By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Yankee Glide gelding Tight Lines enjoyed not having to go first-over against the likes of Hannelore Hanover and Rich And Miserable, as he had to in the Great Northeast Series Final in his last start, winning in 1:53.1 in the $18,000 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.

Trainer/driver Jeff Gregory got away third with Tight Lines in the :28.1 opener, then brushed to the lead in front of the stands, hitting the midpoles in :56.1 and 1:25 before drawing away to a 2¾ length victory over Armageddon Seelster. Owned by Jeff Gregory Inc., Jesmeral Stable and William Richardson, Tight Lines joined the Half-Million Dollar Club with the victory, raising his lifetime earnings to $506,246.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Somebeachsomewhere gelding The Wall gave a solid performance in the $14,500 featured pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, stopping the timer in 1:51.1.

Each of the four panels on the timer reflected :27.4 quarters, but The Wall did not pace each of his own four splits in that figure. He was fourth, four lengths off, approaching the end of the first turn when Tony Morgan sent him on a quarter move, and the pair had cleared near the second turn. But The Wall did pace identical :27.4s coming home, holding off a late charge from Annihilation in going under the wire  lengths in charge. Nick Surick trains the winner of $449,486 for J L Benson Stables Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Sombeachsomewhere mare Lyons River Pride held off foes to both sides during a :27 last quarter to lower her mark to 1:50 while winning the $17,500 feature for distaff pacers during the Tuesday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
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Simon Allard hustled the winner of $331,271 to the lead mid-first turn, with Medusa defending the pocket and forcing favorite Divas Image into the 3-hole. Lyons River Pride took the field through fractions of :26.2, :55, and 1:23, with Divas Image pulling to the outside nearing the last-named marker and Medusa joining that pair in the Pocono Pike through the lane.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​GRATZ PA – The Dave Brickell 1-2 punch of powerful pacing females – freshman Dream Dancing and sophomore Crew Sock Hanover – were the headline attractions during an excellent 2-day stand of state Fair Sire Stakes racing during the Gratz Fair in this central Pennsylvania town.
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Dream Dancing set a new track record for her division with a 1:58.3 victory during two-year-old action on Sunday, knocking a tick off the nine-year-old mark of Blissful Artist. Brickell, also trainer and co-owner with Mitchell York, was in the sulky behind the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance – Clearly Foxy, moving to the lead between the quarter and the half, and en route to the finish she also became the fastest two-year-old on the fair circuit this year and also the only horse to set two divisional track records, adding to her alteration in the Butler books.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Explosive Matter mare Pat Matters ran her record to 4-for-5 since joining the Nifty Norman barn in winning the $17,500 featured trot in 1:52.2 on Sunday evening at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
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George Napolitano Jr. was on the move after a :26.4 opening quarter with the four-year-old to gain the top, and she rolled on to midrace fractions of :55.1 and 1:23.1. In her last start at Philadelphia, a 1:52.2 clocking enabled her to draw away from her competition; here Scioto shipper What’s The Word made her stay to task to record a 1¼ length victory, with Henderson Seelster, who made a break early, came from far out of it to be only another neck back at the finish.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – The Rock N Roll Heaven gelding Anythingforlove A, in his second start back since competing in the Levy Final, had anything but an easy trip, but still posted a 1:50.2 victory at 11-1 in the $17,500 pacing feature Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – A pair of $16,000 trotting features at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday afternoon saw the winners use front-end tactics to produce successful efforts.
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In the first, driver Marcus Miller got the Muscle Hill ridgling Boxing Gloves to the lead in :28.4, then got little resistance to his authority, resting to the :59 half and still only having to go to the three-quarters in 1:28 as the first-over favorite Miss You Kelly could make little impression. Boxing Gloves was thus left to sprint home in :28.2 to complete a 1:56.2 package, 1¼ lengths ahead of pocketsitting Choco Charlie for trainer Erv Miller and owner Silver Linden Farms.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – One of the most unexpected finishes in recent harness racing history transpired at Harrah’s Philadelphia during race five on the Thursday afternoon card, when Pittstop Kip closed to win by a neck – and paid $447.00 for a $2 win ticket. Second was 86-1 shot What That Is, with the 3-5 favorite and the 5-2 second choice in the last two spots after making breaks.
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Favored Crazshana left from the rail but broke early, with Mr Cool Seaeyre N, who had stayed right on the chalk’s back from the trailing post nine (1-for-98 to win at Harrah’s this year), finding himself in the unusual position of being on the early lead without a circling move. Down the backstretch second choice Chapter Fashion went up first-over, but just as he looked to be going to the lead he lost his gait, leaving second-over Pittstop Kip in a prime position. And the mega-longshot trotted on to withstand What That Is, who advanced wide in the stretch.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – When the pacers Blake North and Closing Statement met at Harrah’s Philly on August 11, Closing Statement was favored, set the pace, but was caught in the stretch by pocketsitting Blake North. And when the two clashed again in the Wednesday afternoon $14,500 feature at the southeast Pennsylvania oval, Closing Statement was again favored, again set the pace – and again was caught in the lane out of the two-hole by Blake North, this time in 1:50.1.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Harness racing’s top trainer/owner combination, trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, teamed with driver Matt Kakaley to sweep the featured races at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during a Tuesday twilight card.
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Kakaley used “pocket rocket” tactics to take both headliners, including with the Cantab Hall sophomore gelding Fanatic in a $15,000 trot. Fanatic sat behind favored Stonebridge Symba as that one set the tempo of :28.1, :58.1, and 1:26.4, with the leader getting second-half pressure from Winning America before that foe lost gait midway on the far turn. After the breaker Fanatic soon went to the outside and easily passed the pacesetter in the lane to win in 1:55.3, with Voodoo Man, who had a third-in trip, getting up for second, 1¼ lengths behind the winner.