Aaron Byron has been impactful over the last month or so while regularly competing at Saratoga Casino Hotel, and that impact continued on Saturday, Nov. 23.
The 40-year-old finished fourth in the driver standings at Tioga Downs this year and has driven at the Spa for the last six weeks. Byron sat behind trotter Dealin With Dewey as that high-stepper won back-to-back Open Trots this month. On Saturday night, Byron recorded his first Open Pace victory. Byron owns, trains, and drives Pirate Hanover, who was the public’s 8-5 betting favourite in Saturday’s installment of the $20,833 Open Pace. The six-year-old pacer finished second in his previous try in the local Open and returned to Saratoga off a win in the Open Pace at Vernon Downs on their closing night.
Pirate Hanover was reserved in the early going on Saturday before picking up the cover of rival Tulhurstsantanna A (Shawn Gray) past the half-mile pole. That tandem swallowed up the race’s leader around the final turn and as Tulhurstsantanna A took the lead, Pirate Hanover kept plugging away until wrestling control away from that veteran rival in the stretch. Pirate Hanover came on to win for the first time in the local Open and for the 11th time overall in his 2024 season when he stopped the timer in 1:55. Tulhurstsantanna A was a strong second at 12-1 while longshot Little Willy (Mitchell Cushing) came on to finish third.
Pirate Hanover (Captaintreacherous - Paris Hanover) paid $5.30 to win and led an exacta and triple that returned $49.80 and $385 (on $2 wagers), respectively. Byron will pilot Dealin With Dewey in Sunday’s Open Trot as that invader seeks his third Open victory in what will be his fourth local start competing against the track’s top high-steppers.
The Sunday matinee begins at 12:00 p.m.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel)