Big Box Hanover (Uncle Peter) was a nominee for Trotter of the Year at Saratoga Casino Hotel in 2022 after the classy high-stepper enjoyed a six-figure campaign by way of four victories in the local Open Trot. Larry Stalbaum owns, trains and drives the now six year old who drew post seven for his try in the first Open Trot of the ’23 season on Sunday afternoon.

Big Box Hanover came into the start off a win in the Batavia Open just a few weeks back and on Sunday, Stalbaum wasted little time powering his barn’s top trotter out to the front end. After enjoying a comfortable first half that was clocked in 58.4, they were met with the challenge of pocket-pulling rival Grinder (Leon Bailey). That one put in a brief bid but came up short as Big Box Hanover prevailed in 1:58.1 to record the victory in the first Open for trotters. Grinder came up second-best while Reign Of Honor (Brett Beckwith) earned the show spot in the $17,000 feature.

Big Box Hanover, the morning line favorite, paid $10 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $136 and $1,027, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mass Confession (trained by Kari Finn) and driver Billy Dobson won Sunday’s final for The Bullet Bob Meyer Memorial Trot in impressive fashion. After easily making the front, the 7 year old gelding by Muscle Mass went wire to wire in 1:57.3. He was also the winner of the second leg of the series last week, trotting in 1:59.1.  Today’s final went for a purse of $21,400. Mass Confession paid $2.70 to win.

Perfect Titan (trained by Amanda Kelley) scored an impressive victory in today’s Jim Derue Memorial Trot final, winning by 8 lengths and trotting in 1:57.1. The three year-old gelding by E L Titan was driven to the win by Saratoga’s leading driver Jim Devaux. Perfect Titan is owned by Scheigert & Allies Racing and Gmp Stables.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Justathriller (Cantab Hall) continued his terrific season on Friday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith-trained trotter made his local debut in June and it didn’t take long for the three year old to make an impact. Finding a home in the winners of two but not more than five class (with an optional claiming tag attached) this season, Justathriller has been a winning machine and on Friday was the public’s 1-5 betting favorite as he looked for his tenth win of the season and eighth since coming to the Spa.

Brett Beckwith is the regular pilot for Justathriller who raced parked in the early going before clearing the lead approaching the quarter pole. The big favorite settled in on the front-end and didn’t face a legitimate challenge until mid-stretch when rival Mass Flow (Chris Long) put in a brief burst towards him. Justathriller prevailed in 1:58 to record his eighth local victory in just over four months.

Mass Flow was the runner-up while Titan On The Rail (Mickey McGivern) closed to be third as he hit the board for the fourth consecutive week. Justathriller, who is owned by William Hartt of Carmel, ME, earned the winner’s share of the $11,700 purse in one of the co-featured races on the card for trotters.

The other co-feature also went the way of a Beckwith trainee. Echo De Meautis FR (Ganymede) made his local debut a winning one as he scored in the evening’s $11,700 finale to complete a double for the Beckwith barn and a driving triple for reinsman Brett Beckwith.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

For the second consecutive Friday night at Saratoga Casino Hotel, the evening belonged to the tandem of driver Luke Hanners and trainer Jaymes McAssey. Just a week removed from an evening which saw Hanners pilot four winners, three for McAssey, the pair pulled off a near carbon copy to last Friday’s performance. McAssey scored another training hat trick on the Friday card with his trainees accounting for three of four winners on the card for the up-and-coming Hanners.

Luke Hanners, who is in his first full season in the sulky at the Spa, currently sits third among local reinsmen on the season while McAssey is also third among Saratoga conditioners in 2022. With no Open on the docket Friday evening, a pair of $11,000 races for trotters served as co-features and it was McAssey and Hanners teaming up for a front-running score in one of them as young filly Just Liv Broadway (E L Titan) went coast-to-coast to record her first victory in what was her fifth local try.

Sophomore filly Dingle recorded her second win in as many local starts when she romped for McAssey and Hanners making good at odds of 1-5 to set a new lifetime mark of 1:58.1. The red-hot pairing’s third Friday score came in one of the pacing events on the card when JK’s Dobbins (JK Endofanera) went wire-to-wire to pull off a mild upset at odds of 5-1. Hanners’ other winner on the program came while piloting the Joel Flanders-trained Takoda Blue Chip who broke his maiden in his Saratoga debut on Friday.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Perfect Vixen, a 3yr old filly by Muscles Yankee, won Sunday afternoon’s John Mongeon Sr Memorial Trot Final. After winning 2 out of three legs of the series she trotted to victory in the $33,400 final in 1:55.4. Perfect Vixen is trained by Scott Mongeon and was driven by John Stark Jr.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

The start to the season hasn’t been perfect for the Scott Mongeon-trained Perfect Vixen (Muscles Yankee) but it’s been close. The three year old filly came into the John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series as the one to beat after winning four races in five starts in the 2022 campaign. The clear favorite in the ninth annual installment of the Mongeon Memorial Series, Perfect Vixen set a lifetime mark in leg one scoring in 1:56.2 with John Stark Jr. in the sulky.

After drawing post eight, the filly had to settle for a third-place finish in leg two while squaring off against a strong group of competitors. On Sunday, Stark wasted very little time moving the race’s 1-5 betting favorite out to the lead where she never encountered an anxious moment before scoring in 1:56.3 to cement her role as the one to knock off heading into next Sunday’s Series Final. Titan On the Rail (Mickey McGivern) closed well to be second and finished his legs of the series with a win and a pair of seconds. Gavinator (Brett Crawford) earned the show spot.

In the other $10,000 division of the series’ third leg, Charlatan Hanover (Uncle Peter) powered out to the early lead and the leg two runner-up rolled to victory from there. Wally Hennessey piloted Charlatan Hanover to the front-running win as the Gary Levine trainee punched his ticket to next Sunday’s Final behind a 1:58 score. The win was one of four on the afternoon for Hennessey.

Live racing continues on Monday afternoon at Saratoga and will feature a Jackpot in the Pick Six that sits at $6,358 beginning in race eight. First post time is set for Noon.

Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, New York

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Cash Me Out (Cash Hall) loves to win and did what he loves once again on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Kyle Spagnola-trained trotter is one of the winningest horses of all time at the Spa and the veteran is showing no signs of letting up. With one victory under his belt in 2022, Cash Me Out was back into the featured race for trotters last week when he finished fourth. On Sunday afternoon, the eleven year old was the 2-1 second-choice in the wagering in the $15,000 Open Trot and flashed early speed to get the lead with driver Phil Fluet at the controls. Cash Me Out cruised unopposed through a first half in 59.4 and really felt just mild pressure after checking in a three-quarters in 1:28.3. The millionaire highstepper then kicked away turning for home while under just mild encouragement from Fluet to secure another victory in the Open stopping the timer in 1:57.1. The win was number 71 in the career of Cash Me Out who is owned by Mike Traylor of Ballston Spa, NY. Longshot Bold Creation (Leon Bailey) finished second while Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) earned the show spot to hit the board in the Open for the seventh time in his eight seasonal starts. Cash Me Out paid $6.70 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $76.50 and $219.50, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser

With no Open Trot on the docket, there were co-features for Winners Over trotters on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. All eyes were on the track’s defending Trotter of the Year as Cash Me Out (Cash Hall) made just his second start of the season. The Kyle Spagnola trainee was the 6-5 betting favorite in his division of the $13,000 Winners Over and wasted no time moving out to the lead. Driver Phil Fluet set comfortable fractions for Cash Me Out who wound up powering away from his competition in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:57.1 to record his first win of the year and 70^th in his amazing career. The eleven year old, who is owned by Mike Traylor of Ballston Spa, NY, is poised to head back into the Open in the coming weeks. On Sunday, he paid $4.50 to win. The victory was one of two on the card for conditioner Kyle Spagnola.

The other division of the $13,000 co-features went to another horse who recorded his first victory of the 2022 campaign. Grinder (Andover Hall) had been off since last May when he made his seasonal debut earlier this month. The six year old didn’t get his season off to the strongest start but on Sunday made a late move on dueling leaders before surging in the stretch. Young reinsman Brett Beckwith moved Grinder just at the right time and the Amanda Kelley-trained trotter got up in the final stride to win by a head in 1:57.3. He paid $10.40 to win in the mild upset. Grinder is owned by Scheigert&alliesracing LLC of Saratoga Springs.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Powerscourt (Credit Winner) won his first ever Open Trot on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The six year old was a New York Sire Stakes star early on in his career and in recent seasons has taken to facing top-level trotters at the Spa. Just two weeks removed from a mild upset victory in a $13,000 Winners Over trot, Powerscourt drew post two for Sunday’s try in the $15,000 trotting feature.

Mickey McGivern pilots Powerscourt for trainer Cheryl McGivern and sat fourth throughout the first 5/8 of a mile on Sunday before taking his shot at local trotting stalwart Squee Hanover approaching three-quarters. Powerscourt, who was dismissed at odds of 28-1, charged past the leader before holding off a late bid from fellow longshot Hot Wheelz (Luke Hanners) in the stretch to score in 1:57.4. Xcuseme (John Stark Jr), who finished second in last Sunday’s Open, earned the show spot to continue his strong start to the 2022 campaign.

Powerscourt paid $59.50 to win in the big Open upset and led a hefty exacta and triple that came back $592 and $2,346, respectively. The winner is owned by Charles Foster, William Carroll and Mike Sentiwany, all of New York. A McGivern double was completed when young trotter Titan On The Rail ( E L Titan) went back-to-back on Sunday. The four year old matched his win time from last week when he stopped the timer in 2:02.1 with Mickey McGivern in the sulky. Titan On The Rail’s upset came at odds of 7-1.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser