Hudson Phil prevailed in the first installment of the Open Pace this season at Saratoga Casino Hotel in early February. The Jackie Greene trainee has been a force at the Spa for the last few years and is once again establishing himself as a top-flight pacer in the early stages of the ’22 campaign. After springing an upset on opening weekend, Hudson Phil had a second, a third and a fourth in the local Open before hitting the board in consecutive starts at Yonkers Raceway. On Saturday night, the seven year old was back in town and wound up as the 8-5 betting favorite in the $15,000 Open Pace at the Spa. Billy Dobson piloted the Greene-trained pacer who sat back in the early going as several rivals slugged it out in the first half. After watching the first half go in 56 seconds, Hudson Phil started to make his move and tipped three-wide approaching the three-quarter pole before swooping the group and opening up a big lead. Hudson Phil drew away from the competition to win by almost seven lengths in 1:53 to record his second Open win of the season. Mikibytheseaside (Jay Randall) made his Open Pace debut on Saturday and finished second despite drawing post eight while Elite Retreat (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Hudson Phil paid $5.30 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $17 and $164.50, respectively. The winner is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY who now have four victories in the Open Pace this year, two with Hudson Phil and two with local superstar Artful Way. While Dobson scored the victory in the Open, Leon Bailey was the evening’s driving star as Vernon Downs’ back-to-back top reinsman drove five winners on the Saturday card.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon. There is a Pick Five carryover of $2,460, a Pick Six jackpot carryover of $1,624. First post time is set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Artful Way was named Pacer of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel in three consecutive seasons from 2016-2018. The Jackie Greene-trained standout was a bit lightly raced for a time following the three award-winning campaigns but any thoughts that his “Open career” was over were put to bed last year when the veteran won seven times en route to a $116,032 season. Heading into Saturday’s start in the Open Pace, Artful Way owned a pair of victories on the year, one of which came in the Saturday night featured race. Leading driver Billy Dobson sat behind the ten year old pacer who was the public’s 4-5 betting favorite in the $15,000 feature. After cruising unopposed through a first half that went in 57 seconds, Artful Way was met with the challenge of Skyway Victor (Jay Randall) who had a win and a second in his last two starts in the Open. That rival fought gamely on the outside but proved to be no match to the two-time Horse of the Year at the Spa. Artful Way held strong in the stretch to score in 1:53.3 for his second Open victory in ’22. Skyway Victor was the runner-up while Elite Retreat (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. In his 69^th career victory, Artful Way paid $3.70 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $12.80 and $51.50, respectively. The winner is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time of Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Skyway Victor (Tellitlikeitis) has been impressive for his new connections in the early stages of the 2022 campaign at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Acquired this offseason by owners Mark Eaton and Robert Griffin, Skyway Victor won his Spa debut when he went coast-to-coast in 1:55 to prevail in a $13,000 Winners Over for pacers on February 19^th. After not factoring while starting from post eight in his first try in the Open, Skyway Victor drew post six for Saturday’s start in the $15,000 Open Pace. Driver Jay Randall found early speed from the four year old pacer who got to the first quarter in 28 seconds before reaching the half in 57 seconds flat. The race’s favorite Belmont Major N (Shawn Gray) was making his local debut and he stormed up to challenge the leader approaching the three quarter pole but Skyway Victor would not be denied. The Eaton trainee dug in and finished in a 27.3 final quarter en route to victory in 1:53, the fastest mile of the season for any horse at the Spa thus far. Belmont Major N was the runner-up in his first local try while Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot. The winner paid $6.90 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $14 and $49.20, respectively.

Live racing continues on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that kicks off at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Keystone Dakota, and mother and son team Melissa and Brett Beckwith won Saturdays open pace in 1:55.1

-Melissa Simser

As has been the case dozens upon dozens of times over the course of the last five years, Artful Way (Artistic Fella) won the Open Pace on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The three-time Pacer of the Year at the Spa, Artful Way made his first start in the Open in 2022 on Saturday while coming off a win in the $13,000 Winners Over. The Jackie Greene-trained superstar was the 2-1 second-choice in the betting when driver Billy Dobson blasted him out to the front end in the $15,000 feature. The ten year old carved out first half fractions of 27.1 and 57.2 on a cold and snowy evening in Saratoga Springs before being met with the challenge of the race’s odds-on favorite Lake Charles (Leon Bailey). The veteran leader dispatched the first-over bid by the public’s top choice with relative ease and just needed to hold off fellow past Pacer of the Year Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum) in the stretch, a task that he was more than prepared for. Artful Way stopped the timer in 1:55 for his second victory in three seasonal tries. Paying $6.00 to win, Artful Way led an exacta with Crockets Cullen N that paid $36 in a five-horse feature while the triple came back $67.50 with the favored Lake Charles earning the show spot. Artful Way is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Lake Charles (Well Said) won the Open Pace three times in 2021 at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Amanda Kelley trainee took the feature in two of the final three installments of it last season. Following a second-place finish in his ’22 debut last weekend, Lake Charles found himself in a four-horse Open on Saturday night. Leon Bailey sat behind the five year old who wound up powering past former Saratoga Pacer of the Year Crockets Cullen N (Larry Stalbaum) in the early going. The Kelley trainee sizzled through a first quarter of 26.4 before reaching the half in 56.4. The favored Hudson Phil (Billy Dobson) won last week’s installment of the $15,000 Open Pace and revved up the engine late in the mile on Saturday but did just enough to come up second-best to Lake Charles who hit the line in 1:54.3. Lake Charles, a winner by two and a quarter lengths, returned $7.50 to win and led an exacta with the favorite second that paid $11.60. Crockets Cullen N finished third. The winner is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Hudson Phil and driver Billy Dobson won the first open pace of 2022 in 1:55. Hudson Phil is trained by Jackie Greene.

Melissa Simser

Sunday’s installment of the Open Pace was the final one for the 2021 racing season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Closing week for the meet got underway on Sunday and the $15,000 feature saw Lake Charles (Well Said) score an Open victory for the third time at the Spa this year. Trainer Amanda Kelley will wrap up the ’21 season with more Open Pace wins than any other conditioner at the Spa as she secured her seventh victory in the Sunday feature. Her Some Waratah A won four Opens earlier in the meet and has passed the baton to Lake Charles this fall who has taken it and ran. On Sunday, Lake Charles had Leon Bailey at the controls and paced out to the lead in 27.4 in the early going. After reaching the half in an honest but manageable 57.3, the four year old pacer was put to the test by a first-over rival and those two went through a third quarter of 27.2 before Lake Charles rebuffed that one’s challenge. Pocket sitting Elite Retreat (Jimmy Devaux), who made his debut in the Open on Sunday, was no match for Lake Charles in the stretch but finished a strong second to the winner who paid $7.50 to win as the race’s second choice in the betting. Elite Retreat completed a $47.40 exacta while another longshot, Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum), finished third and pumped the triple up to a hefty $262 in the six-horse feature. Lake Charles is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs. For Leon Bailey, it was his second Open win of the year at the Spa. His first Open Pace score came in November behind the John Podres-trained Repeal Or Replace who Bailey piloted to another score on Sunday in the $13,000 Winners Over for pacers.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a matinee starting at 12 Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

The Open Pace has been the most wide open among the featured races at Saratoga Casino Hotel this season. No horse has been a dominant force this year in the regular Sunday feature and this week another unique winner prevailed in the $15,000 Open. Hudson Phil (Shanghai Phil) was a regular winner in the Open Pace a few years ago at Saratoga but has spent much of his season competing out of town in 2021. Following a third-place finish in last week’s feature, Hudson Phil was the even money betting favorite in Sunday’s installment of the Open. The Jackie Greene trainee wound up first-over while in pursuit of front-running Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum). Hudson Phil didn’t remain overland for long as he powered right up and past the leader approaching the three-quarter pole before drawing out to what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. The six year old pacer, who recently became a half millionaire, proved best on Sunday winning in 1:53.2 to boost his seasonal earnings to over the $100,000 mark. Macheasy A (Jay Randall), a four-time winner of the Open this year, was the runner-up to Hudson Phil on Sunday while Andreios Kardia (Larry Stalbaum) had to settle for third. Hudson Phil, who was piloted to victory by Billy Dobson, became the fifth different winner of the Open Pace in the last five installments. He is owned by the Kellogg Racing Stables of Queensbury, NY whose Moonshine Kisses is another four-time winner in the Open in the ’21 season at the Spa. Hudson Phil paid $4.10 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $12.20 and $68, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

The recent hot streak for reinsman Leon Bailey continued on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the Vernon Downs leading driver scored his first ever victory in a local Open. Bailey picked up the catch-drive behind the John Podres-trained Repeal Or Replace (So Surreal) who drew post two in the $15,000 Open Pace. Dismissed at odds of 15-1, Repeal Or Replace sat third in the early going as fast fractions of 27.1 and 56.1 were posted in lap one. Bailey made his move with the four year old pacer approaching the three quarter pole and Repeal Or Replace powered past the leader before opening up a big lead of his own turning for home. By the time the favorite Artful Way (Billy Dobson) could shake loose and shift gears, it would be too late for the veteran pacer to track down Repeal Or Replace whose first Open Pace score came in 1:53.2. Artful Way came up second-best while Lake Charles (Chris Long) earned the show spot. Repeal Or Replace paid $32.20 to win in the upset score and led an exacta and triple in the feature that returned $138 and $467.50, respectively. For Bailey, the win was his first ever in a local Open and one of two on the day for the 35 year old reinsman who has been on a tear of late at the Spa. Repeal Or Replace is owned by Karma Racing Inc. of Parkland, FL.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon with a Pick Five carryover of $2,661. The Pick Five begins in the first race which is scheduled for noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser