Pammy Jo (Roll With Joe) sprung the big time upset in Wednesday’s feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The Melissa Beckwith-trained distaffer drew the rail for her try in the $15,000 Fillies and Mares Open and Brett Beckwith piloted the longshot. With the favorite carving out first-half fractions of 27 and 56 seconds, Pammy Jo sat patiently in fourth throughout the majority of the mile before swinging to the outside past three-quarters. With the favorite tiring, a host of challengers swarmed in. Pammy Jo emerged from out of a crowd in the stretch to hit the wire first in 1:53.4 to record her third win of the year and her first in the local Open. Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) came from off the pace to be the runner-up, hitting the board for the third straight try in the local feature for the ladies, while Bontz N (Wally Hennessey) earned the show spot. Pammy Jo sprung the big upset while dismissed at odds of 24-1 paying $50.00 to win in the biggest upset the Open has seen this season. She led an exacta and triple that returned $185 and $512, respectively. Pammy Jo is owned by Jeff Epstein of Framingham, MA. The victory behind Pammy Jo was the second Open win at the Spa in the young career of 18 year old Brett Beckwith and the first for him in the Fillies and Mares Open. Beckwith also piloted Beauty Is Blind (Betterthancheddar) to a score in a $10,500 race for fillies and mares on Wednesday as the strong rookie campaign continues for the young reinsman.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Driver Phil Fluet wrapped up a strong week at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Wednesday when the veteran reinsman piloted three winners. The 42 year old Fluet scored a hat trick on Monday afternoon before sitting behind a winner on Tuesday’s matinee. On Wednesday, Fluet made three more trips to the winner’s circle on a day highlighted by a victory in the $11,000 featured race for trotters in which he went coast-to-coast with Mystical Somolli for trainer Meg Reynolds and owner Joe Stanislowsky of Queensbury, NY. Mystical Somolli proved strong on the lead before stopping the timer in a seasonal-best 1:56. The favorite Gettin Messi (Billy Dobson) finished second while The Royal Poze (Jimmy Devaux) earned the show spot. Mystical Somolli paid $8.90 to win in the mild upset.

Fluet’s first win of the day came behind Notmeitsyou (Chapter Seven), a trotter that Phil trains and co-owns. Notmeitsyou was dismissed at odds of 22-1 when he got a pocket ride behind veteran Justice Jet (Jimmy Devaux) in a $6,650 event for trotters. Notmeitsyou surged in the stretch before coming on to win in a lifetime-best 1:56.2 for Fluet who completed his Wednesday hat trick by guiding young pacing filly Hiphopmomma to her second consecutive victory. Hiphopmomma, who now has three wins in her last four starts for owner/trainer Tony Ciuffetelli of Gansevoort, NY, wrapped up the big week at the Spa for Phil Fluet.

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

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Surreal Feeling (So Surreal) has been nothing shy of surreal again this year and on Wednesday afternoon, the superstar mare added another win to her tally at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The six year old mare, who has been a winning machine over the course of her career, prevailed for the 29^th time in just 79 lifetime starts Wednesday when she went coast-to-coast in the $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open. Surreal Feeling won from off the pace in her previous local try but this week driver Alek Chartrand didn’t waste any time getting the speedy stalwart to the front-end. After sizzling through a first quarter in 26.2, Surreal Feeling reached the half in 55 seconds in a race that had an accident occur in the early going at the back of the pack. Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) finished second in last week’s Open at the Spa and took her shot at Surreal Feeling in this one nearly tracking her down in the stretch before finishing as the runner-up for the second straight week. The win time was 1:52.4 for Surreal Feeling who was the public’s 3-5 betting favorite in the feature. Miss Irish Rose A completed a $26.40 exacta while invader Vicious Circle (Jimmy Devaux) rounded out a $184 triple in a race that saw Come Get The Cash be interfered with and unseat her driver before getting loose on the track for a couple of minutes. None of the horses or drivers involved in the incident appeared to be injured. Surreal Feeling, who became the first horse to win as many as five Opens at the Spa thus far this season, is owned by Chris Lawton and her trainer Dale Lawton.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella
Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

There has seemingly been only one horse that has stopped Robyn Camden at Saratoga Casino Hotel in recent years. The Rob Harmon trainee has been the dominant force in the local Fillies and Mares Open when she’s come to town in the last few seasons. A winner of at least one local feature in each of the last three years, Robyn Camden owned two victories in the Open at the Spa this in 2021 before being a beaten favorite in her two previous tries in the $14,000 feature for distaffers. Surreal Feeling has been a winning machine and bested Robyn Camden in each of her last two tries in the Open. On Wednesday afternoon, Surreal Feeling wasn’t in town and Robyn Camden took full advantage. Bet down as the public’s 1-5 favorite, Robyn Camden wasted little time moving out the lead as driver Greg Merton got her to the engine in a first quarter of 27.2. The favorite traveled unopposed while maintaining a length and a half lead throughout the entire mile before stopping the timer in 1:53.3 to record her third win in the local Open this season. Miss Irish Rose A (Larry Stalbaum) sat the pocket to the winner and finished second in the feature while Come Get The Cash (Brett Crawford) earned the show spot. Robyn Camden is owned by Jason Osullivan of Dublin, Ireland.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a 12 race card set to begin at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Wednesday marked the start of the New York Sire Stakes season at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Three year old pacing fillies were featured on what was a 15-race matinee card. The back-half of the program contained the stakes fillies highlighted by three divisions that each went for a purse of $50,400. Test Of Faith (Art Major-Cannae Cammie- Cam’s Card Shark) was last year’s Sire Stakes champion for two year old fillies and made her 2021 debut on Wednesday afternoon. Dave Miller was in town to pilot the Brett Pelling trainee who was one of the top fillies in North America last season. Test Of Faith resumed her winning ways as Miller wasted little time putting the 1-9 favorite on the front-end and the superstar filly took it from there. Test Of Faith scored a decisive win on Wednesday to kick-off her sophomore campaign in the same fashion as her freshman season wrapped up. The victory for Test Of Faith that came in 1:52.1 was just a fifth of a second off the all-time track record for three year old pacing fillies at Saratoga and she appeared to do it with ease. Test Of Faith, who earned exactly a half million dollars last season winning eight times in nine starts, is poised for another sensational season and if Wednesday’s ’21 was any indication, she will be awfully tough to beat for her rivals in the New York Sire Stakes. Test Of Faith is owned by Melvin Segal, Eddie Gran and the Kentuckiana Racing Stable.

While Test Of Faith is the defending Sire Stakes champion among the returning fillies, Heart Of Mine (Roll With Joe-Acquavella- Western Ideal) was the runner-up in last year’s NYSS Final. Scott Zeron piloted the Linda Toscano-trained filly on Wednesday afternoon and sat the pocket with Heart Of Mine who came on in the final stride to prevail in 1:54.3 in her $50,400 division. The super sophomore is now four-for-four in the win column in the 2021 season after recording the victory in her first Sire Stakes start of the year. Heart Of Mine is owned by Fred Wallace, Bay’s Stable, Radio Racing Stable and Camelot Stable.

The Jessica Okusko-trained Purameri (American Ideal-J K Pure Pearl- Bettor’s Delight) sprung the upset for the day as the sophomore filly parlayed a pocket ride to victory with Hall of Famer Wally Hennessey at the controls. Purameri flew up the inside in the stretch before stopping the timer in 1:56.2 while dismissed at odds of 13-1. Purameri, who is owned by the Purple Haze Stables of Fairport, NY, gave Hennessey one of his five winners on the Wednesday card.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Bontz N (American Ideal) has been the top pacing mare at Saratoga Casino Hotel over the course of the last three seasons. The Gary Levine trainee has been a consistent force in her time at the Spa mostly while competing in the Fillies and Mares Open. The classy ten year old is having another solid campaign in 2021 although she has done most of her damage in sub-Open levels this season. On Wednesday afternoon, Bontz N had Shawn Gray piloting her while competing in a $10,000 conditional race for distaffers. Gray flashed speed with the versatile mare who sat the pocket to longshot Lyons Girlhanover (Larry Stalbaum) who set sizzling fractions on the engine on a hot day in the Spa City. Bontz N popped the pocket heading to the three-quarter pole and though Lyons Girlhanover was tiring a bit, she did fight gamely on despite being bypassed by Bontz N. All the while, the race’s favorite Misty Memory N (Jimmy Devaux) who took back early came from off the pace and proved to be a threat to Bontz N who put away Lyons Girlhanover once and for all around the final turn. Bontz N found another gear in the stretch and proved best stopping the timer in a seasonal best win time of 1:53.4. She paid $8.90 to win. Misty Memory N was the runner-up while Lyons Girlhanover held on to be third. The exacta and triple came back $16 and $76, respectively. Bontz N, who is owned by April Aldrich of Greenfield Center, NY, moved her career bankroll to over the quarter million dollar mark with the earnings from her fourth victory of the season.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with a Memorial Day matinee that is set to kick off at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

In the more than seventy years of harness racing at Saratoga Casino Hotel, there has never been a faster mile by a mare than the one Surreal Feeling (So Surreal) paced on Wednesday afternoon. The Dale Lawton-trained distaffer has been a winning machine over the course of her career as the six year old mare came into Wednesday’s try in the $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open with 25 wins in 74 lifetime tries. Tasked with taking on 1-2 betting favorite Robyn Camden (Greg Merton) who dominated in last week’s Fillies and Mares Open, Surreal Feeling powered out to the early lead on Wednesday. The speedy mare paid a stiff price to get to the front-end as it took a first quarter of 26.4 to secure the top spot. After pacing the half in 56 seconds and with Robyn Camden looming large and closing in, Surreal Feeling just continued to roll along with Alek Chartrand in the sulky. The Lawton trainee proved up to the task and not only prevailed in the feature but actually drew away to win it by better than five lengths. The margin of victory wasn’t the real highlight from the win though. The final time of 1:51.3 was not only eye-popping, it was record-breaking. Or at least, record tying. Surreal Feeling is now the co-record holder for fastest lady pacer in track history as her 1:51.3 in Wednesday’s Open matched the time set by Velocity Vespa in 2016 as the fastest for an aged pacing mare in Saratoga history. Surreal Feeling is owned by Chris Lawton and her trainer Dale Lawton, both of New York. The exacta with the favored Robyn Camden second returned $13.60 while the triple completed by Casie’s Believer (Joe Chindano Jr) paid $30.60. The win was the fifth of the season for Surreal Feeling and her third in a local Open in ’21.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon when the $32,900 John Mongeon Sr. Memorial Trotting Series Final highlights a 12-race card. First post time is set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

The $14,000 Fillies and Mares Open was the feature on a Wednesday afternoon card at Saratoga Casino Hotel that was marred by an ugly accident. Greg Merton picked up the catch-drive behind the Rob Harmon-trained Robyn Camden in the feature for distaffers after scheduled pilot Jay Randall was injured in a race two wreck. Robyn Camden always thrives when she comes to town and the invading mare continued that trend as the race’s 1-5 betting favorite on Wednesday. Merton took Robyn Camden back early and she sat patiently in a first half that went in 57 seconds. The six year old swung first-over past the half and unleashed an attack on the race’s front-running longshot before drawing away to win in 1:53.4. Surreal Feeling (Alek Chartrand) brought a three-race local win streak into the Open and made a late move after getting away last in the six-horse feature. Behind a strong final quarter, Surreal Feeling finished as the runner-up to Robyn Camden. Thats Incredible (Brett Crawford) earned the show spot. Robyn Camden is now two-for-two in the local Open this season for her owner Jason Osullivan of Dublin, Ireland.

Our thoughts and well wishes go out to all of those involved in the race two accident, especially driver Jay Randall. The horses involved all eventually walked away from the incident. Since the race was declared a no contest, the Virginia O’Brien Memorial Pacing Series has now been postponed for two weeks and will start anew on May 26^th with the first of two legs that will lead up to the Final which will go for a purse of more than $30,000. Live racing resumes at Saratoga on Monday afternoon with first post set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino

Driver Jimmy Devaux had a strong week at Saratoga Casino Hotel and on Wednesday, the veteran reinsman drove the feature winner for the second consecutive afternoon. Devaux sat behind the Brett Derue-trained Misty Memory N (Real Desire) who wound up repeating on the lead in the matinee’s $10,000 featured race for fillies and mares. Misty Memory N cruised to an easy lead once again this week and never faced much of a challenge before completing a coast-to-coast score in 1:54.1, a new career-best win time. Thats Incredible (Shawn Gray) fought through a trip that saw her close into a final half of 56.3 to finish second to the favorite while Hereslooknatyou N (Phil Fluet) earned the show spot. Misty Memory N was the public’s 4-5 top choice in the wagering on Wednesday as she secured her third win of the season and the 20^th of her career. She led an exacta and triple that paid $8.70 and $17.80. Misty Memory N, who was owned in partnership by Brett Derue, Steve Picarazzi and Scott Petillo of NY, was claimed out of Wednesday’s race.  The victory for Devaux in the feature for distaffers came one day after he enjoyed a three-win Tuesday afternoon at the Spa which was highlighted by him guiding Sports Obsession to a score in the $14,000 Open Pace.

Live racing will resume on Monday afternoon at Saratoga with first post time set for Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Cheyanne Mandy

With no Fillies and Mares Open on the docket on Wednesday afternoon, a $10,000 conditional event for the ladies served as the feature at Saratoga Casino Hotel. Misty Memory N (Real Desire) took her shot in the Open last week and despite getting some support from the bettors never factored much in the big race for distaffers. On Wednesday, the Brett Derue trainee drew the rail off the class drop and wound up as the 8-5 public choice in the wagering. Jimmy Devaux piloted Misty Memory N and the meet’s second leading driver was aggressive from the get-go in the feature powering out to the early lead. The eight year old New Zealand invader never faced a legit challenge before pouring it on late to prevail by five and a half lengths in 1:55. Hereslooknatyou N (Phil Fluet) raced parked throughout the majority of the mile but still held strong to finish second while Glenferrie Blade A (Billy Dobson) came on to be third. Misty Memory N paid $5.40 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $17.40 and $83.50, respectively. The victory was the second of the season for Misty Memory N who has hit the board in nine of her twelve starts in 2021 for owners Picarazzi, Petillo and Derue, all of NY.

Live racing resumes on Monday afternoon starting at Noon.

Mike Sardella

Photo: Melissa Simser-Iovino