By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of Hall Of Fame horsemen, driver David Miller and trainer Joe Holloway, combined with the Sebastian K S gelding Benjamin Hanover, who showed up at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday afternoon ready to go and promptly looked very strong while winning the $13,500 top-purse trot of the day in a lifetime best 1:52.3.
 
Miller guided the late-blooming four-year-old, now nine-for-fifteen in his career, to the lead nearing a :27.3, and dominated these with middle fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.3 before striding home 5 3/4 lengths to the good. Better things look in the offing for the winner, who is owned by Sarah Andrews, Angela Cornell, and Jarod Miller.
 
The double millionaire Crystal Fashion combined with another Hall Of Famer, driver Tim Tetrick, and made the most of a pocket trip to win the $13,000 fast-class trotting feature in 1:54.1. The Cantab Hall nine-year-old gelding, now with $2,330,000 on his lifetime card, trailed pacesetting favorite Robbie Pev through fractions of :27.3, :56.2, and 1:25.2, then moved outside headstretch and triumphed by a length for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and EVM Racing LLC.
 
Three-time defending driving champion Tetrick won four races on the afternoon; two of them were for “Three Wide “N” Wing’n” Crissman, the only conditioner to have a double.
 
Distaff pacers will be featured on the 12:25 Friday afternoon card at Philly, and in the same format as used for the trotters the day before: there will be a $13,500 contest for developing younger horses, and a $13,000 event for the fast-class female set. Philly programs are available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Four of the five winners in Tuesday afternoon’s $20,000 second prelim divisions of the Bobby Weiss Trotting Series for sophomore fillies at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania were repeat winners from last week. In five $17,500 third and final prelim cuts of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $30,000 base-tagged horses, driver Simon Allard and trainer Mark Akins teamed for three winners, including a pair of prelim sweepers – but only one of those horses will be coming back for them in next Tuesday’s series Championship.
 
Team Orange Crush, driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie, sent out two of the misses winning in the Weiss. One of them was the Walner filly Tove Palema, who tied for fastest Weiss cut of the day while setting a new mark of 1:54.3 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Patrick Hoopes, and Mortgage Boys Stable; husband and wife also combined on the one non-repeater, the Muscle Hill filly Bikini Model, who broke in the first leg but today was on perfect behavior to put up a new mark of 1:55.1 for Frederick Hertrich III.
 
Two more Weiss double winners were guided by another Miller, but of the Ohio not Illinois variety – Hall Of Famer David Miller. The International Moni distaff Elista Hanover turned in a 1:54.3 mile, a lifetime best, to tie for fastest Weiss time for trainer Annie Stoebe, co-owner with R. Lynn and Philomena Curry; just a tick behind in earning a new speed badge was the Tactical Landing filly Tactical Lori, now three-for-three in 2024 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Melvin Hartman and Enzed Racing Stable Inc.
 
Also perfect after three seasonal starts and two Weiss races is Kinesiology, who gave sire Walner a second credit when she won in 1:54.4 for driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Ron Burke, and Burke Racing Stable LLC, Beasty LLC, Lawrence Karr, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby.
 
In the Game Of Claims, the one horse earning his way through for Allard/Akins was Kinnder Thinktwice, who was an easy third-time winner in 1:54.1. Fight Song, who was claimed out of a 1:53.1 divisional speed mark last week, won Tuesday in 1:54.3, but he was the only horse claimed out of the day’s GOC events and will change barns for the final as he seeks a fourth straight victory. And Chief Rocco, fastest of Tuesday’s GOC winners in 1:53.2, missed the first leg of the series, and the rules of the Game Of Claims state that a finalist must start in all three legs.
 
Other winners among the claiming trotters were successful in the series for the first time: Keystone Apache (1:56.1, the driving success allowing David Miller to tie Allard for the day’s sulky honors) and Jula Magician, a 1:55.2 winner for driver Ridge Warren but another horse absent from the first leg and thus not a finalist.
 
