Whilemena Rita A (Heston Blue Chip) was a decisive, first-over winner in the Sunday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith trainee had one victory in the Fillies and Mares Open to her credit when she came into Sunday’s tilt as the morning line favorite. Whilemena Rita A wound up as the odds-on favorite in the feature for distaffers and proved more than up to the task. The six year old mare who is in the midst of her first full season of racing in the U.S. came first-over after a first half was paced in just 58.1. The resistance of the longshot leader was futile as Whilemena Rita A and reinsman Brett Beckwith imposed their will, pacing through a third quarter in 27 seconds before opening up an insurmountable lead and scoring by a length and three quarters in 1:54.3. Longshot Lady Saturn (Brett Crawford) closed quickly to finish second at odds of 10-1 while Bobby Mcgee (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot in her Open debut. For Whilemena Rita A, the win was her seventh of the year and second in Open company. The talented mare is owned in partnership by Fac Racing LLC and trainer Melissa Beckwith.

Live racing continues on Monday at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Platinum As broke a tie with three other top trotters at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday when the Melissa Beckwith trainee won the Open for the fifth time in 2026. A pair of Platinum As’s Monday rivals Send It In Hanover and defending Horse of the Year But Why each own four Open victories in ’26 along with Wolfpack Zach, the winningest horse of the meet at the Spa this year. Platinum As was aggressively piloted on Monday by Chris Long who made a quarter-move with the race’s 5-2 second-choice in the wagering. The Beckwith-trained trotter cruised unopposed in a first half that went in 57.2 before being met with the challenge of Makeorbreakzaz S (Larry Stalbaum) who was making his debut in the $18,000 Open Trot. Platinum As rattled off three quarters in 1:26 while feeling just mild pressure from the favorite before drawing away to win by three and three-quarters lengths in a mile clocked in 1:55.1. Platinum As went over the $600,000 mark in career earnings in his previous local start and added to that bulky bankroll with his fifth Open Trot score of the season at the Spa. It was the second consecutive day with an Open win for the Beckwith stable whose Whilemena Rita A prevailed in the Fillies and Mares Open on Sunday afternoon. Makeorbreakzaz S finished second in the Monday feature while But Why (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Platinum As is owned by Brett Beckwith, Yannick Gingras and Fac Racing LLC.

Live racing resumes on Saturday at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Two Year Old pacing fillies took center stage on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as New York Sire Stakes action was featured on the matinee card. The favorites dominated with both divisions of the $74,500 Sire Stakes races going the way of 1-9 betting favorites. Cowboy Candy (So Surreal) rattled off her fifth consecutive victory in NYSS action when she was a dominant winner on Tuesday. Jason Bartlett drove the freshman filly to a nine-length romp for trainer Aaron Lambert after coasting to an easy lead and never looking back. Cowboy Candy moved her record to six-for-seven overall and six-for-six in Sire Stakes action behind the Tuesday effort which saw her pace in 1:54.2.

The other division was won by another freshman filly who brought an impressive win streak into her Saratoga debut. Annie O (Huntsville) survived a brief scare in the matinee’s opener when the Andrew Stafford-trained filly went coast-to-coast with Leon Bailey in the sulky. Annie O came in on a three-race win streak and had no trouble getting the early lead aided by the post position draw which saw her start from the rail. The rising star worked unopposed through a first half in 56.4 before being confronted by rival Hunstvilles Honey (Matt Kakaley) who closed in on the leader for a time around the final turn. Annie O found a bit of a second wind though and drew clear once again in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:54.3 for fourth win in six career starts. Too Pink To Pass (Lauren Tritton) came on to finish second while Huntsville Honey earned the show spot.

Live racing goes on a brief hiatus and will return on Saturday September 12^th when first post time for the matinee is set for 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

With only two weeks remaining until the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace is contested at Saratoga Casino Hotel, pacers are starting to run short on opportunities to gain points towards the quarter million dollar biggest race of the year at the Spa. There were two divisions of the Invitational pacing events on the Saturday card that serve as qualifiers for the Gerrity on August 29^th. Blazing Home N drew the rail for his try in the $18,000 pace and his owner/trainer/driver Larry Stalbaum made sure the talented seven year old would not get as difficult of a trip as he got last week when he raced parked the mile. Blazing Home N powered out from his inside post on Saturday and cut the mile. After getting a fairly soft half in 57.2, Stalbaum went pedal to the metal with his stable’s pacing star and what resulted was a 54.4 final lap en route to a 1:52.1 Saturday score at odds of even money. Rock Solid Express (Billy Dobson) sat the pocket to the winner before coming up second-best while back-to-back Gerrity prep winner Binge On Yankee (Kyle Swift) had to settle for third.

