Squee Hanover continued his stable’s hot streak on Monday afternoon when the up-and-coming Andy Gardner trainee won the Open Trot at Saratoga Casino Hotel for the second time in the last three weeks.
The five-year-old won the $15,000 Open for the first time in his career two weeks ago when he went coast-to-coast in a lifetime-best matching 1:55.2.
On Monday over a sloppy track at the Spa, Squee Hanover worked hard in the early going and raced parked to the first quarter in :27.2. With Billy Dobson at the controls, the Gardner trainee didn’t get much of a breather before reaching the half in :56.2. Bridge Works (Jimmy Devaux), who owns four feature wins this summer, moved three-wide late in the mile and came charging towards the leader but the chase proved to be futile. Squee Hanover stopped the timer in 1:56.1 while scoring by almost two lengths. Bridge Works was the runner-up in the Open for the second consecutive week while Mister Muscle (Brett Beckwith) finished third.
Squee Hanover, who is owned by the Exceed Stables of Lamar, PA, continued what has been a strong stretch for conditioner Andy Gardner who scored a pair of victories on Sunday’s card and has rolled his summer successes right over into the fall. The 38-year-old conditioner currently sits fourth in the trainer standings this season at the Spa.
The Open winner paid $12.00 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $58.50 and $222.50, respectively.
Live racing continues on Tuesday afternoon with a matinee starting at 12 p.m.
(Saratoga Casino Hotel)