NYSS action Saturday at Saratoga

There were two harness racing divisions of the New York Sire Stakes contested on Saturday evening at Saratoga Casino Hotel.

Three-year-old colt and gelding trotters took center stage at the Spa and Sir Pinocchio (Met’s Hall) was the star of the show. The Ed Hart-trained sophomore is in the midst of a sensational season and came into Saturday’s try with six wins and four seconds in eleven starts in 2024. Jason Bartlett is the regular driver for Sir Pinocchio who drew post five in his five-horse division on Saturday.

The gelding surged out to the early lead and cruised unopposed for the majority of the mile in his $82,500 division and had plenty left in the stretch to draw away for a victory of close to four lengths.

Sir Pinocchio stopped the timer in 1:55.1 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ With the earnings from his seventh seasonal score, Sir Pinocchio, who paid $4.50 to win as his race’s second choice in the wagering, moved his ’24 earnings to over the $400,000 mark. The sophomore is owned by Carolyn Atherton of Scarsdale, NY.

SIR PINOCCHIO REPLAY

The other division of the NYSS for three-year-olds went the way of Mister Mellby (Chapter Seven) who sprung the upset with driver Tyler Buter piloting for trainer Aka Svanstedt.

Mister Mellby utilized his early speed to secure an easy lead into the first turn and maintained that lead throughout before clocking a 1:56.1 victory pulling off the upset at odds of 9-1 in the five-horse Sire Stakes event. For Mister Mellby, it was the second win in eight tries in ’24. The three-year-old colt is owned by Mellby Gard Inc of Delray Beach, FL.

MISTER MELLBY REPLAY

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Live racing resumes on Saturday evening (Sept 7) with a first post time of 5pm. There will be a Pick Five carryover of $1,242 beginning in the evening’s first race.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Raceway