the finishing touches on what will be her ninth local training title, Beckwith has had a couple of distaffers who have thrived in the ladies’ feature throughout the 2022 campaign. Sea Shadows owns a track-best seven Open wins this year but it was a different Beckwith trainee who competed in Monday’s installment of the $16,000 feature.

Probert (Dali) has had a terrific ’22 season while racing both locally and at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts. Following a pair of Open scores and a third-place finish at Plainridge, Probert was back in town on Monday and despite drawing post six in the six-horse feature, the Beckwith trainee was the public’s 3-5 betting favorite. Young reinsman Brett Beckwith found an early landing spot with Probert in a race in which Always Watching (Jordan Derue) was cutting the mile.

Always Watching got to the half in 57 seconds but when Beckwith gave Probert her cue, the five year old surged to challenge the leader who would not relent. Always Watching and Probert battled stride-for-stride with each other until hitting the stretch when the Beckwith trainee powered away to win in 1:53.3. It was the fourth Open score at the Spa for Probert who is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski.

The earnings for Probert push her seasonal total to over the $140,000 mark. Always Watching finished second on Monday to complete a $16.40 exacta while So Amazing (Jimmy Devaux) completed a $48.80 triple.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a 5pm first post. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $2,444 with the Pick Five beginning in the first race.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

La Bella Vita N (Changeover) has been a force in the Fillies and Mares Open since coming to Saratoga Casino Hotel this summer. The Alicia Gray trainee won the ladies’ Open three times from the beginning of August through the start of October despite competing out of town in a good chunk of her starts over the course of that span.

On Monday afternoon, La Bella Vita N came into the feature off back-to-back runner-up tries while a beaten favorite in each of those second-place finishes. She was once again the public’s top choice in Monday’s $16,000 Open when reinsman Shawn Gray sat patiently in the early going. Getting away last in the six-horse feature, she remained last in a first half that went in 56.4.

With last week’s Open winner Sea Shadows (Brett Beckwith) on the lead, La Bella Vita N revved up the engine and powered up first-over before taking over the lead turning for home. The favorite made good at odds of 3-5 when she stopped the timer in 1:55.2 to record her fourth victory in the Fillies and Mares Open at the Spa.

Fond Memories A (Larry Stalbaum) finished second in her debut in the ladies’ feature while Sea Shadows (Brett Beckwith) held on to earn the show spot. La Bella Vita N is owned by Bowie Racing and Michael Goldberg Racing. Trainer Alicia Gray and driver Shawn Gray also teamed up for the winner of Saturday night’s Open Pace for the boys as their Alluneedisfaith N overcame post eight to record his fourth win in the local feature since coming to town late in the summer.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening with a first post time set for 5pm. | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Sea Shadows (Shadow Play) continued her magical 2022 campaign on Monday afternoon when the Melissa Beckwith trainee scored in the Fillies and Mars Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The seven year old mare recorded her fourteenth victory of the season as she went wire-to-wire with Brett Beckwith at the controls.

Sea Shadows carved out first-half fractions of 27.2 and 56.4 before being met with the challenge of the race’s 2-5 betting favorite La Bella Vita N (Shawn Gray). Sea Shadows proved up to the task as she turned back La Bella Vita N who had to settle for being the runner-up in the $16,000 feature. Shallow (Brian Cross) sat the pocket to the winner and wound up finishing third.

Sea Shadows paid $7.80 to win in the Open as the second-choice in the wagering. It was the seventh score in the local Fillies and Mares Open this season for Sea Shadows, the most of any distaffer in the ’22 campaign. The mare, who moved her career earnings to over the $350,000 in Monday’s win, is owned by Paul O’Neil of Saratoga Springs.

The win was one of three on the afternoon for the Beckwith stable and reinsman Brett Beckwith who is enjoying a breakout year in just his second full season in the sulky.

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

Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser

Trainer Melissa Beckwith’s stable has put forth a few different pacing mares of late that have thrived in the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel. On Monday, Probert (Dali) was the distaffer out of the Beckwith barn to race in the $16,000 feature and although she drew the outside post in the six-horse Open, Probert appeared poised to thrive while coming off a second-place finish last week.

Brett Beckwith piloted Probert to that runner-up try and once again sat behind the five year old on Monday. The 19 year old reinsman flashed early speed with Probert who had been doing the majority of her best work from the back of the pack in recent months. The morning line favorite went off at odds of 3-1 in Monday’s feature and cruised through a first half in 56.3. Feeling just mild pressure, Probert stepped on the gas and paced away late in the mile to win the Open in 1:53.4 over a tracked labeled ‘sloppy.’