The other division of the Gerrity Invitational went the way of Mullinax and driver Aaron Byron. The Melissa Beckwith trainee worked hard to get to the front in a 26.4 first quarter before enjoying a bit of a slow-down in the middle half and going on to win in 1:53.2 to secure his second victory in three local tries in the Gerrity prep races.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga and will feature a Pick Five carryover of $5,182 starting in the matinee’s first race. First post time is set for 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Three year old colt and gelding trotters took center stage on Tuesday at Saratoga Casino Hotel. There were two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for sophomore trotters that served as co-features going for purses of $82,500 and $81,000, respectively. Ake Svanstedt swept the double-feature as he piloted his trainees Seven Grand (Chapter Seven) and Read The Room (Chapter Seven) to victories on the matinee card. Svanstedt got a pocket ride for Seven Grand, who raced as part of an entry on Tuesday, and the sophomore highstepper trotted past the race’s favorite Highway Six (Jeff Gregory) in the final strides to secure the victory in 1:55.3. Svanstedt completed the daily double sweep when his Read The Room took advantage of his inside post draw to cut the mile in his $81,000 division of the NY Sire Stakes holding off pocket-sitting Titans Mischief (Matt Kakaley) and major danger Chapter Geo J (Jeff Gregory) en route to scoring in 1:54.4. Svanstedt drove both of his stable’s stakes winners on the afternoon. For Read The Room, it was win number three in eight seasonal tries en route to over $140,000 in earnings in 2026.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a 6:45pm first post.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Binge On Yankee posted the fastest mile of the year at Saratoga Casino Hotel on August 1^st. Jaymes McAssey took over the training for the six year old gelding for the first time and saw his stable’s new acquisition draw the rail for his first start in the Gerrity Invitational prep race. Leading driver Kyle Swift went coast-to-coast with Binge On Yankee who stopped the timer in an eye-popping 1:50.2. On Saturday night in his second local try, the McAssey trainee drew the outside post in his division of the Invitational, starting from post seven in the $18,000 event for top-flight pacers. In a race filled with early speed, Binge On Yankee sat patiently in the early going after getting away fifth in the seven-horse co-feature as first half fractions of 26.2 and 55.1 were set by two-time Invitational winner Ahi Sunshine. Binge On Yankee grabbed the second-over cover behind the favored Blazing Home N (Larry Stalbaum) who spent most of the mile on the outside. Binge On Yankee completed his back-to-back jacks when he came on late to win in 1:51.3 to complete his swoop of the group and repeat in the Gerrity Prep. The win in the co-feature was one of four on the night for the 21 year old Swift who sits atop the driver standings in his first full season competing at the Spa. The other co-feature went the way of Mr Mclaren N who went wire-to-wire with Larry Stalbaum at the controls. Mr Mclaren N held on to win a photo by the slimmest of margins en route to his fourth victory in 2026 and his first in the Gerrity Invitational races.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon with a first post time of 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Cheryl Szczepkowski photo

Spaaaanzano (Coraggioso) reached a few milestones on the Monday afternoon card at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Jackie Greene trainee won the local Open Trot for the second time this season after going coast-to-coast in 1:55.1 in the $18,000 feature. Making his debut out of the Greene stable this year, Spaaaanzano has split his time between Saratoga and Plainridge in recent months and after getting a no-chance trip in his return start to town (July 27), the five year old drew post four for his Monday try in the Open. Driver Jimmy Devaux wasted little time with the race’s 4-5 favorite moving him out to the early lead where they travelled unopposed in a first lap that went in 58 seconds. Major danger Platinum As (Chris Long) got the pocket trip behind the favorite and rode the leader’s coattails throughout three quarters that went in 1:27 before holding off his late bid in a mile clocked in 1:55.1. Platinum As had to settle for second-best while last week’s Open winner Mocha Java (Jay Randall) came on for third. For Spaaaanzano, it was win number twenty in his career and the earnings from the Monday score put the Greene trainee’s lifetime bankroll to over the $800,000 mark. The win was one of four on the day for Devaux who currently sits second in the driver standings behind Kyle Swift in what could amount to a battle for the driving title worth keeping an eye on over the course of the final months of the racing season. Spaaaanzano is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables, LLC.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee scheduled to kick off at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Two year old colt and gelding pacers taking part in New York Sire Stakes action were featured on the Tuesday card at Saratoga Casino Hotel. There were two divisions for the freshman pacers which each went for a purse of $74,500. Driver Jason Bartlett continued his Sire Stakes success and completed a sweep of the “double features” behind Marie’s Jet and Rose Run Cowboy on the matinee program.

Marie’s Jet drew the rail and cut the mile in his division of the NY Sire Stakes. Bartlett took the Aaron Lambert-trained two year old to the half in 58.2 and braced for the challenge of the race’s odds-on favorite Primacy Station (Matt Kakaley). Those two engaged in a heavy duty battle in the stretch before Marie’s Jet held on by a nose in a 1:54.4 mile. Primacy Station came up just short of recording what would have been his fourth win in five career starts. Instead, it was the third score in the freshman campaign for Marie’s Jet who is just shy of the six-figure mark already in five seasonal starts for owners Vincent Ferriero Jr and Carlye Yanstick.

Bartlett completed his sweep of the Sire Stakes races when the Ron Burke-trained Rose Run Cowboy went coast-to-coast as the 1-5 betting favorite on Tuesday. Coming into the day winless in three tries, Rose Run Cowboy assumed the early lead and never looked back en route to a 1:54 score. Man On A Hunt (Jacob Cutting) put in a formidable challenge to the favored leader who turned away that bid around the final turn before drawing off to win by a length and a quarter to break his maiden and assume the winner’s share of the $74,500 purse. The freshman Burke trainee is owned by Thomas And Scott Dillon.

Live racing resumes on Saturday evening at Saratoga with a first post time set for 6:45pm on an evening that features a t-shirt giveaway.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Mocha Java (Creatine) prevailed in his debut in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon. Trainer Rob Harmon brought Mocha Java to town off a win at Tioga Downs and with five wins to his credit in the 2026 campaign. Jay Randall sat behind the six year old who drew post five for his try in the $18,000 feature for trotters. Dismissed at odds of 9-1, Mocha Java got a pocket trip behind defending Horse of The Year But Why (Jimmy Devaux) who has followed up his award-winning season well but has been a beaten favorite on a few occasions of late. The 6-5 betting favorite this week, But Why set leisurely fractions on the engine taking them to the half in 59.1 before being met with the challenge of Wolfpack Zach (Jacob Cutting) who hounded the leader throughout the second lap in the feature. But Why and Wolfpack Zach brought their battle to the stretch where they were joined by Mocha Java who surged in the final strides to get the job done in 1:56.4. Wolfpack Zach, a thirteen-time winner in ’26, was the runner-up on Tuesday while But Why held on to finish third. Mocha Java is owned by Harmon Racing Stable, LLC.

Live racing continues on Tuesday at Saratoga with a 12pm first post.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

New York Sire Stakes action took center stage on Tuesday afternoon as three-year-old trotting fillies invaded Saratoga Casino Hotel. There were two divisions of the $82,500+ Sire Stakes races for sophomore trotters which saw Sharp Seven (Chapter Seven) and Who Dares Wins (Chapter Seven) score front-running victories. Sharp Seven was the two-year-old Sire Stakes champion in 2025 but came in seeking her first Stakes win of ’26. Jason Bartlett put the George Ducharme-trained filly on the front-end and she would never look back. The 3-5 betting favorite Sharp Seven parked-out major danger R Ro (Tyler Buter) in a first half of 58 seconds and padded her lead every step of the way in the second half before checking in for a 1:55.4 victory by close to six lengths. R Ro fought gamely and wound up as the runner-up while Flying Copper (Yannick Gingras) finished third. With the earnings from the Tuesday score, Sharp Seven moves to just shy of the half million dollar mark in career bankroll in just eighteen lifetime starts.

The $84,000 division of the NY Sire Stakes went the way of Who Dares Wins. Ake Svanstedt trains the three-year-old filly who scored her second consecutive win in NY Sire Stakes competition when she went coast-to-coast with Yannick Gingras in the bike. The sophomore filly was a winner by a length and a quarter in 1:56.4 as she made good at odds of 3-5 besting longshot Chant (Jason Bartlett) who came up second-best while Jula Hot To Chill (Matt Kakaley) earned the show spot. Who Dares Wins is owned by Order By Stable Ab.

Live racing resumes on Saturday at Saratoga with a first post time of 6:45pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo