By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Spring In Paris, a sophomore daughter of Explosive Matter, went 3-for-3 in her Bobby Weiss Series preliminary action at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, taking one of Tuesday’s $15,000 prelim divisions in a lifetime best in 1:55.3.

And she’s economical in her energy dispersal: her total winning margin in her three victories was eight feet, or one length.

On Tuesday, Andrew McCarthy moved her uncovered on the second turn, then picked up the cover of pocketpulling Critical Hanover, who went to the lead near the ¾, leaving Spring In Paris uncovered. The gritty three-year-old just kept her mind to business and finally wore down her rival by half a length – the largest margin in her three Weiss victories. Steve LeBlanc conditions the consistent miss, now undefeated her four seasonal starts, for LeBlanc Racing Inc., Glenn Dyke, and Douglas Johnson.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – During a mild Tuesday morning qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia, many stakes horses at two put in good prep races for their upcoming season, but it was a pair of horses turning four that drew the spotlight.
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Lather Up went coast-to-coast in his event for driver Montrell Teague and trainer Clyde Francis, hanging up easy fractions of 28.3 and 58, then turning on the speed for back postings of 1:25.2 and 1:53.1. The son of I’m Gorgeous, a major factor in the pacing glamour division all last year, won by 1¾ lengths over New York Sire Stakes champion Rockapelo, who came from Parts Unknown with a 26.2 last quarter to be second.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The American Ideal mare Ghosttothepost became the only distaff to be victorious in all three of the preliminaries for the Bobby Weiss Series for pacing fillies and mares, coming home in 56.2 on a cold Monday with swirling winds at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono to triumph in 1:54.3.

George Napolitano Jr. got early fractions of 28.3 and 58.1 with the five-time seasonal winner, then turned on the back half jets, with a 28.2 second quarter and then a 28 last quarter into the win. Ghosttothepost, who suffered broken equipment during the contest, needed the speedy finish to keep pocketsitting Cardiff a neck away at the finish for trainer Darren Farrell and owner Peter Paul Venturini.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Developing three- and four-year-olds of both gaits and sexes will begin contesting their $15,000 third and final preliminary legs of the Bobby Weiss Series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono starting tonight (Monday), hoping to solidify places in the $30,000 series Championships (or perhaps a $15,000 consolation) that will begin in one week, Monday, April 22.
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The pacing fillies and mares will take to the track for Weiss action on Monday in three divisions. Undefeated in their first two preliminaries were Ghosttothepost, an American Ideal mare to be guided by George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Darren Ferrell from post five in the fifth race division, and the Art Major filly Ashlee Sparkles, who will begin from race two in the eleventh race Weiss contest for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Blake MacIntosh. Both are morning line favorites in their respective divisions.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – My Lindy Winner emerged as the only double winner in the first two preliminary legs of the Bobby Weiss Series for male trotters at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning on Sunday in 1:56.4 despite a sloppy track, considerable rain, and swirling, occasionally strong, wind.

My Lindy Winner was sent to the front off the first turn by driver Jim Morrill Jr., rated a moderate half, then sprinted off to an insurmountable lead that wound up being four lengths at the finish. The four-year-old Credit Winner entire is now undefeated in five 2019 starts for the Rob Harmon stable after notching only one win at two and three combined. His ownership consists of Vincent Laurenzo, Howard Taylor, and Thomas Lazzaro.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – With two horses sent off at odds-on, something had to give, and 4-5 Turbo Hill forced 3-5 Sports Legend in behind him early, then sprinted home to hold him safe in 1:51.2 during one of three $15,000 contests in the second preliminary leg of the Bobby Weiss Series for pacing males on Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
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Both crowd favorites won their first Weiss series start, and both boiled away from the gate, with Turbo Hill, starting from post three for trainer/driver Hunter Oakes, insisting on early command, forcing Jim Morrill Jr. and Sports Legend, beginning from post five, to settle for the two-hole approaching the 27 first marker. Turbo Hill got a breather to the half in 56.3, was not too taxed in increasing the speed to reach the 3/4s in 1:24.4, then really turned one the afterburners with a 26.3 last quarter, leaving his archrival 1¾ lengths in his wake at the wire under highlining tactics. Turbo Hill has now won six straight and has eight victories in nine career starts for owner Tom Hill.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The $16,000 featured races at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday were a study in contrasts: on the pace, War Crimes made it look really easy as she won her fourth straight race in 1:55.1, while on the trot Armageddon Seelster was extended to grind down pacesetter Lucky Shiela by a neck in 1:56.
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The Western Terror mare War Crimes made two moves in achieving her victory, making the top, forcing a tuck, then surrendering the lead to A Oliveinmymartini to a 27.3 quarter, only to be right out and reclaiming command, then slowing the half to 58.2. Successive 28.2 quarters coming home were enough to keep War Crimes 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Dance For Kisses at the wire for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Josh Green, and Green Racing Inc. as the four-year-old ran her record to 8-for-13 lifetime.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The front end continued to be THE place to be at Harrah’s Philadelphia at the start of the third week of the racing season, as the Elegant Man gelding Fearless Man used speedy tactics to take the $18,000 featured trot on Thursday in 1:53.3.

The young meet’s leading driver, George Napolitano Jr., let longshot Tough Mac streak to the early lead, and then brushed to the top past a lightning 26.2 opening split. The winner of $684,304 just kept gobbling up the racetrack through middle fractions of 55.1 and 1:23.2, with favored Fraser Ridge making steady but not enough forward grinding progress. Fraser Ridge continued to gain through the lane, but Fearless Man had just built up too big an advantage, and the final margin was 1¾ lengths for trainer Andrew Harris and the ownership of Rick Zeron Stables, Noblock Racing Stable, and Cool Cat Racing Inc.

The National Basketball Association playoffs start this Saturday, and a five-time participant in the NBA postseason, Sam Bowie, owns the winner of Philly’s Thursday $14,500 co-feature, Seven Iron, who equaled his mark of 1:54.2 (the horse’s name is not as much a mixed sports metaphor as you may think – the famous Masters golf tournament is also this weekend). The victorious son of Cantab Hall, a Chris Lakata trainee who has now a bankroll of $241,170, earned his victory “the hard way,” having to go first-over on the speed-favoring oval, but driver Yannick Gingras had plenty of horse late to be 2¾ lengths clear of favored Presidente Zette on the money.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Explosive Matter filly Spring In Paris emerged as the only female with a 2-for-2 record in the Bobby Weiss Series for trotting distaffs after three $15,000 second round preliminary divisions on Tuesday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Driver Andrew McCarthy had Spring In Paris in second-over position when pacesetting Fade Into You made a break early in the backstretch, with the victorious filly briefly three-wide as her cover was fading and could not cross over, allowing then-pocketsitter Town Hall Justice to scoot through to the lead. But Spring In Paris downshifted when she regained two-wide status, went on to the lead then held off the late inside bid of Royal Esteem by a neck in 1:57.4. Steve LeBlanc conditions the winner, now undefeated in three 2019 starts, for Leblanc Racing Inc., Glenn Dyke, and Douglas Johnson.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Tim Tetrick was at the top of his game on Tuesday morning at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning five times in ten qualifiers, including a sweep with four quality-proven performers.
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 Donttellmeagain, as good as the best FFA pacers when at his best last year, won his second straight 2019 qualifier, this one in 1:51.4. The Jim King Jr. trainee, an altered son of Dragon Again, moved out of the pocket down the backstretch and covered each of the last two panels in 27.1 to be 2¾ lengths clear of Closing Statement, third as a baby in his Breeders Crown event and on the comeback trail. Caviart Ally, a consensus second-best in the 2018 aged mare ranks behind Shartin N (ironically another Tetrick/King horse), came from last to be third, with her own last quarter in 27.