Longshot Always Watching (Jordan Derue) gobbled up some ground in the stretch to finish second on Monday while Alittlesidehustl N finished third to hit the board for the fifth consecutive week in the Open. For Probert, it was the second Open victory at the Spa in the last month. The winner is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski. The victory was one of three on the card for trainer Melissa Beckwith and driver Brett Beckwith.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

La Bella Vita N (Changeover) stayed red hot on a chilly afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday. The Alicia Gray-trained distaffer overcame her outside post to win the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open. Shawn Gray sat behind the seven year old as she won her third consecutive start on Monday.

Bouncing back and forth between Saratoga and Plainridge this summer, La Bella Vita N powered out early from post seven in the seven-horse feature and although she had to work hard to post a 27 second flat first quarter, the New Zealand invader got a big time breather in quarter two before reaching the half in 57 seconds. Probert (Brett Beckwith) wound up first-over on the race’s favorite on Monday and although she tested her in the stretch, the chase proved futile.

La Bella Vita N stopped the timer in 1:53.4 for her second victory in the local Open and her tenth win of the 2022 season. The even-money favorite led an exacta with Probert second that paid $19 while the triple, which was rounded out by Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson), returned $49.60. She is owned by Bowie Racing of Illinois and Michael Goldberg Racing of Massachusetts.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Racine Bell (So Surreal) has been competing against the top pacing mares in North America in the last few seasons and on Monday afternoon, the Dave Dewhurst-trained distaffer made her return to Saratoga Casino Hotel to compete in the Fillies and Mares Open. Jason Bartlett came to town to drive Racine Bell who was the public’s 1-9 favorite in the wagering despite drawing the outside post in the $17,150 feature.

Bartlett blasted Racine Bell out early but settled in third in the early going as local top-flight mare Sea Shadows (Brett Beckwith) carved out first-half fractions of 27.3 and 56 seconds. Racine Bell came off the rail heading to the three-quarter pole and although Sea Shadows looked to have something left, the Dewhurst trainee paced right by in the stretch to not only secure the Open win but do so in a final time of 1:51.3.

That clocking matched the all-time track record for pacing mares set in 2017 by Velocity Vespa and matched last year by the track’s Horse of the Year Surreal Feeling, who is owned by Racine Bell’s owners Chris and Dale Lawton. Sea Shadows was a super second while Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot.

The exacta and triple with the big favorite on top paid $11.20 and $36.60, respectively. Racine Bell’s win was her 28^th in 68 lifetime starts and leads her closer to the million dollar mark for her career.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening with a 5pm first post.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

It’s been a hot stretch at Saratoga Casino Hotel for trainer Alicia Gray and driver Shawn Gray and on Monday, the tandem teamed up for their second Open Pace win in the last three days at the Spa. Their Alluneedisfaith N won the Open Pace on Saturday night on an evening that saw Shawn Gray pilot five winners. In Monday’s matinee, the Alicia Gray-trained La Bella Vita N (Changeover) was the public’s overwhelming favorite in the wagering after the would-be favored Sea Shadows got scratched.

Gray took the 1-5 shot La Bella Vita N back in the early going in what was a field of five in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open. The big favorite sat patiently in a first half that went in 56.3. Gray picked up cover with his seven year old distaffer and in a matter of just a few strides, she put the swoop to the group pacing away from her rivals to score in 1:52.2. For La Bella Vita N, it was victory number nine on the season and her second in the local Fillies and Mares Open. With the earnings from Monday’s score, La Bella Vita N went over the $100,000 mark for the ’22 campaign. The New Zealand invader is owned by Bowie Racing of Shorewood IL and Michael Goldberg RacingLLC of Massachusetts.

Live racing resumes on Friday evening at Saratoga with will feature some intriguing carryovers. The Pick Five, which begins in race 1, has a carryover of $2,453. The Jackpot in the Pick Six has climbed to $10,071 while the Super High Five Jackpot in the evening’s finale will carry $3,611.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Probert (Dali) has enjoyed a massively successful 2022 campaign while racing a handful of different tracks. Despite piling up more than $85,000 in earnings and winning four times on the season, the five year old hadn’t recorded a victory in a couple months when she made her return to Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon.

The Melissa Beckwith-trained Probert was back to the Spa to compete in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open just three weeks after being a well-beaten favorite in the local feature. Probert finished second or third six times in her previous seven starts heading into Monday’s tilt and wound up being the even money in the ladies’ feature. Brett Beckwith pulled Probert first-over on the leader and eventually ground that one into submission before drawing away to win by two lengths.

Demeter N (Larry Stalbaum) also thrived from off the pace in Monday’s Open and closed to finish second while pocket-sitting Alittlesidehustl N (Billy Dobson) came on to be third. It was the second win in the local Open this year for Probert who scored in the feature back in May. On Monday, she paid $4.30 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $21.40 and $91, respectively.

The Open score was one of two victories on the day for trainer Melissa Beckwith and driver Bret Beckwith who teamed up for a wire-to-wire score with Seafood Sweetheart (American Ideal) in a low-level conditional race. Probert is owned by Howard Jacobs, Jim Winske and Marcus Kemblowski.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser