Unrivaled Hanover scored his seventh Open-level victory of the season with a gate-to-wire performance in the $26,056 Open Handicap Pace at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Unrivaled Hanover, 1-5 betting favourite, went to the top and rattled off fractions of :28.1 and :57.3 in the first half for Jimmy Devaux before cruising through three-quarters in 1:26. The Jackie Greene trainee was asked to crank up the speed around the final turn, and his response was instant as the front-runner for Pacer of the Year at Saratoga powered away from his rivals to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:53.2 over a track labelled sloppy. Handlelikeaporsche (Shawn Gray) sat the pocket and finished second in his Spa debut, while Rocknroll Runa A (Larry Stalbaum) closed to finish third.
The up-and-coming Unrivaled Hanover recorded his 11th victory in 2025 from 29 starts for owner Kellogg Racing Stables LLC. The four-year-old gelded son of Bettors Delight-Upside Surprise is now 16-for-60 lifetime. He paid $2.68 to win.
Leading trainer Melissa Beckwith tallied a triple on the 11-dash program, highlighted by Little Willy's ($5.40) victory in the $22,535 Winners Over Pace. The seven-year-old Up The Credit-Jo And Maria gelding found a burst of late pace after journeying first-over and reached up to win by a neck in 1:55.1. Devaux piloted the gelding for owner Mark Beckwith.
Melissa Beckwith also won with Idealofaday ($6.92) and Rau Ru ($4.60). She now holds a 52-win lead over second-placed Jaymes McAssey and has 193 wins overall this year.
Live racing continues at Saratoga on Monday with a matinee that begins at noon.
(With files from Saratoga Raceway)