By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Miki And Minnie, last season’s Dan Patch Award-winning two-year-old pacing filly and coming off a win in last Saturday’s $288,600 Fan Hanover Final at Woodbine Mohawk that earned the #3 ranking in the season’s first Top Ten poll, will be racing on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. She is set to go in one of two divisions of the second preliminary leg of her group’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action, which combined with six divisions of Pennsylvania Stallion Series racing that day will find the fillies racing for an aggregate $222,240.
 
Miki And Minnie, a daughter of Always B Miki racing for Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and Lawrence Minowitz (thus accounting for her name), came on strongly towards the end of the season in 2024, winning the Breeders Crown and Three Diamonds to earn her Dan Patch championship. With victories in her first three starts of 2025, the newly-minted millionaire ($1,006,161), who took a mark of 1:48.3 in the Fan Hanover final, will be starting from the rail on Saturday at Pocono, with Dexter Dunn set to drive her for trainer Chris Ryder.
 
Her major opposition appears to be Rodeo Drive Deo, who came roaring home from eighth in the Fan Hanover to finish second, beaten only three-quarters of a length. David Miller will be in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke as the daughter of Captaintreacherous begins from post five in a field of seven.
 
This division of the Sire Stakes is slotted in race eight, which will be part of a Pick 5 wager beginning in race five that has a $10,000 guarantee set on it after a double carryover.
 
The tenth race Sire Stakes division matches the group’s first round PaSS winners, Asphalt and Good As You, both daughters of Papi Rob Hanover. Asphalt is the early favorite from post three for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Brett Pelling, with Andrew McCarthy will drive Good As You from post five as she changes over to the Aaron Lambert barn.
 
The six Stallion Series sections will find Always Dawn and Fancy Like Louuuuu looking to repeat their first round PaStS victories.
 
Another horse in the first Top Ten poll of 2025 will also be racing Saturday at Pocono. Ken Hanover, a son of Captaintreacherous who comes into this race off a win of the Battle Of Lake Erie at Northfield and was rated #8 in North America in the initial poll, will have to overcome being assigned the outside starting slot in the seventh race field of seven lining up for a $25,000 fast-class handicap pace – also a race within the guaranteed Pick-5 wager.
 
With hot weather predicted for Saturday, many of the races on Saturday could see the 1:50 barrier threatened many times, given the quantity of quality horses appearing throughout the card. First race on the 15-race program is set for 1 p.m.; free Pocono program pages are available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Two-year-olds had to face a sloppy surface on a warm Wednesday morning at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, and many came through with flying colors – none more so than the first-time starters trained by John Butenschoen, for whom Corey Callahan drove four winners, in three of those contests followed by another Butenschoen pupil.
 
Team Callahan / Butenschoen swept the three trots for males, with the fastest being the Swan For All – Kaikoura gelding San Patricio, a first-over winner in 2:00.1 with his own back figures :59 - :29 for owners Tony and Michael Holmes, June Zent, and Timothy Thornton. Second was stablemate Nofreak Volo (a Father Patrick – No I’m Not gelding).
 
Another 1-2 Butenschoen finish was headed the Chapter Seven – Got You BR NO gelding Rubens, who defeated Stormy Seas (a Captain Corey – Tsunami Blue Chip gelding) in 2:03.4 - :29.4. The trainer’s sweep of this section was rounded off by the gelding Be Green (Greenshoe – Bright Baby Blues) in 2:01.3, last half :59.3 first-over.
 
Butenschoen also had a 1-2 finish in the baby filly trotter ranks, with Litt Up (Bar Hopping – Miss Fidget) vacating the pocket for Callahan and coming home in :29.4 to win in 2:05.2 over barnmate Avenzee (Gimpanzee – Avenir). The other winner in this group was a filly who won at Saratoga in her bow then came to Pocono and won again: Alexandriabluechip, a daughter of Greenshoe – Queendom who went in 2:03.3 - :59.4 - :29.4 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Emily Bost, and owners Frank Salino Jr., Bruce Potter, Guy Roemer, and Theresa Naylor.
 
A story about racing at Pocono these days can’t go very far without including driver Tyler Buter, so we can introduce him here by saying he drove all three of the second-place finishers in the 1-2 Butenschoen trot sweeps, then state that he drove a pair of Hunter Oakes trainees to their second straight baby wins in the pacing filly ranks. Imagine Heaven (Papi Rob Hanover -OK Heavenly) was the fastest freshman of the sloppy session when she went wire-to-wire in 1:56.3 - :57.1 - :28.2 for owners Flying A Racing Stable, Lucky Strike, and Charles Oakes.
 
Tall Dark Stranger sired the other pacing filly winners, including the Team Buter/Oakes miss Tall Dark Tequila (dam Tequila Monday), home in 1:58 out of the pocket after covering her own back half in :56.1 - :27.2. Tall Dark Stranger also sired Beatrice Hanover (dam Beyond Ecstasy), giving Buter a sweep of the three divisions of this class with an engine score in 1:58.3 - :58.1 - :29.
 
Not to miss out on the 1-2 finish fun, trainer Travis Alexander had a pair of American Ideal colts within a nose of each other in one section of that group’s races, with American Renegade (dam Hathaway Anne) outclosing Hard To Forget (dam Nota Fool Bluechip) while winning in 2:00.2 - :58.4 for driver Ridge Warren.
 
The faster winner in the two battles among this division went to the Huntsville gelding Wish You The Best (dam Regal Wish), coming on in :58 - :28 to get the win in 1:57.3 for owners Donald Mac Rae, Nick Kareotes, and Daguet Racing LLC while marking the second win of the day for Buter and trainer Deborah Daguet.
 
If there are enough promising winners in the baby races next week to warrant a report, there will be one made, although as noted yesterday in the Philly writeup yesterday that Pennsylvania is on the verge of stakes season and overnight action for the two-year-olds. The baby races can be viewed at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Anders Bluestone gelding Jas Bluestone has worked back into top form, taking his third win in his last four starts while winning the $16,000 featured claiming handicap trot in 1:55.3 on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Jas Bluestone, the 5-2 second choice upon stepping up in class, made speed moves before and after the :28.4 quarter and got an easy half of :58.4, after which favorite Jeffery P came at him uncovered. Jeffery P gained to the 1:26.4 three-quarters and continued to pressure the leader, but Jas Bluestone needed only mild late coaxing to maintain a half length advantage over the chalk to the wire for trainer Joe Pavia Jr. and owner Kathleen Napolitano.
 
A $15,000 claiming handicap trot for horses just a level below the feature race field was taken by the Manofmanymissions gelding Vegas Ticket in 1:56. For the fifth straight week Shikansen had the lead at the half, three-quarters, and stretch call, but again he could not quite maintain the advantage, as Vegas Ticket, now a winner of half of his fourteen seasonal starts, came out of the pocket for driver Tyler Buter and went by the pacesetter. Trainer Ron Burke, the Pocono leader, and Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, the owners, saw the winner leave their barn after going three for three with him since they claimed him on May 26.
 
Driver Braxten Boyd, who came heartbreakingly close to defeating Louprint and winning the North America Cup with 53-1 Madden Oaks on Saturday, again got a big mile out of a rank longshot, putting a maiden mark of 1:54.3 on the Roll With Joe filly Rwehomeyet, who paid $180.40 for a $2 win ticket, more than double the previous seasonal high here. The winner had only a second in seven previous start, beaten in a photo in a mile with a 1:00 last half, but here Boyd went around a breaker at the half and then whooshed her uncovered down the backstretch in a :26.4 third quarter to go by favored Logans Heros en route to an open length triumph for trainer Jacob Hartline and Anatolia Racing LLC.
 
Tyler Buter continued at a scorching pace Tuesday by bringing home five winners, which runs his totals locally to 15 for the completed four-day week, 35 for June (and it’s only the 17th), and 87 Pocono visits to the winners circle since May 1. Two of Buter’s winners Tuesday came for top trainer Ron Burke, and two for second-place Hunter Oakes. The winners of the two other races featured in this report, Braxten Boyd and George Napolitano Jr., came home first three times each.
 
Champion two-year-old filly of 2024 Miki And Minnie, undefeated in three 2025 starts, will be the star of a powerful card at Pocono on Saturday at 1 p.m., competing in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race. After a double carryover, there will also be a $10,000 guaranteed pool for the fifth race Pick 5, a sequence which will include Miki and Minnie’s race. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Trainer Polie Mallar continued on a roll with his two-year-old pacers during the Tuesday morning session at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with three of his pupils winning (perhaps picking up on the fiery form of stablemate Ken Hanover), but even hotter was the combination of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Scott Di Domenico, who linked up for victories with five first-time starters spread across the divisions.
 
The two-year-old pacing colt duo trained by Mallar were the only pair to push their records to two-for-two. The faster was the Stay Hungry – Rockingcam Park colt Rasaji Hanover, who led at every pole while winning in 1:55.4 - :56 - :27.2 for driver David Miller and trainer Mallar, also co-owner with Patrick     Leavitt, William Jordan, and Thaddeus Wier. His stablemate American Road Trip (Captaintreacherous – American Sara) also never looked back in 1:57.3 - :57.4 - :28.3 under the guidance of Andrew McCarthy.
 
Other baby pacing colt winners were Papi Rick (Papi Rob Hanover – Odds On Pussycat), who won in 1:57.2 - :57 - :27.4 for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Noel Daley, and  Toby Ornot Toby, a colt by Tall Dark Stranger – Mackie Hanover who fronted his field in 1:57.3 - :57.1 - :28 for Team Tetrick / Di Domenico. These two were first-time starters.
 
Tetrick / Di Domenico were the braintrust between the two quickest pacing fillies, the swifter of which was Call Me Angelita (Papi Rob Hanover – Angel’s Pride), who was still six lengths out at the three-quarters but roared home to be first in 1:58.3, her back numbers :55.1 - :26.3, for Triple D And Oompa Farm, Michael Rekoon, Craig Henderson, and Steve Stewart. The hot driver/trainer combo also clicked with the Huntsville – Yellow Diamond filly Odds On Enigma, winning in 1:59.2 - :57.1 - :28.
 
Trainer Polie Mallar also had a winner in this group, the Courtly Choice – Jungle Genie N distaff Miss Genie Man, overcoming first-over in 1:59.4 - :57 - :27.2 for driver David Miller; Mallar had the only three winners of the day who raced last week, and this filly posted her first win here. Completing the winners in this group was the 2:01.1 - :28.4 success story Oahu (Perfect Sting – St Kitts), trained and driven by Aaron Lambert.
 
The Tetrick – Di Domenico partnership swept the two events for baby trotting males, with the faster time of 2:01.1 - :58.2 - :28.4 rung up by the Captain Corey – Melania colt Jim Beam for owner Allen Wenc. The driver and trainer also succeeded with the International Moni – Honorable Daughter colt An Honest Buck, coming out of the pocket to triumph in 2:02.1 with back fractions of :58.2 - :29.
 
The trotting fillies also went gateward in two contests, with Tim Tetrick driving the winner of both, giving him seven victories with babies for the early session. The Tactical Landing – Lima Novelty miss Abbey Blue Chip went the quicker mile, wiring her opposition in 2:01.2 - :58.4 - :29 for trainer Ron Coyne Jr., with his Ron Coyne Stables Inc. sharing ownership with Blair Corbeil, Edward Pachuta, and Richard Carney. Also a baby filly winner was the royally-bred (Greenshoe – Broadway Schooner) Broadway Jade, a Jim Campbell trainee who stopped the clock in 2:02.4.
 
With freshmen starting to appear in overnights this week, the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes beginning at Butler Fair a week from Wednesday (June 25), and the pari-mutuel Sire Stakes starting on July 2, this may be the last of the babies-centered reports, depending on who does what in future a.m. sessions. The baby qualifiers can be seen at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – A trio of $15,000 contests for developing younger horses were the features at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a sloppy Monday afternoon.
 
The Bettor’s Delight sophomore filly Three Times Bettor is undefeated in two 2025 races, and has a three-race winning streak stretching back to last season, after easily handling the opposition in the division of the featured class reserved for fillies and mares. Jack Pelling could spot the quick filly, heavily-favored, third early then wait until nearing the far turn to give her the signal to go, and Three Times Bettor knew exactly what to do, coming home in :54.4 - :27.1 to complete a 1:52.1 mile, for trainer-father Brett Pelling and owner Thaddeus Wier.
 
Even coming off a Stallion Series victory and having Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter, the International Moni colt Golazo was sent off at 6-1 in one division of the trot. The odds-on favorite Themoneyisback S made the lead at the quarter and set the pace into the final turn, with Golazo coming first-over then getting a tuck in the pocket. Buter always seems to find himself in the right place lately, mostly through clever design, and when the favorite went offstride on the far turn, Golazo was left clear and won handily in 1:56. Jill Roland, also on a roll lately, conditions the winner and co-owns him with David Neilson.
 
 (By the way, Golazo is an appropriately-named horse right now, with the prestigious Club World Cup and the Gold Cup football [soccer] tournaments both currently being played in the United States; “golazo” is a Spanish term for a spectacular goal).
 
In the other top trot, Durante Hanover was also the beneficiary of a breaker, but he was on the lead when the pocket horse broke nearing headstretch, and the miscue and subsequent confusion left him clear to win in 1:58. Niko Karna had the driving assignment for trainer Noel Daley, co-owner with Kemppi Stables Oy Inc., Michael Yardeni, and PCW Racing LLC.
 
As we noted, Tyler Buter has been in the right place at the right time for weeks on end now at Pocono. On Monday Buter got home first four times, giving him 30 local wins for June (and it’s only the 16th) after tallying 52 times at Pocono in May.
 
Pocono closes out its week on Tuesday at 1 p.m., with carryovers into the fifth race Pick 5 and. When racing resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m., champion filly Miki And Minnie, coming off a victory in the $288,600 Fan Hanover Final at Woodbine Mohawk this past Saturday, will make her first Pennsylvania Sire Stakes start of the year in one of two sections of her division’s second preliminary. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – $162,166 was contested among Pennsylvania-sired three-year-old trotting fillies on Sunday night at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with two divisions of Sire Stakes and three sections of Stallion Series action in the group’s second preliminary round over a track rerated to “fast” after being listed “wet-fast” early.
 
The faster Sire Stakes section went to the Greenshoe filly Ms Prada, who has now won two straight outings and here reduced her mark to 1:53.4. Yannick Gingras bypassed an early hole to get the lead, and was willing to pay a :26.4 price to get control. After soft middle numbers of :56.1 and 1:25, Ms Prada held off a late inside thrust by favored Hangover, a first leg PaSS winner who rode the rail all the way after 20 days off and still made a good race of it, beaten only 1¼ lengths. Ms Prada was the second half of a giant stakes weekend for trainer Ron Burke, who conditions this four-time seasonal winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Beasty LLC, Joseph Di Scala Jr., and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
 
Like her Åke Svanstedt stablemate Hangover, Elaine T S was coming off a 20-day rest, but she was able to win off the time away and surprised the crowd with a $69.80 victory while lowering her mark to 1:54.1. Favored invader Divine Thing made two moves to control the tempo of :26.3, :56, and 1:25.2, but when the Southwind Frank filly Elaine T S came up first-over and challenged, the chalk lost gait, and Elaine T S was clear after that. Goodgirl Bi IT, in the pocket and then avoiding interference, came on for second, 1¼ lengths off the winner and ahead of first round Sires winner Payback Moni. Svanstedt drove and trains the surpriser for Brochart Stable Inc., Ecuries Diocles AB, and Åke Svanstedt Inc.
 
In the Stallion Series, the Father Patrick filly Per Capita became the only two-time winner among this stakes group of fillies so far, coming out of the pocket to just catch another first round winner, Tally The Tab, by a nose while covering the mile in 1:57.1. Brady Brown kept his filly steady late to work to the win for trainer Steve Schoeffel and owners Kathy Schoeffel, King Fam Stable, and Mary Owlett.
 
The Greenshoe miss Dearly Beloved might ultimately prove the one to beat in these Stallion Series races as, with only two races since her 1:53.4 Weiss Series Consolation win on April 28, she dug deep late and was along in 1:54.3 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Jenny Melander, and owner Donald Bartling. Dearly Beloved went to early command, yielded to race favorite Bay Breeze Hanover at the half and sat in the two-hole, then wheeled outside and finished strongly for the victory, with Santa Cristina, a first round winner, photoing the chalk out for second.
 
The Cantab Hall filly Tabdone made a successful stakes debut for the red-hot Trond Smedshammer barn in 1:54.4, going right to the lead and backing off the pace, then sprinting home in :27.3 well ahead of the rest. The filly, unraced at two, now has three wins and three seconds in six starts for driver-trainer Smedshammer and his principal owner Purple Haze Stables LLC.
 
The big stakes card also featured a $25,000 fast-class handicap trot, with Aetos Kronos S, despite starting from the outside post seven, trotting the fastest mile of the year at Pocono, 1:52.2, while winning handily. Resolve To Win forced a foe to tuck by the :28 quarter; Southwind Coors took over shortly thereafter, with Aetos Kronos S and Dexter Dunn then proceeding forward to the lead into turn two, before the :56.3 half. The three-quarters came and went in 1:24.2, and no one could make a dent into the Maxie Lee Invitational winner’s lead in the last stanza, with Southwind Coors just lasing over Resolve To Win for the deuce. Aetos Kronos S, a son of Bold Eagle and now four-for-five Stateside, is trained by Åke Svanstedt for Jeffrey and Michael Snyder, and has now won $1,464,041 lifetime.
 
Pocono will be presenting 1 p.m. cards on both Monday and Tuesday. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Mad Max Hanover, a 3-5 favorite who gave the assembled at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon virtually a minute’s worth of anxiety as he could not stay with cover, finally surged in the final steps to catch pacesetting Lunar by a nose and win the $13,000 fast-class handicap pacing feature in 1:50.3.
 
The victorious Always B Miki gelding, coming off a rimmed-the-mile victory at The Meadowlands, got away fifth as Lunar dashed right to the front in a :26.3 opener, with Mad Max Hanover moving out nearing the :55 half and soon catching cover behind Primary Colors. But as the pacesetter and first-over waged war past a 1:22.3 three-quarters and into the stretch, “Mad Max” was still gapping, and his prospects did not look bright.
 
The chalk continued a bit behind as the top two fought on, then found a burst in the last fifty yards and was able to nip Lunar by the smallest possible margin, with Primary Colors third, only a neck off taking it all. Mad Max Hanover boosted his career earnings to $862,913 with the narrow victory for driver David Miller, trainer Jake Leamon, and owner Marvin Rounick.
 
An $11,000 fast-class subfeature was also taken by an Always B Miki gelding, Its Saturday Night, who was allowed to dawdle on the lead to the half in :57, then sprinted home in :54 - :26.3 in a 1:51 success story. Mark Herschberger handled the winner for trainer Nifty Norman (who also trained second-place finisher Belmont Royale N) and Dune Road Stables LLC.
 
There were two $12,000 events for developing horses, one on each gait. The assembled pacing males in this class were fronted by another Nifty Norman trainee, Always B Gibby, yet another altered son of Always B Miki. Jack Pelling put the horse on the lead, benefited from some confusion past the half, then dashed home in twin :27.4s to cross the wire first in 1:53.1 for LSC Stables.
 
In the trot, the Gimpanzee filly Mispanzee was able to race in third much of the mile for Tim Tetrick, then moved out and got the better of pylonshooting Esme by a neck in 1:55.2. Mispanzee has now won her last three starts for trainer Noel Daley and owner Thaddeus Wier.
 
In the $11,000 top-level claiming handicap pace, Wattastory was moved from fourth off the first turn by driver Tim Tetrick but met dogged resistance from pacesetting Hervey Hanover from early in the stretch the first time to just past midbackstretch. Finally clearing to the lead, the Tellitlikeitis gelding Wattastory opened a big lead and went on to win in 1:51.4 for trainer Hunter Oakes and owner Jeffrey Renzi.
 
Doubles on the card were notched by drivers David Miller, Jack Pelling, and Tim Tetrick, and by trainers Jake Leamon and Nifty Norman.
 
Racing resumes at Philly on “Trottin’ Thursday,” with diamondgaited features of all types including the betting debut of the two-year-olds; there will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 pool. Free Philly program pages are or will be available.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Over an oval rated “sloppy” for the Saturday feature races at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Spring Inhis Step A again lived up to his name, taking the $25,000 pace for fast-class horses in 1:49.3.
 
Another winning favorite on a big day for the chalk, Spring Inhis Step was pushed to a :26.4 quarter before clearing to the leader for driver Brett Beckwith, who then went right along with the winner of $384,946, putting up midfractions of :55.1 and 1:22.3. Spring Inhis Step A stayed in control through the lane, getting one reminder from Beckwith to keep his mind to business, and the veteran responded sharply for trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing LLC.
 
The Always A Virgin gelding Virgo, possessor of great early speed, took quick control from the pole forcing his opposition in behind him, set the pace as he pleased, then left everyone behind with a :26.1 kicker to take the $16,500 fast-class pacing co-feature in 1:50.4. The rest of the field got the message early, allowing Virgo to put up easy fractions of :27.2, :56.4, and 1:24.3, then could not make up sufficient ground in the supersonic last quarter (over “sloppy” going, remember). Darren Taneyhill trains the winner of two straight, now with a career bankroll of $557,162, for owners Mark Jakubik and Jason Darling.
 
If the Sweet Lou gelding Lou Grant is approaching anything near his maximum mile, he certainly has given no local evidence of that fact, as he won for the third time in as many Pocono starts, stopping the timer in 1:50.4 while coming home himself in :26.3. Simon Allard sent favored Lou Grant to an early advantage, forced second choice Borninlockdown GB to race outside past a :26.4 quarter to get the lead, and then sat under a stout hold through relatively-mind middle splits of :55.4 and 1:24. The leader was still going along well, and Jabbar mounted an uncovered challenge, but Allard never showed anxiousness as he waited then steered the winner to the Pocono Pike and gained  swiftly to down Jabbar by a neck (and allowed Allard to go his last quarters in sub -:53 combined in the two co-features). Eric Mollor trains the very promising pacer for Jack Piatt III and Howard Alexander.
 
Tyler Buter had four winners on the Saturday card. His production rate at Pocono is staying as hot as it was in May – in the former month he had 51 wins, and through June 14 he’s crossed the wire first 26 times at the mountain oval. Simon Allard won the last race along with the two subfeatures to be next in line in the day’s driving derby.
 
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action will highlight the Sunday card at Pocono, which begins at 6 p.m. First round Sire Stakes winners Hangover and Payback Moni have drawn into separate divisions of this second prelim action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA –The Always B Miki three-year-old Found found herself in the Harrah’s Philadelphia winners circle for the third time in as many 2025 starts, capturing the $12,000 featured pace for developing distaffs in 1:52.2.
 
Driver Jack Pelling, in the sulky for trainer-father Brett and Diamond Creek Racing, kept the fast filly midpack until being flushed out approaching the second bend. Found blitzed her own third quarter in  :26.4 to easily clear before hitting the far curve, and she won by 3¼ lengths over Staycation, who sat the pocket then came back in the lane to decision pacesetting Santafe’s Gina for the deuce. Earlier this campaign, Found turned in a 1:49.2 over the local oval, a clocking which may explain why Found attracted $17,264 out of the $20,152 total win/place/show pool on Friday.
 
In the $11,000 fast-class handicap pace for distaffs, Take Your Pick, a daughter of JK Endofanera invading from Yonkers and sent off as the second choice, was pushed hard by favored Hers Hungry to get the lead in a :26.4 quarter, then hooked up again with that one in a :27 kicker, with Take Your Pick prevailing by a neck in 1:52.2. The frequent winner (8-for-14 this season, 18-for-54 lifetime) was driven by Tim Tetrick for trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing LLC.
 
Jimmy Takter was lured back to the sulky in a maiden trot, behind the Tactical Landing sophomore colt Uncle Bjorn, and the first-time starter went from last at the quarter all the way to the winners circle, trotting his own back half in :57 to capture his bow in 1:57 for trainer/daughter Nancy, who is part of the ownership along with Christinatakter&Anderberg, John Fielding, and Fred Hertrich III.
 
It’s not hard to figure out why Takter, who has driven in only seven races since his last win, which came right here at Philly on November 3, 2022, took the sulky assignment – Uncle Bjorn’s dam is Solveig, like her driver a member of the Hall of Fame, dam of Trotter of the Year Shake It Cerry, and the dam of Uncle Bjorn’s half-brother by Walner, Joe Bo, who won a baby race here three days ago.
 
Tim Tetrick and George Napolitano Jr., between them the winners of the last 18 driving victory championships at Harrah’s and 1-2 respectively this year, each had a four-bagger on the Friday card. All four of Napolitano’s winners came from the rejuvenated Dean Eckley barn, while Tetrick guided two successful horses for Jeff Cullipher, making the current trainers standings read: Scott Di Domenico 17; Cullipher, Eckley, and Izzy Estrada each one off the lead at 16.
 
A 12:40 card on Sunday will close out the week’s racing at Harrah’s Philly on Sunday. The fast-class veterans will be featured in $13,000 and $11,000 events, with a combined seven horses in the two fields coming off victories. And next Thursday, two-year-old trotters will get their first taste of pari-mutuel action. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.