By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The activity at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono is growing every day in anticipation of the track’s 56th year of harness racing, a season which begins on Saturday, February 6.
 
Horses are already training over the track during set hours every day. Pocono would like horsemen to know that because of the winter weather peaking right around the corner, there will be NO training over the Pocono surface on Tuesday, January 26.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – With the whole harness world watching Thursday afternoon, Harrah’s Philadelphia conducted its usual “Trottin’ Thursday” cad with a deluxe twist – all fourteen races were for horses on the diagonal gait.
 
In the first of two $12,800 feature races, the Sebastian K sophomore filly Heat Wave Hanover brushed to the lead under the finish wire the first time and held the advantage to the end of the 1:56.2 mile for the driver/trainer brother/sister team of Joe and Jennifer Bongiorno. First-over Hunting As was three-quarters of a length behind the winner, who has now taken three of her last five starts for Robert Weinstein.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The American Ideal mare Its Mesmerise N got a great trip in the pocket behind Bye Bye Felicia, then came outside in the lane and ran that one down by  a neck in 1:52.1 while winning the $11,600 featured distaff pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon. 
 
Driver Simon Allard kept Its Mesmerise N in the golden chair behind fractions of :27.4, :57.2, and 1:24.3, and when first-over favorite New Year could make no headway, the race came down to the front two. The New Zealand import had :54.3 back-half speed while recording her eleventh victory of the year and to go over $100,000 in career earnings for trainer Chris Ryder and Windemere Stables LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – With the temperature registering just two degrees above freezing, the Banker Volo sophomore trotting gelding Itsonlymoneyhoney provided the heat by winning the trotting section of a pair of $11,200 features in a lifetime best of 1:55.4 on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia. 
 
The recent import from Iowa via Hoosier and Yonkers had to go first-over, but he proved more than equal to the task, coming his own back half in :56.4 for driver Andrew McCarthy (a three-time winner on the afternoon). Itsonlymoneyhoney won by 4¾ lengths over favored Father Dunn, who tried to follow his cover but could not stay with him. The Rob Harmon-trained three-year-old, owned by Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Lawrence Kittenplan, and Winners Circle Racing LLC, won his second straight, and he has recorded 12 victories in but 34 lifetime starts.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A quartet of $11,200 featured events for younger horses, two on the pace and two on the trot, topped the Friday afternoon action at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with trainer Rob Harmon sweeping the trotting top classes.
 
In the first of the trotting headliners, Itsonlymoneyhoney overcame some recent bad luck and held off the late charge of favored Protostar by a length to reduce his mark to 1:56.4. A victim of a break and then an equipment break in his first two starts for Harmon, Itsonlymoneyhoney was all systems “go” for driver Marcus Miller and the combine of Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Lawrence Kittenplan, and Winners Circle Racing LLC. The Banker Volo three-year-old gelding notched his eleventh lifetime triumph, most of those in the Midwest.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Anette Lorentzon, and a pair of three-year-old trotting fillies teamed up for off-the-pace victories in the twin $12,800 features at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
First up was the Conway Hall miss Sweet Heart As, who hadn’t raced in 28 days but nonetheless was ready to capitalize on a second-over trip to win in 1:56.2, three-quarters of a length ahead favored pocketsitter Reciprocal Blue Chip. ACL Stuteri AB owns the filly, who has four wins in twelve seasonal starts. (As the $10.40 third choice, Sweet Heart As was the longest-priced winner on the program.)

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Bettor’s Delight mare She’s Nun Bettor N, ready for a top mile for trainer Kelvin “Red” Harrison despite 21 days off, worked up the inside from the pocket to catch the favored Rose Run Victoria in 1:53.2 while winning the $12,800 featured pace for fillies and mares on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The Down Under import, unraced at two and starting her career in the Southern Hemisphere last season, was sent to the front by driver Dexter Dunn, only to see Rose Run Victoria, an Ontario Super Final winner, brush around her in front of the stands. But the Canadian champion couldn’t quite maintain her lead, as She’s Nun Bettor N stepped home in :55.4 to catch her rival by a neck and improve her Stateside seasonal scorecard to 9-5-3-1-$41,230 for Curtin ANZ Stables.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Yannick Gingras was the star of a cool and dank day at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday, piloting six winners, including a “grand slam” of a sweep of the four $11,200 feature races, two on each gait.
 
In the first of the trots, Gingras positioned the Kadabra sophomore filly Kombucha right behind pacesetter Alyvia Deo, then moved out to challenge on the turn and got by for a length victory in 1:58.2 over the sloppy track. After several near-misses in the shadow of New York City, Kombucha found the Philly winners circle in her first start here for trainer Scott Di Domenico and the ownership of Bottom Line Racing LLC and Triple D Stables Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The “Trottin’ Thursday” card at Harrah’s Philadelphia featured a pair of $12,800 features for younger horses working their way up the class ladder.
 
In the first, the Cantab Hall sophomore gelding Rock Party got to the lead just past the quarter for driver George Napolitano Jr., then “stole” a :30.4 second quarter breather. From there, there was no catching the frontstepping favorite, as he cruised home 3¼ lengths ahead in 1:56.2. Trainer Mark Silva took over the training of the winner in early November, and he seems to have the trotter coming around now for owners Lewis Whitaker Jr. and Charles Rowe.
 
The second co-feature went to a three-year-old daughter of Yankee Glide, Andela, who was also parked past the quarter before assuming command, but then kept on rolling for a 2¼ length triumph in 1:57, her second win in her last three starts. Rod Allen is the trainer/driver of Andela – fitting in that her second dam is the immortal CR Kay Suzie – and the winner is Rod Allen Inc.
 
In a $10,000 event for fast-class diamondgaiters, the veteran Credit Winner gelding Fashion Creditor was quickly in front and never looked back, winning in 1:54 with a 1¼ length advantage over pocketsitter MVP Luke at the wire. George Napolitano Jr. had the sulky duty behind the winner of $716,935 for trainer Tom Fanning and owner Joseph Smith; in all Napolitano, the track’s winningest driver, had four victories on the day.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Well Said mare Caviart Cherie is at a career peak at the end of her six-year-old form, taking a 1:50.1 lifetime mark despite temperatures only ten degrees above freezing in the $11,600 distaff handicap pacing feature Wednesday at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Anthony Napolitano got sharp gate speed out of Caviart Cherie and she went right to the lead, forcing favored New Year to tuck behind her, then yielding to Eclipse Me N after a :26.1 quarter. The Kiwi pacesetter hit the half in :54.4, then had the favorite come at her down the backstretch, with the pair battling to a 1:22 three-quarters and around the turn, with “Cherie” perched right behind them.