By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Lyons Sentinel got a good workout in her final start en route to the Breeders Crown eliminations next week, turning in a 1:52.2 victory with the temperature in the 50s in winning her division of the $114,800 Simpson Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
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The Captaintreacherous filly, a winner in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship over this track then the She’s A Great Lady final at Mohawk 19 days ago, sat third early as the unbeaten Drama Act, 3-for-3 after taking a Keystone Classic division last week, was sent to the lead and put up pedestrian splits of :28 and :57. Driver Tim Tetrick’s hand was forced at the half with an outside tier moving up, so he moved his filly, now a winner of six in a row, out for the uncovered journey which brought her to a stubborn Drama Act before the 1:25.2 three-quarters.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – A pair of $15,000 co-featured trots on the Tuesday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono were won in photo finishes by the pocketsitter who used the Pocono Pike as the path to victory.
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The faster of the two winners was the Crazed gelding Krentler Hanover, who lowered his lifetime best to 1:55 for trainer Bruce Clarke and owner Anthony Cangialosi. Marcus Miller used the rail well to defend the pocket behind pacesetting Fire’N Woodshed, then caught that one by a head.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Explosive Matter gelding Scirocco Rob notched his third win in his last four starts on Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, coming home 2¼ lengths to the good of The Lionking As in the $17,500 featured trot at the mountain oval.
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The Lionking As sped away from the rail to take the early lead in a :27.2 opener; Scirocco Rob was soon on the move to the lead, and he got a big breather in the second split, reaching the half in :57.2. From there the sprint home was on, and nobody had more sprint than Scirocco Rob, who trotted home in :56.1 - :28 to win easily for trainer Mark Silva and owners Kathleen and Lewis Whitaker Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA –Pocono-based and a well-known “Pocono lover,” the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Scott Rocks rallied for his second straight victory in the $21,500 Saturday night featured pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, one of eight winners brought home on the card by the track's seasonal and all-time leading driver George Napolitano Jr.
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A winner of $1,033,974, Scott Rocks was sent to the lead before the :26.3 quarter by Napolitano, and the pair then yielded to Western Joe, the favorite off a fast win in the subfeature last week, and Western Joe led the field past a :55.1 half, a 1:23.1 three-quarters, and into the stretch.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Tony Morgan and trainer Jennifer Bongiorno combined on their third win of the program as the Bettor’s Delight mare Divas Image closed stoutly midtrack to take the $18,000 feature for pacing mares in 1:52.2 during a special Friday night card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
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Morgan kept the winner, who pushed her career earnings to $604,627, next-to-last in the field of seven early as several horses traded the front spot in the field, then moved with cover down the backstretch. The 2-5 favorite was looking good as she tipped wide the stretch battle, and the mare showed her class by coming home powerfully to hold off the horse on her back and the longest shot in the field, 42-1 Slick Artist A, by 1½ lengths for the partnership of Joseph Bongiorno LLC, Howard Taylor, Thomas Lazzaro, and J&T Silva Stables LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Favored Fashion Creditor sat well-placed off a hot early pace, made his move on the far turn, then drew off to a 4 1/4 length victory in 1:54.1 in the $18,000 feature on “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
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Sylvesteramerica IT, Cash For Gold, and Cruising In Style were three-across the track in a :27.3 first quarter, and second choice Cruising In Style did not clear to the lead until almost the 3/8, and he passed the half in a taxing :55.4, with Rubber Duck first-over and Fashion Creditor behind him.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Of the four winners Hall of Famer David Miller drove on the Wednesday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, three of them were victorious in $30,000 divisions of the John Simpson Memorial for three-year-olds. Two of them came on the trot, both of them daughters of Triumphant Caviar trained by Chris Beaver.
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First up was Back Splash, who rallied from the pocket to go by pacesetting Stella Jane by a length while equaling her lifetime best of 1:54 for the ownership of Beaver, Donald Robinson, Steven Zeehandelar, and R.B.H. Ventures Inc. Beaver and Zeehandelar are also the owners of Pure Chance, who followed up on a win at Delaware OH by taking a new mark of 1:54.1 in another Simpson cut. She had the largest margin of victory in a stakes all day, crossing the wire 2¾ lengths ahead of American Kronos after tailing that one from the pocket most of the way.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Kevin Wallis “called an audible” guiding the Donato Hanover gelding Mystical Wynn around the final turn at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and the change in strategy helped provide the route to a 1:55.4 victory in the Tuesday twilight card’s $15,000 trotting feature.
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Wallis and Mystical Wynn sat third most of the way behind favored pacesetter Bella Ava and pocketsitter Bag O Chips, who suffered broken equipment during the mile. Wallis started to tip his trotter outside midturn to mount a late charge, but when Bag O Chips went to the outside at the same time, Wallis headed back to the inside to utilize the famed Pocono Pike, and through the lane Mystical Wynn was able to edge Bag O Chips by ¾ of a length after a protracted battle.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Explosive Matter mare Pat Matters has now won three straight and has taken five out of six since joining the Nifty Norman stable after she won the $21,500 featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Sunday evening.
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Pat Matters, owned by the Patricia Stable, was sent right to the top by driver Eric Goodell, and then the second choice yielded to favored Scirocco Rob near the :27.4 quarter. Scirocco Rob, also going for his third straight, put up middle fractions of :56.2 and 1:24.2, but Pat Matters was taken to the outside by Goodell midway on the far turn, and the mare proved full of trot, with fast-closing Whats The Word moving well late but still a neck shy of the winner on the wire. The time of the mile was 1:52.2 – the third straight race Pat Matters has been timed in that clocking, her personal best.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The fall stakes season at Harrah’s Philadelphia began on Sunday with four $30,000 divisions of the John Simpson Memorial Stake for three-year-old colts on both gaits.
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Longtime Yonkers stalwart Jason Bartlett came to Philly on Sunday and won four races, three of them in stakes company. Two of the stakes triumphs came on the trot, including the fastest winner of the quartet, the Trixton colt Alternative Fact, who lowered his mark to 1:53.3 while notching his fourth straight win. Alternative Fact parked favored Explosivebreakaway a long way before yielding the lead, then rallied from the pocket to record a 1¼ length win over the pacesetter for trainer Ray Schnittker, who is also co-owner with Steven Arnold and Joe Sbrocco. In this race Steuben Hanover was interfered with just before the start and had all money wagered on him refunded.