Tuesday’s installment of the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino Hotel went the way that so many have this season. Surreal Feeling (So Surreal) has been the dominant force in the ladies’ feature all year long and the top-flight six year old mare was back at it in Tuesday’s feature. With Alek Chartrand at the controls, Surreal Feeling powered out to the early lead in the $15,000 Open and never looked back. The Dale Lawton-trained distaffer went the distance to prevail in 1:54.3 to record her twelfth win of the season and her ninth in the local Open this season. Surreal Feeling, who hasn’t finished worse than second in the Open since mid-summer, held off a late bid from pocket-sitting Birch Island Betty (Billy Dobson) who wound up finishing second. It was the fifth consecutive week in which that she hit the board in the local Open. Miss Irish Rose A earned the show spot in the feature. Surreal Feeling, who paid $3.20 to win, led an exacta and triple that came back $13 and $56.50, respectively. The winner is owned by her trainer Dale Lawton as well as Chris Lawton. She is the clear favorite to be named Filly and Mare Pacer of the Year at the Spa as the awards will be given out this year after there was no ceremony last season.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post time of noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Chasethecloudsaway (Sunshine Beach) moved her record to two-for-two at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Tuesday afternoon. The Chris Petrelli-trained distaffer scored in the Fillies and Mares Open for the second consecutive week as she came from off the pace to repeat in the $15,000 Tuesday feature. Last week, Chasethecloudsaway toughed out a trip on the outside before drawing away from her rivals to win in 1:54 and spring the upset at odds of 25-1 in her local debut. On Tuesday, driver Luke Hanners again came from off the pace with the mare who was bet down to even money by the betting public. Surreal Feeling (Alek Chartrand) was the runner-up to the winner in last week’s feature while trying to overcome post eight but in this week’s installment of the ladies’ Open moved right out to the front end. Clicking off speedy first half fractions of 26.3 and 56.2, Surreal Feeling held strong throughout before getting edged out late this week by Chasethecloudsaway in a mile clocked in 1:54. Surreal Feeling, perhaps the most dominant mare at the Spa this year, had to settle for second best while Birch Island Betty (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Chasethecloudsaway’s victory was her fourteenth of the season and paid $4.10 to win on Tuesday and led an exacta and triple that returned $6.40 and $18.60, respectively. The Open winner is owned by David Del Pozzo of Methuen, MA. The feature winner’s connections secured a double on Tuesday as Del Pozzo, Petrelli and Hanners’ Beauty Is Blind (Betterthancheddar) scored a front-running victory in an $11,500 race for pacing mares.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee starting at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

North Country (Roll With Joe) completed a sweep of the Bunny Lake Pacing Series on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Owned by Jeff Nanna of Utica, NY and trained by Monica Krist, North Country set a lifetime mark in the first leg of the series (October 12) when she paced to victory in 1:54.4. Heading into the Final off a win in leg two, North Country wound up as the public’s 3-5 betting favorite following a late scratch of potential favorite Pursuit Of Speed. Distaffer Tsimis (Jimmy Devaux) scored in her division of leg two of the series following a runner-up try to North Country in the first leg and cut the mile in the Tuesday feature which was contested over a sloppy track. Tsimis was game on the lead but when North Country tipped off her cover, it was over. The sophomore filly paced right past the leader before powering away to win by almost three lengths in a mile clocked in 1:56.2. Tsimis held second while longshot Miley Rose (Jay Randall) came on to be third. For North Country, it was victory number seven on the season in a year in which she has now earned over $70,000. Billy Dobson drove the winner to all three of her victories in the series. Paying just $3.30 to win as the odds-on favorite, North Country led an exacta and triple that returned $9.60 and $91.50, respectively.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee set to kick off at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser

Tuesday’s matinee featured two divisions of the second leg of the Bunny Lake Pacing Series at Saratoga Casino Hotel. North Country (Roll With Joe) emerged from leg two as the only repeat winner after Billy Dobson piloted the Monica Krist trainee to her second consecutive pocket-sitting victory. After setting a career-best 1:54.4 victory in leg one, North Country again got a two-hole trip on Tuesday while mirroring the moves of fellow leg one winner Gingerbred Girl (Larry Stalbaum). The race’s favorite, Always Watching (Shawn Gray), who finished third in the race in which North Country set her new lifetime mark, came first-over on Tuesday and slugged it out with Gingerbred Girl. North Country surged up the passing lane and got the best of her rivals while stopping the timer in 1:56.4 to head into next Tuesday’s (October 26) final of the Bunny Lake Pace as the one to beat. Always Watching finished second while Gingerbred Girl had to settle for third.

In the afternoon’s other division, Tsimis (Mach Three) toughed out a first-over victory for trainer Andy Gardner and reinsman Jimmy Devaux. Tsimis, the runner-up to North Country in leg one, had the daunting task of taking on her race’s big favorite Pursuit Of Speed (Larry Stalbum) who recorded the fastest win of the series heading into next week’s Final when she cruised to a 1:54.3 score in leg one. On Tuesday, the Stalbaum trainee was again tough on the lead but succumbed to the pressure late from Tsimis who proved best in 1:55.3 to spring the mild upset at odds of 5-1. The inaugural Bunny Lake Pace Final will go for a purse of upwards of $30,000 and will be the feature on the matinee next Tuesday (October 26).

