Photo: Curtis Salonick
By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Through rain and the coldest May 23 ever in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area, three-year-old trotting fillies continued to make progress during their sophomore stakes season, contesting four $30,000 divisions of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event.
Only one of the four favorites won in the stakes races (as opposed to an amazing nine out of ten in the “overnight” contests). The quickest All-Stars winner was the Greenshoe miss Berry Good News, who was berry good news to her backers at 11-1. Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter gave the filly a pocket trip behind the chalk Little Road (who did not look easy to drive this day), and the winner scampered by in the lane by 1¼ lengths while taking a new mark of 1:55.2 for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Melvin Hartman and David Mc Duffee.
Greenshoe also sired the second-fastest filly winner in 6-1 proposition Duicinea Hanover, who was sent to the lead by driver Andrew McCarthy and resisted heavy favorite Lainey W, who grinded up but couldn’t reach by a half length, with Chestnut Kelly closing to be just another neck off in the 1:55.3 mile. Duicinea Hanover broke her maiden in a Stallion Series race in her last start, and here she added an All-Stars conquest for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Harbor Racing Stable, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, James McGovern, and Vincent Urciuoli.
Yannick Gingras had come to Pocono planning on just a cameo appearance behind Lainey W, but when a catch-drive opened up behind the favorite in another division, the basic green colors of trainer Åke Svanstedt were replaced by the “Green Hornet,” Gingras, and he combined with Maya Patel Hanover to save the chalk some “face” in a 1:56.3 mile. Maya Patel Hanover, coming off a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, looked fairly comfortable to the wire despite late energy from Cash Out Express, second in a photo with I Take The Cake. That pair was three parts of a length off the winner, who is owned by Svanstedt in partnership with Brittany Farms LLC.
Maya Patel Hanover is sired by Captain Corey, as was the fourth All-Stars winner, Shemightbetheone, who is now two-for-two for the year after a 1:56.4 closing tally, equaling her mark, for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Fred Grant, the latter co-owner with Burton Fitel, Paul Marino, and Timber Ridge Stable. Shemightbetheone had the most decisive margin in the stakes racing, 1½ lengths, but she still paid $74.60 to win – in fact, the three three-year-old fillies aside from “Maya Patel” were the three longest prices on the card.
The $20,000 fast-class pace went to Voukefalas, who prevailed easily in 1:51.2 for trainer Michael Russo and owner Michael Pagones. Last week Voukefalas and driver Jordan Stratton made an early bid for command but were left on the rim for the duration, yet still only missed by a head; this week the crowd held him at odds-on status despite not having won since July of 2024, and Stratton got a bit more power to clear with his veteran at the half, going on to an easy triumph.
Fastest mile of the day came in the form of a 1:51 mile from Downbythewater, a four-year-old son of Downbytheseaside who gamely resisted a late bid from Gentleman’s Club, last year’s Governor’s Cup winner, by 1½ lengths for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Linda Toscano, and the partnership of Schillaci Stables LLC, John Manning, Sam Bova Racing LLC, and Howard Berke.
Tyler Buter increased his margin at the head of the Pocono class with four driving wins, including two for trainer John Butenschoen, the only trainer who doubled. Braxten Boyd, Matt Kakaley, and George Napolitano Jr. each reported home first with a pair of victories.
Filly and mare pacers headline Monday’s 1 p.m. card, with the top purse a $27,500 fast-class contest; on Tuesday at 1 p.m., the final program of the week will have the $35,000 Game Of Claims Trotting Series Championship, in which Pisces Rising, the only sweeper in three prelims, will have to face the challenging post eight. After that the Pocono weekly schedule keeps its Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday 1 p.m. cards, but will add a 5 p.m. program on Sundays for nine consecutive weeks.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Through rain and the coldest May 23 ever in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area, three-year-old trotting fillies continued to make progress during their sophomore stakes season, contesting four $30,000 divisions of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event.
Only one of the four favorites won in the stakes races (as opposed to an amazing nine out of ten in the “overnight” contests). The quickest All-Stars winner was the Greenshoe miss Berry Good News, who was berry good news to her backers at 11-1. Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter gave the filly a pocket trip behind the chalk Little Road (who did not look easy to drive this day), and the winner scampered by in the lane by 1¼ lengths while taking a new mark of 1:55.2 for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Melvin Hartman and David Mc Duffee.
Greenshoe also sired the second-fastest filly winner in 6-1 proposition Duicinea Hanover, who was sent to the lead by driver Andrew McCarthy and resisted heavy favorite Lainey W, who grinded up but couldn’t reach by a half length, with Chestnut Kelly closing to be just another neck off in the 1:55.3 mile. Duicinea Hanover broke her maiden in a Stallion Series race in her last start, and here she added an All-Stars conquest for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Harbor Racing Stable, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, James McGovern, and Vincent Urciuoli.
Yannick Gingras had come to Pocono planning on just a cameo appearance behind Lainey W, but when a catch-drive opened up behind the favorite in another division, the basic green colors of trainer Åke Svanstedt were replaced by the “Green Hornet,” Gingras, and he combined with Maya Patel Hanover to save the chalk some “face” in a 1:56.3 mile. Maya Patel Hanover, coming off a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, looked fairly comfortable to the wire despite late energy from Cash Out Express, second in a photo with I Take The Cake. That pair was three parts of a length off the winner, who is owned by Svanstedt in partnership with Brittany Farms LLC.
Maya Patel Hanover is sired by Captain Corey, as was the fourth All-Stars winner, Shemightbetheone, who is now two-for-two for the year after a 1:56.4 closing tally, equaling her mark, for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Fred Grant, the latter co-owner with Burton Fitel, Paul Marino, and Timber Ridge Stable. Shemightbetheone had the most decisive margin in the stakes racing, 1½ lengths, but she still paid $74.60 to win – in fact, the three three-year-old fillies aside from “Maya Patel” were the three longest prices on the card.
The $20,000 fast-class pace went to Voukefalas, who prevailed easily in 1:51.2 for trainer Michael Russo and owner Michael Pagones. Last week Voukefalas and driver Jordan Stratton made an early bid for command but were left on the rim for the duration, yet still only missed by a head; this week the crowd held him at odds-on status despite not having won since July of 2024, and Stratton got a bit more power to clear with his veteran at the half, going on to an easy triumph.
Fastest mile of the day came in the form of a 1:51 mile from Downbythewater, a four-year-old son of Downbytheseaside who gamely resisted a late bid from Gentleman’s Club, last year’s Governor’s Cup winner, by 1½ lengths for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Linda Toscano, and the partnership of Schillaci Stables LLC, John Manning, Sam Bova Racing LLC, and Howard Berke.
Tyler Buter increased his margin at the head of the Pocono class with four driving wins, including two for trainer John Butenschoen, the only trainer who doubled. Braxten Boyd, Matt Kakaley, and George Napolitano Jr. each reported home first with a pair of victories.
Filly and mare pacers headline Monday’s 1 p.m. card, with the top purse a $27,500 fast-class contest; on Tuesday at 1 p.m., the final program of the week will have the $35,000 Game Of Claims Trotting Series Championship, in which Pisces Rising, the only sweeper in three prelims, will have to face the challenging post eight. After that the Pocono weekly schedule keeps its Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday 1 p.m. cards, but will add a 5 p.m. program on Sundays for nine consecutive weeks.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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