By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Sweet Lou – Keystone Dawn two-year-old pacing colt Keystone Dash set a North American season’s record for his division as he dashed to a 1:54.2 victory in a morning baby qualifying race at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Keystone Dash went right to the lead and posted equal halves of :57.1 while in control to the wire.

Keystone Dash’s trainer and driver may surprise some – he is a member of the Åke Svanstedt stable, and Svanstedt handled driving chores in his record mile for Åke Svanstedt Inc. But superior horsemanship is gait-transferrable – as proven by a fellow native Swede who wore green, black, and white in his Hall of Fame career.
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The Charlie Norris stable sent out both winners in two-year-old trotting males action: the Muscle Massive – My Winning Way K colt Moveoutofmyway K, driven by Matt Kakaley to a 1:59.3 win, and the Cantab Hall – Tough Girl Lindy colt Tuff To Be Lindy, whom Norris guided to a 2:00.3 victory.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Trixton sophomore filly Golden Tricks, developing rapidly for the Åke Svanstedt stable, won her second straight race and lowered her lifetime speed mark to 1:54 in winning the $15,000 featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during the Tuesday twilight card.

Eric Carlson got the catch-driving assignment from Svanstedt and kept the winner in the second half of the field to the half as Town Hall Justice cut out fractions of :26.4 and :56.2, then made a big backstretch move that brought her to the pacesetter by the 1:24.3 three-quarters. Golden Tricks was by the leader in a matter of steps and drew off to be clear by 3½ lengths at the finish for owners Brixton Medical Inc., whose filly was third in a New Jersey Sire Stakes Final in only her third lifetime start and is regaining peak form approaching the first of August.
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In a $14,000 pace for mares, Rockin The Boys A posted her second straight victory, taking a North American speed mark of 1:51.1. George Napolitano Jr., a five-time winenr on the card, sent the Rock N Roll Heaven mare to the lead and through early fractions of :27.1 and :56.2, then got her to step consecutive :27.2 quarters home to defeat Bye Bye Michelle by 1¾ lengths and boost her lifetime earnings to $101,453. Andrew Harris conditions the winner for Cool Cat Racing Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Most of the better two-year-olds at this time are beginning their pari-mutuel careers, but a Tuesday morning freshman qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia still unveiled a few winners, mostly first-time, worth looking for in the near future.
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There were two divisions of males and two of females on the trotting side, and the fastest winner, the Sebastian K S – Carla filly Knockdown Dragout, set the North American season’s record for her group while winning in 1:57.1 for driver David Miller, trainer Andrew Harris, and The Stable Knockdown Group. This young miss showed tremendous front-end speed, both in her previous 1:58.3 qualifying win at Mohawk and in this event, and will be tough to catch as the stakes season opens.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rockmatic, after a 1:59 qualifying win at Philly, made a more-than-successful purse debut at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on the Monday twilight card, as her victory in 1:54.2 in a $13,000 contest not only obviously lowered own her own mark, but also beat the North American season’s record for two-year-old pacing fillies on 5/8-mile tracks by a full second.

Simon Allard got the daughter of Pet Rock out of the $869G winner Monochromatic away well, yielded to Bottled Up Hanover, then was back outside as favored Dance Club made the lead in a :27.4 opener. Dance Club went on enough to allow Rockmatic to tuck in the pocket, and there the baby sat through midfractions of :57.1 and 1:25.4, then to headstretch.
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At the top of the lane, Rockmatic moved back outside and gradually wore down Dance Club by half a length for owner/breeder North State Street Stable. Ironically, the filly she displaced as a season’s leader was a stablemate of hers in the barn of trainer Kevin Lare, Silver Tail, who had won in 1:55.2 at Harrah’s Philly on Saturday afternoon.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Many of harness racing’s brightest stars will gather at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this Saturday for four Championship races and strong supporting events on the $2,204,000 Sun Stakes Saturday fourteen-race card.
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Here is a look at the four Championship races, put together with an open post position draw, along with the $75,000 consolations attached to three of them, plus the $75,000 Great Northeast Open Series trotting event.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – “Claiming Night” at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono has been shifted to Sunday night, and two $20,000 handicap pacing contests were the top events on the card.
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In the first Atta Boy Dan, long a top-level fixture at The Meadows, has shifted eastward and kept up his prowess, winning the first division of the big claimer in 1:50.2 while controlling the throttle for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Mike Watson, and owner Clifford Grundy. A winner four times in seven starts at Pocono, Atta Boy Dan has also been claimed four times for the $40,000 local record price tag, including out of this event.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – The power-packed Sun Stakes Saturday eliminations card was held Saturday night (June 22) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with the top finishers in their elims advancing to next Saturday (June 29) and the $2,000,000+ Sun Stakes Saturday Championship card. A $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series (GNOS) event for fast-class pacers was also on the Saturday Pocono card.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
PROSPECT PA – Todd Schadel, the defending North American UDR champion in the 300-499 starts category, came out roaring in his first Pennsylvania fair appearance of 2019, winning eight races during a two-day PA Fair Sire Stakes event at the Butler County Fairgrounds in this western Pennsylvania town on Thursday and Friday. Seven of those victories came during the three-year-old racing on Friday, with several familiar horses from last year’s circuit making winners circle appearances.

For the two-day meet, Schadel posted a record of 13-8-4-1, which figures to a UDR of .812 – which would help anyone’s seasonal UDR credentials. Schadel also trains all the horses he drove, and he co-owns all but one with his wife Christine – the other he co-owns with his son Cody.
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Todd, perhaps best-known nationally as the co-owner with Roger Hammer of the Hambletonian winner Vivid Photo, had a notable sweep of the three-year-old colt pace Sire Stakes, winning both “A” divisions, and bettering their clockings while taking the “B” section! The Well Said gelding Motive Hanover (the one Todd co-owns with son Cody) paced the Butler twicearound in 2:02, better than “A”-winning barnmates Way To Close (2:03.1 - :28.3) and Find One More (2:04.2).