Live racing resumes on Sunday at Saratoga with a card set to kick off at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

New Zealand invader Rckaroundtheclock N (A Rocknroll Dance) has been a winning machine in her first year racing in the USA and on Tuesday afternoon, the Amanda Kelley trainee added Open winner to her growing resume. The 2-5 betting favorite in the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Open despite starting from the second tier, Rckaroundtheclock N wasted little time in getting to the lead as driver Shawn Gray quarter-moved her in the backstretch. The five year old distaffer got to the quarter in 27.4 and clicked off a half in 56.4 before facing a challenge. Bontz N (Mike Simons), who got away third, took her shot past three quarters and the regular Open threat made the top one earn it before settling for second-best behind Rckaroundtheclock N who stopped the timer in 1:53.2 over a track labeled ‘good.’ Pocket-sitter All Speed Rising (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot in the $16,000 Open for the ladies. Rckaroundtheclock paid just $2.90 to win but the exacta and triple in the feature returned $48.20 and $360, respectively. The winner of a baker’s dozen in 2021 is owned by the Scheigert Racing Stable of Saratoga Springs, NY.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Birch Island Betty (Big Jim) rode a mini win streak into the Tuesday feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Eve Bergeron trainee was assigned the rail for her try in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open after rattling off back-to-back jacks in the conditional ranks. Brett Crawford picked up the catch-drive behind the six year old mare who secured a pair of Open victories last season at the Spa. Almost a year to the day of her first feature score, Birch Island Betty sat patiently in the early going on Tuesday and even got shuffled back a bit in the six-horse Open for distaffers. Rival Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) surged first-over on the race’s favorite approaching three quarters and those two looked like they would decide it before the backfield got in motion around the final turn. Birch Island Betty, who surged in the stretch to record each of her successive victories that led up to Tuesday’s tilt, shook loose and flew home in the lane before coming on to win in 1:54.1. Thats Incredible finished second while Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) closed to be third. The winner is owned by Dany Grenier of Quebec, Canada. Paying $12.40 to win in the mild upset, Birch Island Betty led an exacta and triple that returned $74 and $296, respectively.

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

Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Trainer Andy Gardner had a big day on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The young trainer is the midst of a big season at the Spa and his growing stable had another strong afternoon on the Tuesday matinee. All Speed Rising (All Speed Hanover) was claimed by Gardner last month immediately paid dividends winning her debut out of her new barn. The six year old mare drew post two in Tuesday’s $11,000 featured races for distaffers. Billy Dobson piloted All Speed Rising who sat back a bit early in a first lap that saw a couple of lead changes. The top-flight reinsman made his move heading to three quarters and wound up getting the better of front-running Bontz N(Wally Hennessey) around the final turn. All Speed Rising forged to the front and wound up hanging on in the stretch to record her third victory of the season and her second since joining the Gardner stable, stopping the timer in a career-best 1:54.1. Longshot Onspeed N (Alek Chartrand) came from last and almost reeled the winner in under the shadow of the wire but came up second-best at odds of 39-1. Bontz N held third. All Speed Rising paid $16.40 to win on a day that saw several big upsets at the Spa. The exacta paid $251.50 while the triple came back $1,391. The up-and-coming trainer completed a training double when his Saylavie Bluechip (Art Major) broke her maiden in 1:57.4 with leading driver Jimmy Devaux in the sulky. Gardner had a pair of second-place finishes in addition to the two victories in what was a big day for the 38 year old conditioner.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

A strong, well-balanced group of young trotters squared off against each other in a $9,500 conditional race on Tuesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The group of eight featured one horse riding a five-race win streak and another coming in while a winner of three straight. Neither of those two were the favorite and in fact, there was a 4-5 betting favorite in the race with a horse dropping out of Sire Stakes competition. KS Dream (Conway Hall) has been red hot since joining the stable of trainer Andy Gardner. The four year old was lightly raced in his first couple of seasons but here in 2021 has come into his own. On Tuesday, KS Dream drew post seven in the strong group of trotters but leading driver Jimmy Devaux wasted little time in blasting the razor sharp trotter out early. KS Dream made it to the lead but it took a blistering quarter of 27.1 to get to the top. Dismissed at odds of 12-1, KS Dream got a breather in the second quarter, getting to the half in 57.2. Though Tesla Seelster, who was riding the five-race win streak, made a break after the start, it was the favored Credit Con (Wally Hennessey) who tried to put a threat together in the final half. The effort proved futile and it was longshot Royal Soldier (Dan Cappello Jr) who emerged as the stretch threat for KS Dream before having his threat thwarted by the Gardner trainee who held strong to win for the fourth time in as many tries. The victory in 1:56.2 served as a new lifetime mark for KS Dream. Royal Soldier finished second at odds of 45-1 while the longest shot on the board Kasha’s Boy (Chris Long) came on to be third. KS Dream, who paid $26.80 to win, is now four-for-four in his brief time at Saratoga. The exacta and triple in the featured trotting race paid $642 and $4,638, respectively. KS Dream is owned by Karen Smith- Ashley of Brushton, NY.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

Exarch (Cantab Hall) has become a force in the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel in recent months and on Tuesday afternoon, the six year old won the $14,000 feature for the third time. Jimmy Devaux pilots the John Gerow-trained trotter who went coast-to-coast in 1:56.2. After working hard to get to the top in a 27.3 first quarter, Exarch got a big-time breather in the middle half and reached three-quarters in 1:27.2. Pocket-sitter Gigfy (Alek Chartrand) rode the coattails of the winner before coming up second best while Cash Me Out (Phil Fluet), who won the previous two weeks’ Opens, finished third. Exarch, who is owned by Fortune Valley Stables of Ballston Spa, NY, now has six wins this season and has hit the board fourteen of eighteen starts in 2021. The winner was the even-money favorite in the feature and led an exacta and triple that paid $17.40 and $38.60, respectively. Devaux piloted a pair of winners on Tuesday to add to his track-leading tally for the ’21 campaign.

Live racing continues on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga with a fifteen race matinee that starts at Noon. New York Sire Stakes action will be featured as three year old colt and gelding pacers will take center stage.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy