Big Box Hanover continued to get closer to becoming a millionaire on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the veteran trotter went wire-to-wire in the matinee’s feature. After finishing third in three consecutive installments of the $18,000 Open Trot, Big Box Hanover was dismissed at odds of 7-1 on Monday when he flashed early speed to make the front in 27.2. Tracked in the pocket by the favored But Why (Jimmy Devaux), Big Box Hanover traveled relatively unopposed in a half in 56.4 and three quarters in 1:26 before facing a two-pronged challenge in the stretch. But Why tried to reel in the leader while Dealin With Dewey (Aaron Byron) charged up on the outside in the payoff path. The chase of both rivals proved to be futile as Big Box Hanover lasted on the lead in 1:55.1 to record his fourth win of the season and the 65^th in his illustrious career. Billy Dobson piloted the nine-year-old for owner-trainer Larry Stalbaum who saw the career earnings for his barn’s trotting star to move over the $960,000 mark. Stalbaum’s stable featured another winner on the matinee card as well. Stalbaum’s Makeorbreakzaz S (Nuncio) prevailed in his U.S. debut on Monday scoring in 1:55.4 to complete the training double. Dobson, who piloted the winner of the Open, tallied four wins on the Monday matinee in what was the biggest day of the season thus far for the multiple Saratoga driving champion.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a 14-race card that is set to begin at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

In a year of Devauxs in the world of horse racing, veteran reinsman Jimmy Devaux recorded a milestone victory on Saturday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Devaux has won numerous driving titles at both Monticello and Saratoga Casino Hotel over the course of his career and on Saturday evening, the 59 year old pilot made his 8,000^th trip to the winner’s circle. Sitting behind Ahi Sunshine for trainer Jackie Greene in the one of the evening’s co-featured races, Devaux made a late surge with the talented pacer who just last week posted the fastest mile of the season at Saratoga registering a 1:50.4 score in the first week of the Gerrity Invitational races. Top pacers accumulate points towards the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace to be contested in late August and on Saturday, Ahi Sunshine accumulated the winner’s share once again. After coming from off the pace and getting his cue from Devaux around the final turn, Ahi Sunshine came on to prevail in 1:53.2 to complete his back-to-back jacks in the $18,000 Gerrity “preps.” Devaux, who will be inducted into the Saratoga Hall of Fame later this year, currently sits second in the local driver standings behind only Kyle Swift who is in the midst of his first full season at the Spa. The evening’s other co-feature went the way of Prairie Rocknroll (Billy Dobson) who, like Ahi Sunshine, repeated in the Invitational races towards the Gerrity. Victorious on the front-end last week, the Kyle Spagnola-trained Prairie Rocknroll again prevailed in front-running fashion on Saturday stopping the timer in 1:52.1 to record his sixth score in the 2026 season.

Live racing resumes on Monday with a matinee set to begin at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Big Girl Plays went a big mile for the second consecutive Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the Brielle Roman-trained filly scored the biggest win of her young career. The 3-5 betting favorite in the “Pop-Up Final” off a dazzling 1:53.1 front-running score last week, Big Girl Plays made an early move in the $20,500 Final but got the cold shoulder from rival Bubble Lou (Jimmy Devaux) who also recorded a victory in last week’s “qualifying” race towards this Tuesday’s Final. Bubble Lou got down to the half in 56 seconds while hounded every step by Big Girl Plays whose win last week was her first in the 2026 campaign. Big Girl Plays just wouldn’t take no for an answer, and her tenacious pursuit of Bubble Lou was rewarded when she hit the wire first in a mile clocked in 1:55.2. Bubble Lou was a strong second while Sensational Tell (Chris Long) earned the show spot for the second consecutive week. Big Girl Plays, a six-time winner as a sophomore in ’25, now owns two victories this year and has hit the board in seven of her eight seasonal tries. Justin Huckabone piloted the four-year-old to the score in the feature on a hot summer day in the Spa City.

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

Send It In Hanover (Greenshoe) scored his fourth Open Trot victory of the year on Monday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Leading driver Kyle Swift is the regular driver for Send It In Hanover who came into his try in the $18,000 Open as a three-time winner of the feature this season for trainer Jaymes McAssey. Send It In Hanover went off at odds of 6-1 in Monday’s try in which he fired off the gate early to cut the mile in the feature for high steppers. Pocketing the race’s favorite But Why (Jimmy Devaux), the McAssey trainee went a first half in 57.2 while relatively unopposed. While taking part in his first Open in close to two months, Send It In Hanover was asked to crank up the speed and the response was instant when confronted in the stretch by the track’s defending Horse of the Year But Why who charged hard in the final strides before losing a photo by a nose. It was the fourth Open score of 2026 and the seventh victory on the season overall for the McAssey stable’s trotting star. But Why came up second-best while Big Box Hanover (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot for the third consecutive week in the Open. Send It In Hanover’s final time of 1:55.2 marked a new lifetime-best clocking for the five-year-old gelding. Swift and McAssey each tallied three winners on the Monday card.

Live racing continues on Tuesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm. The first race will feature a Pick Five carryover of $3,231 while race two will feature a Pick Four carryover of $1,404.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY.

Jessica Hallett photo

Ahi Sunshine posted the fastest mile of the year to date at Saratoga Casino Hotel when on Saturday night the Jackie Greene trainee stopped the timer in 1:50.4 in one of the evening’s co-featured races. The six-year-old pacer who has been a fixture in the Open Pace in the last couple of months drew post six in a six horse co-featured races for pacers who are trying to accumulate points towards the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Pace which will take place in late summer. The favorite in the $18,000 Invitational lagged the start significantly after making an early break which set the table a bit for the razor sharp Ahi Sunshine, a winner of back-to-back Opens in June, who came from well off the pace in a race that saw a first half go in 55 seconds. Jimmy Devaux implored Ahi Sunshine for his best after three quarters went in 1:22.3 with longshot Handlelikeaporsche (Aaron Byron) on the front-end. Pocket-sitter Boston Rocks (Jacob Cutting) took his shot in the stretch but Ahi Sunshine’s late surge proved too much for the competition as the speedy pacer came on to win in 1:50.4 to mark the fastest time in the 2026 season at the Spa. Boston Rocks got up to be second while Handlelikeaporsche held on to finish third.

The other $18,000 Invitational contested on Saturday went the way of Prairie Rocknroll who has been a fixture in the Open for the past two months, winning the pacing feature twice and heading into Saturday’s tilt as the even-money favorite. Billy Dobson moved the Kyle Spagnola-trained pacer to the early lead and they never looked back going coast-to-coast in 1:51.3 to secure the victory in the co-feature.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Access Granted prevailed in the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. Jacob Cutting drives the Kendra Cutting-trained distaffer who drew the rail for her try in the $18,000 for pacing mares and aggressively powered her to the front-end from the inside post. Carving out first- half fractions of 27.2 and 57 seconds, Access Granted held firm every step of the way and opened up an insurmountable lead around the final turn in the ladies’ feature. The five year old mare scored a decisive victory by two and a quarter lengths in a mile clocked in 1:53.1. The Cutting trainee was the race’s second-choice in the wagering going off at odds of 3-1. Pocket-sitter Cyclone Sister (Kyle Swift) finished second in the feature while Cindy’s Faith (Larry Stalbaum) earned the show spot. Access Granted is owned by Morrison Racing Stables.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Belmont Royale N won the local Open Pace for the second time this season when on Monday, the Melissa Beckwith trainee parlayed a pocket ride to victory. Aaron Byron drove Belmont Royale N was got the two-hole trip in a race that saw a first half go in 55.4. Byron pulled the pocket with Belmont Royale N as the nine-year-old took on the leader in the $18,000 Open as fellow co-favorite Prairie Rocknroll (Billy Dobson) made progress from the back of the pack. The co-9-5 shots swallowed up the leader turning for home before squaring off in the stretch in a battle that resulted in a 1:52.2 victory for Belmont Royale N who checked in as a winner by ¾ of a length. Prairie Rocknroll wound up second-best while Ahi Sunshine (Jimmy Devaux) came from last to finish third in the feature. Belmont Royale N is owned in partnership by his trainer Melissa Beckwith and Bill O’Donnell.

Live racing continues on Tuesday at Saratoga with a first post time set for 12pm. There is a $14,237 carryover in the late Pick 5.

Best Bets: Graceful Gala, 8^th                       Sweet Beach Inn, 10^th

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Wolfpack Zach continues to dazzle at Saratoga Casino Hotel as on Monday, the Joel Flanders trainee already won for the thirteenth time in the 2026 season. The four-year-old trotter who began his year competing against younger horses in lower classifications has stepped up into Open company in recent weeks and quickly stamped himself as the one to beat in the “way too early” Horse of the Year race. Wolfpack Zach came into Monday’s try in the $18,000 Open Trot as a winner of back-to-back starts against the track’s top high-steppers. After swooping the group last week (June 22) for his third Open win of the season, Wolfpack Zach was again relegated to closing duties on Monday although reinsman Jacob Cutting did advance a bit early to settle the 8-5 second choice in the betting into fourth early in the mile. The favorite But Why (Jimmy Devaux) carved out first-half fractions of 27.3 and 57.2 before being confronted by Wolfpack Zach who unloaded on the leader before surging into what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. The razor-sharp local trotting star stopped the timer in 1:54.1 in a time that matched his own clocking from earlier in the meet as the fastest of the year for any trotter at the Spa. Dealin With Dewey (Wally Hennessey) came on to be second to hit the board for the fourth consecutive week in the Open while Big Box Hanover (Billy Dobson) earned the show spot for the second straight week in the trotting feature. Wolfpack Zach now owns an eye-popping thirteen wins in his seventeen ’26 starts.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Aaron Byron piloted four winners on the Tuesday card at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The 41-year-old Byron became a local regular last season and has been a force in the sulky. On Tuesday, Byron guided Numero Dix (Muscle Mass) to victory in the $17,000 “Pop Up Final”. Jared Bothwell owns and trains the four-year-old trotter who came in off a win and a pair of seconds in his previous three starts when he moved aggressively to the lead on Tuesday for Byron. One of a trio of 5-2 shots in the race, Numero Dix cruised through a first half of 59.1 before being met with the challenge of co-favorite Gold Dealer (Wally Hennessey) in the stretch and holding him off to score in a career-best 1:58.1. Byron piloted a trio of winners for trainer Melissa Beckwith on the card as Poppa Joe prevailed early on the matinee program while local first-timers Starfish and Twin B Cabo each scored victories in their Spa debuts. Byron sits among the top five in the driver standings this season.

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

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Wolfpack Zach continues to pile up the accolades in what has been his breakout season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Joel Flanders trains the four year old trotter who climbed the class ranks all the way to the top after an early season barrage of victories at the Spa. Wolfpack Zach made his debut in the Open Trot in late May winning in his first try against the track’s top high-steppers just one start removed from posting 1:54.1 score, the fastest mile for any trotter in the 2026 campaign at the Spa. Jacob Cutting has been the regular driver for Wolfpack Zach who came into Monday afternoon’s feature with eleven wins on the year. Despite drawing the outside post for his try in the $18,000 Open, Wolfpack Zach went off as the 8-5 betting favorite. The up-and-coming star left just a bit at the start of the mile but was relegated to a closer’s role in a race that saw first-half fractions of 27.1 and 57.1 be posted by veteran Big Box Hanover (Billy Dobson). No stranger to the local Open, Big Box Hanover tried to finish the job but was confronted in the stretch by pocket-sitter Dealin With Dewey (Wally Hennessey) and Wolfpack Zach who wound up getting the best of the Open group trotting past to win in 1:55.2 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ Now a winner of twelve races in sixteen seasonal tries, Wolfpack Zach is the winningest horse in ’26 at Saratoga in addition to being the owner of the fastest time posted this year by a trotter. Dealin With Dewey was the runner-up on Monday while Big Box Hanover had to settle for third.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo