By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Horses continuing to prepare for the upcoming Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and other states’ programs went big miles in qualifying action Tuesday morning at Harrah’s Philadelphia; a couple of older performers also found their way into the spotlight.

• Reigning Deo, New York Sire Stakes two-year-old pacing colt champion at two, added a 1:54.1 win on the engine to his preparations for 2019, the Rock N Roll Heaven entire stepping home in :56 for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling;

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Simon Allard won his third of the four $30,000 Bobby Weiss Series Championships conducted this spring at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, taking Monday’s rich finale for trotting males with the 1:54 winner Dover Dony.

70-1 shot Chapter And Ruth (trained by Rene Allard, who had combined with his brother Simon on their two earlier Weiss wins) shot out from PP9 right to the top for driver Tom Jackson, looping the winning son of Andover Hall, who eventually worked his way to the top before the :27.4 opener. Allard gave his charge a :57.1 breather to the half, then sent the 6-5 second choice through a :27.3 third quarter to try to put separation between himself and 3-5 favorite My Lindy Winner, who was looking for a Weiss sweep. 

My Lindy Winner came wide off cover late on the final turn for driver Jim Morrill Jr., and Chapter And Ruth popped out from the pocket, but Dover Dony had enough to maintain a length margin to the finish while lowering his mark 3 2/5 seconds. Chapter And Ruth, who had a Weiss prelim win (which ironically is more than the winner could say) showed determination to take second, a neck ahead of My Lindy Winner, who had been undefeated in six seasonal starts. Dover Dony had a 37-2-10-10 record before this final, but he surely picked a good time to become more photogenic for trainer Jordan Derue and owner Anthony Ciuffetelli.
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In the $15,000 Weiss consolation for the male trotting set, the sophomore Yankee Glide gelding Raceace set a North American season’s record of 1:54.3 for his division while lowering his mark nearly three seconds. Matt Kakaley put his horse on the lead in his fourth lifetime start, and the even money favorite stepped home in :56.1 - :27.4 to keep 6-5 shot Omaha Omaha away by a head at the wire for trainer Nifty Norman and the All Laid Out Stable Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will be hosting a doubleheader of live racing this Saturday, the “brunch” card starting at 11 a.m. and the evening card, which will begin after the Kentucky Derby aftermath has settled down in the vicinity of 7:30 p.m., will be headlined by the traditional Pocono Derby Day feature, the $50,000 Van Rose Memorial Invitational Pace.

Rose, a modest fellow who was a longtime handicapper/writer focusing his efforts on The Downs, would no doubt be amazed that “a field like this is in a race named after me” – the nine pacers in the nighttime tenth race feature have an average lifetime mark of 1:49.2 and have collectively earned over $5 million, with two millionaires, Filibuster Hanover and Western Fame, in the field.
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In fact, Western Fame is the hottest horse in North America harness racing so far in 2019, and the richest, too, with $446,300 to his credit in the first third of the year, raising his lifetime bankroll to $1,487,320. In the recent Levy Series at Yonkers, Western Fame had four wins and a second in five preliminary legs, and then in the $664,000 Levy Final on April 20, he won over a quality field by almost five lengths.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Warrawee Ubeaut, the filly who became the fastest two-year-old of all time when she won in 1:48.3 en route to her 2018 divisional championship, makes her seasonal debut Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia in what will also be the first 2019 racing in the rich Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program. There will be two $83,240 divisions of Sire Stakes three-year-old pacing fillies, while their Stallion Series counterparts will contest $20,000 in each of five divisions.
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The Sweet Lou filly Warrawee Ubeaut, to start from post seven in her Sire Stakes section for driver Yannick Gingras and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Phil Collura, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby, is one of six fillies trainer Ron Burke has entered in the Sire Stakes, and he’ll have three going in each division. Warrawee Ubeaut, who also was the richest freshman in 2018 North American harness racing with $646,995 in earnings, won her Breeders Crown event last year, one of her seven victories on the campaign; another was the historic world record at Lexington, where she came home in :53.2. Warrawee Ubeaut has had two qualifying preps at The Meadowlands for her sophomore campaign, both times winning in 1:53.2.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Tag Up And Go was in control throughout the $17,500 trotting feature on a less-than-optimum Sunday night (41 degrees, “sloppy +2” surface) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning by himself in 1:56.4. Marcus Miller left in controlling fashion with the Angus Hall gelding, set a very moderate pace even in the bad conditions, and still had plenty late to raise his earnings to $569,216. Rob Harmon conditions the veteran for Lester Gelardi Jr. and Anthony Passafaro.

There were a pair of $17,000 contests for developing horses on both gaits. In the pace, the Rollwithjoe gelding Youcaniknow is 2-for-2 in 2019 after a hard two-move victory from post nine in 1:53.4, holding off Grantmeawish by a neck for driver Matt Kakaley, who had three winners on the night. This is a rare Åke Svanstedt-trained pacer, owned by Åke Svanstedt Inc.
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In the subfeature trot, the Lucky Chucky gelding Chuckabuck, who was claimed for $12,500 on April 5, handled the rise from that level quite easy on the Pocono red muck, going gate-to-wire in 1:56.3 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer James Guagliardo, and owner William Sartin.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Some of North America’s best older trotters and pacers will be spending many a weekend day from May to early September at either The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono or Harrah’s Philadelphia, racing in the second year of action for The Great Northeast Open Series (GNOS).

The GNOS is a series that will week offer $30,000 races involving three classifications: an Open pace, an Open trot, and a Filly & Mare Open pace. The Open paces will take place at one track on a given week; the Open trot and F&M Open pace will take place at the other. If the Open pace is at Pocono in a given week, it will be held on Saturday night; all other GNOS races will be held on Sundays: afternoon cards at Philly; nighttime at Pocono.
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Exceptions to these basics start right on Opening Day for the series, this Saturday, May 4, Kentucky Derby Day: Philly will be open that day and will hold the Open trot and F&M Open pace on that card, while Pocono, will hosts a doubleheader, will have the $50,000 Van Rose Memorial Pace, its traditional  Derby Day feature, during the nighttime action.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Throughout the preliminary events of Bobby Weiss Series for pacing males at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, the motto has been “The post means the most.” And so it continued in the $30,000 series Championship event on Saturday night, as Turbo Hill drew inside his archrival Sports Legend and went on to defeat him by ¾ of a length in a lifetime best 1:51.
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The pair did not draw in together in the first prelim. In the second, Turbo Hill drew inside Sports Legend and controlled the pace; the reverse was true last week, when Sports Legend prevailed. In the Championship, driver George Napolitano Jr. looked to his right, saw Sports Legend, and gave his horse double-time leaving instructions, controlling the pace and forcing Sports Legend in behind him late in the :27 opener.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – George Napolitano Jr., the winningest driver at Harrah’s Philadelphia five years running, and New Zealand star Dexter Dunn dominated the competition over a “sloppy” surface during a special Friday evening card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, each winning five races. For Dunn, it was his first five-bagger on one card in North America; Napolitano is the Philly track recordholder with his ten victories during the performance of November 11, 2009.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Pappy Go Go now has two of the three fastest miles in North American harness racing during 2019 after he demolished a field by 6 3/4 lengths in the $18,000 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.

George Napolitano Jr. held early position with “Pappy” from post four as the three inside him left, then pulled his trotter out just before the :27.4 quarter. Golden Son moved from the pocket just in front of him, and Napolitano briefly had his trotter three-wide before circling to the lead entering turn two, before the :56 half.
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Pappy Go Go had a full head of steam down the backstretch and reached the three-quarters in 1:24, and he had no slowdown in him in the lane, equaling the time he posted at Pocono on March 30, which is just a fifth behind Insomniac’s 1:51.4 at Miami Valley on April 5. Andrew Harris trains the impressive winner, who now has 28 career wins and $155,517 in earnings, for Michael Goldberg Racing.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Sophomore pacing males with stakes ambitions were in the spotlight on Wednesday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with a pair of $16,000 “nw 5 races” events complemented by two $14,000 “nw 3 races” contests.

Just Plain Loco proved strong early and strongest late, making two moves to win the first of the $16,000 splits in a personal best of 1:53.2. David Miller had sulky duty behind the Well Said gelding for trainer Tom Fanning and owners Paul Lang and Falcon Racing LLC.

In the other feature cut, the Sweet Lou colt Love Me Some Lou was extended further than many 1-9 shots are, with a game Annihilation charging at him in back fractions of 55.4 – 27.2, but Love Me Some Lou won his seasonal debut in 1:52.2. David Miller had sulky duties behind the Tom Cancelliere-trained third-place finisher in the Breeders Crown; Tom’s brother John is the owner.

In one of the $14,000 classes, the Somebeachsomewhere colt Union Station was put on the lead by driver Corey Callahan and made every pole a winning one while lowering his mark to 1:52.3. Val D’Or Farms and Rojan Stables team up behind the winner along with a pair of July Hall of Fame inductees, co-owner Ted Gewertz and trainer Joe Holloway.

In the other subfeature section, the Sweet Lou gelding Skip To My Lou had to go first-over into a 54.2 final half for driver Dexter Dunn, but he didn’t seem to have any problem with the journey, winning nicely in 1:52.1 to equal his mark. The hot Robert Cleary barn guides the fortunes of the winner for Royal Wire Products Inc.
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Trainer Marcus Melander, the 2018 Rising Star Award winner, teamed up with a pair of former Rising Star winners to break the maiden status of two nice three-year-old trotting fillies who took new marks. Miss Trixton (Trixton – Possess The Magic) was guided by Yannick Gingras (2003 Rising Star winner) to a 1:55.1 victory for Order By Stable, and then Matter Of Fact (Explosive Matter – Chips N Caviar, from the “Winky” family) fronted her field in 1:55.2 for Tim Tetrick, who won the Rising Star in 2007, and Vicky Trotting Inc.