Racing at The Downs resumes on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., with sophomore pacers going for $20,000 a division in their final Weiss Series action before their finals seven days afterwards: there will be four sections of males and three of females bidding to ensure themselves a spot in their rich Championship payday. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Blackhawk Zette and Victor Laszlo took their second Bobby Weiss Trotting Series victories in $20,000 round two action for the sophomore males Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. In six $9000 final prelim rounds of action among Game Of Claims Series pacers carrying a $15,000 base claiming tag, no one was able to post wins in all three legs leading up to next Monday’s $17,500 Championship.
 
Blackhawk Zette trotted the fastest mile in his section of Weiss action so far, reducing his mark to 1:54.2 with his own last quarter in :28.1 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., and owner J L Sadowsky LLC. The solid-closing son of Cantab Hall has now won all three of his 2024 starts.
 
Also sporting that same three-for-three seasonal tally is the Chapter Seven colt Victor Laszlo, who was home first in 1:55.4 on Monday. Mark MacDonald again handled driving duties for trainer Ray Schnittker and the partnership of Schnittker Arnold, Paul Bordogna, Ted Gewertz, and Arden Homestead Stable.
 
The Bar Hopping gelding Usain Hanover, who missed less than a length to Victor Laszlo in the first leg, took a new mark of 1:54.4 - :28.2 in another section for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Nifty Norman, and Enzed Racing Stable Inc. In the other Weiss cut, the Chapter Seven gelding Mighty Deo weaved through traffic from last to take a maiden mark of 1:57 for driver Justin Huckabone and trainer Mark Harder,  the latter also co-owner with Dean Lockhart and Deena Rachel Frost.
 
Though there were no sweepers in the Game Of Claims, four horses stamped themselves as prime contenders by notching two wins in the three prelim rounds. Fastest of the GOC pacers on Monday was Buckeye Emery, opening the card while taking his second straight in a lifetime best 1:53.1 with Anthony Napolitano guiding.
 
Team Mac foiled a My Mind Is Madeup sweep in a 1:53.3 mile for driver Jim Pantaleano (tops on the day with a trio of sulky successes), with both pacers entering their Championship off of two wins and a second – and both going to the finale for new barns. Lou Sassin and Fredneck were both claimed last week, and it was Lous Sassin (Simon Allard) who won here in 1:53.4 after the barn changes, ending a bid for a sweep for Fredneck, who also will again be changing handlers.
 
Seal O’Neill missed the first leg of the series, but he’s been unstoppable since in this class, as Dexter Dunn guided him to victory in 1:54.3 as the fourth double winner.
 
The other two sections were won by pacers who were just happy to revisit Victory Lane. It had been 680 days since Tray Surreal had returned to the photographer after the race, as he did here after a 1:53.2 triumph while handled by Ridge Warren; Royhill’s absence had been 575 days before Jim Pantaleano got him home first in 1:54. But the crowd wasn’t caught unaware – both horses were their race’s favorites.
 
The racing week continues at Pocono tomorrow at 1 p.m., with five divisions of the Weiss Series for three-year-old trotting fillies racing for $20,000 in their second prelims, and a like number of fields chasing $17,500 purses in the Game Of Claims Trotting Series for $30,000 base-tag horses, their last chance to qualify for their finals. Pocono free programs are available at www.phha,org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – It didn’t take long before the first sub-1:50 mile of 2024 was posted at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as  All Class won the $13,000 featured pace in 1:49.3 on Sunday, just the second program of the year at the southeast Pennsylvania oval.
 
Many horses took advantage of a backstretch tailwind to throw in a hot quarter  en route to victory, but David Miller had the son of Heston Blue Chip on the boil throughout, moving past early leader Dragononthebeach near the :26.3 opening station and then going faster than :28 in each subsequent split, with midfractions of :54.2 and 1:22. At the finish, All Class maintained a 1¼ length lead while Dragononthebeack gave brave but futile chase to the wire behind the Per Engblom trainee, who is owned by Morrison Racing Stables.
 
Todd McCarthy took honors in the horseman’s colony for the day with a trio of sulky successes. The last was behind Literl Lad Hanover, and when racing resumes at Philly on Thursday at 12:25 p.m., that pacer has the chance to achieve a rare feat in modern harness racing – winning a race during two consecutive cards of competition at one track! Thursday’s races were drawn last Friday, with Literl Lad Hanover included, and the “eligible at time of entry” rule does not keep Literl Lad Hanover out of his upcoming entered class even though he picked up the big end of the purse in Sunday’s last race – what’s more, Literl Lad Hanover will even get the chance to win the last race of the day in consecutive cards at Philly!
 
Free programs for Harrah’s Philadelphia will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Sophomore pacers, ten $20,000 divisions strong, battled in the second preliminary round of the Bobby Weiss Series on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Six sections of males and four of females faced the starter, and in exactly half the races for each sex, a first-round prelim winner emerged with a second victory.
 
Fastest mile of the day was the 1:51.4 lifetime best by the Captaintreacherous colt Captain Caveman, and his achievement garners extra gloss when it is noted that it was achieved over a “good” track that gradually dried out and became “fast” before the day’s action was halfway through. Captain Caveman parlayed a pocket trip and a dash up the Pocono Pike to victory for the second straight week for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Robert Cleary, and owner Robert Corrigan.
 
The Bettor’s Wish gelding Bonaparte, who saw his 1:51.3 victory last week remain the Weiss standard for this group, overcame the outside post to double up in the Weiss, here in 1:53.2 for driver George Napolitano Jr. (top pilot on the day with four wins and a winner in both male and female Weiss action), trainer Richard Johnson, and owner Guy Gemore. Completing the group of three-year-old males posting two Weiss wins was the American Ideal gelding Howlenthehills, who turned back two previous series winners while taking a new mark of 1:52.1 for Symmetry Stables LLC.
 
The team behind Howlenthehills, driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander, also clicked with the Huntsville gelding Reggie The Fourth, who broke his maiden in 1:53 on a good track for Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC. Driver Braxten Boyd, who also enjoyed Weiss success with both sexes, brought home the 24-1 Captain Crunch colt Southwind Celsius, who hadn't hit the board in five previous tries but here came up big in a 1:52.2 mile for trainer Mark Ford and the partnership of David Hamm, Glenn Phillips, and Pit Bull Stable LLC.  Completing the male Weiss winners was the Courtly Choice colt Supplemental Fee, who reduced his mark to 1:53 for driver Simon Allard and trainer Blake MacIntosh, the latter co-owner with Tim Klemenic, Ozzie Mackay, and Tim Dickieson.
 
The two-time success stories among the Weiss fillies were Whassup Hanover and Beautiful Roz. Whassup Hanover gave sire Captaintreacherous the day’s quickest winner for each sex while tying her mark of 1:54.2 (taken in the first Weiss leg, best for the ladies so far) for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Eric Ell, the latter co-owner with Lisa Ell, while the Always B Miki miss Beautiful Roz, a $270,000 yearling, overcame a rough path to reach the winners circle in 1:54.3 (a lifetime best, taken while the track was still “good”)  for driver Jack Pelling, trainer/father Brett Pelling, and the combine of Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Bud Hatfield.
 
George Napolitano Jr. and Braxten Boyd were both mentioned above as having a win in the Weiss competition for both sexes. Boyd put a maiden mark of 1:55.1 on the Sweet Lou filly Clairedelou for trainer Mark Ford and owner David Hamm and Glenn Phillips (all also enjoying a triumph on both the male and female side); while “George Nap” ran the recent record of the Captaintreacherous miss Varsity Blue Chip to five wins in six starts, tallying in 1:56 for trainer Ashley Bako and the partnership of NLG Racing Stable and Stephen Klunowski.
 
The breakneck racing pace doesn’t diminish a bit when Pocono reopens for business at 1 p.m. Monday: there will be four second round divisions of the Weiss Series for trotting colts, and six $9000 cuts of the final prelim of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses tagged at $15,000. Free Pocono programs are obtainable at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The trotters and pacers returned for 2024 pari-mutuel racing on Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the track condition for the opener of Philly’s nineteenth season going from “sloppy” to “good” to “fast” as the track dried out after a morning rainstorm.
 
The conditions never reached hurricane force, but the $12,500 pacing feature for distaffs had its own Hurrikane – Hurrikane Lady Lou, a daughter of Sweet Lou who was sent to the lead by driver Dexter Dunn, and won her second straight in 1:55.4, snapping off a :56.2 back half while the surface was still rated as “good.”  John McDermott trains the headliner’s winner for Jonathan Klee Racing, Justin Bolasci, Horrikane Racing LLC, and William Garofalo.
 
The standards for trotting and pacing at the infant meet were both set later in the card over a “fast” surface, and both clockings came from horses who won by wide margins for driver Todd McCarthy. On the pace, the Western Ideal gelding Go West Go Fast went fast in the third quarter to the lead en route to a 1:52.2 success by 6¾ lengths for trainer Lou Pena and P T Stable; perhaps a trifle more impressive was the 1:54.3 trotting victory of the Chapter Seven gelding Seventier, who made the lead past the quarter then came home in :56.3 to win by 8¾ lengths for trainer Gareth Dowse and his Dowse Racing Inc.
 
Hall Of Famers David Miller and Tim Tetrick, 1-2 among active drivers in lifetime earnings, both posted triples on the first card of the meet.
 
Racing resumes at Philly on Sunday at 12:40, with a $13,000 handicap pace for fast-class horses highlighting the card. Free programs for the races at Harrah’s Philly, racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 to begin the meet, are available at www.phha.org; that site also features the popular Philly’s Finest tip sheet, which made its return with six top winners, including a $12.00 pick.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Kinesiology was the fastest winner in the six $20,000 divisions of the first prelim of the Bobby Weiss Series on a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, while Hall Of Fame driver David Miller accounted for three divisions of the initial round for three-year-old trotting fillies.
 
The Walner filly Kinesiology had all her muscles moving in the correct fashion as she stopped the timer in 1:55 to remain undefeated after two 2024 starts after getting blanked as a freshman. Michael Burke conditions the improved filly for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Beasty LLC, Lawrence Karr, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby.
 
Miller brought two Tactical Landing misses to lifetime bests: Tactical Lori (1:55.2) for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Melvin Hartman and Enzed Racing Stable Inc. in her second consecutive visit to Victory Lane, and Mantacular (1:56), successful in her seasonal bow for trainer Daniel Renaud and Glengate Farms. The leading moneywinner among active drivers added a third Weiss win with the Walner miss Elista Hanover, whose 1:55.3 matched her previous best win clocking from a qualifier, for trainer Annie Stoebe, co-owner with R. Lynn and Philomena Curry.
 
Braxten Boyd, who drove a winner in each series competition en route to four triumphs on the day, guided the Father Patrick miss Happy Chopper to a new mark of 1:56.1 in her first race of the year for trainer Mark Harder, co-owner with Dean Lockhart and Denna Rachel Frost.
 
Sire Walner picked up a second Weiss credit with Tove Palema for driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie, who had won with three sophomore trotting fillies at the Philly qualifiers earlier in the day. Andy Miller Stable Inc. shares ownership of the winner in her sophomore debut with Patrick Hoopes and Mortgage Boys Stable.
 
The trot-heavy card also featured six $17,500 divisions of the second round of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series, with the entrants this week base-tagged at $27,500. One division produced the fastest trot mile of the year at Pocono, 1:53.1, from the rampaging Kadabra gelding Fight Song and driver Anthony Napolitano, also giving the winner a lifetime best. Fight Song was joined in changing hands post-race after remaining undefeated in two series starts by Passionate Promise (Ridge Warren, a new mark of 1:55).
 
Two other trotters kept their series scorecard perfect in two series starts, and they both went back to familiar surroundings: Vegas Ticket (1:55.4, giving Anthony Napolitano two GOC wins) and Kinnder Thinktwice (Simon Allard, 1:55.1). Of the eight horses claimed after the first leg, only Louscardamon (Braxten Boyd, equaling his mark of 1:54.4) won for his new connections; the other GOC trot went to Yes (George Napolitano, 1:55.1).
 
The pacers had their moment of glory in the trotfest as the Heston Blue Chip mare Forgot Thewallet A won her third straight, and in the process posted Pocono’s quickest mile of the year at 1:51, for Braxten Boyd, trainer Maria Rice, and Team Rice Racing LLC.
 
The wall-to-wall action continues at Pocono on Saturday at 1 p.m. with ten $20,000 divisions of the Weiss Series second preliminary for three-year-old pacers, six for males and four for females. Pocono free programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The nineteenth season of live harness racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia starts its 2024 stand on Friday (April 12), with fourteen races set to go postward. Top purse of the day will be the $12,500 bounty offered to distaff pacers in race six; there will also be four contests for the highest-priced claimers on the grounds.
 
After Opening Day, Harrah’s Philadelphia will be racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 until June, when Wednesday 12:25 cards will be added to the mix.
 
Philly also held another round of qualifiers prior to its opening day, and it was dominated by Team Orange Crush and Team Tetrick/King. Driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie sent out three winning three-year-old trotting fillies, all partially owned by Andy Miller Stable Inc.: Green Mercedes (Greenshoe), a 1:54.3 winner last year, won all by herself in 1:56.2, while career debutantes All Green( (Greenshoe, 1:59.4) and Vivacity (2:00.1) made their racetrack bows successful. Even the junior member of Team Orange Crush got in on the act, as Tyler Miller catch-drove older pacer Hurrymiki Hanover to a 1:57.1 victory.
 
Harrah’s defending driving champion Tim Tetrick, who won four qualifiers here on Friday, had a double Tuesday with Jim King Jr.-trained three-year-old sons of Captaintreacherous. Both showed sharp late foot: the gelding Fig Newton, who set the pace and came home in :56 - :27.1 to stop the timer in 1:57.3, and the colt Lyons Benjamin, a Pennsylvania All-Stars winner at two who roared home to win in identical time, with his own back fractions :55.1 - :26.3.
 
Harrah’s Philly programs will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Four Sixes, a  Six Pack colt, is undefeated in three 2024 starts after recording a 1:55 victory in one of four $20,000 first-round prelims of the Bobby Weiss Series for three-year-old trotting males on as nice a Monday afternoon as you could want at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Four Sixes was directed to the front by driver Tyler Buter as the field passed under the wire the first time and coasted home to a 3¾ length victory for trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and Lone Wolf Stable.
 
The 1:55 mile was a new mark for the winner, and it tied him for Weiss speed honors with a Chapter Seven colt also posting a lifetime best, Victor Laszlo (named after the freedom fighter in the movie Casablanca who was married to Ingrid Bergman). Victor Laszlo set the pace and then held off onrushing Usain Hanover by half a length for driver Mark MacDonald, trainer Ray Schnittker, and the partnership of Schnittker Arnold, Paul Bordogna, Ted Gewertz, and Arden Homestead Stable.
 
Victor Laszlo trotted to his second victory in as many seasonal starts; so did Blackhawk Zette, a Cantab Hall colt who recorded a lifetime best of 1:55.4 while just edging out Green Pastures by a nose for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., and owner J L Sadowsky LLC.
 
The final Weiss cut was the only one not to be won by the favorite (on a Pocono card that yielded eleven chalk winners in fifteen contests), and the only Weiss race where the winner did not take a mark. The race boiled down to trainees of the co-owners of 2005 Hambletonian winner Vivid Photo, Todd Schadel and Roger Hammer, and it was the Schadel trainee, the Tactical Landing gelding Shermont prevailing in 1:57.1 for Babyshine Hanover Stable LLC. Tyler Buter recorded his second Weiss win of the day behind the successful seasonal debutant.
 
There were also seven $9000 divisions of the second leg of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series for horses today carrying a base tag of $12,500, and only the two repeat winners, Fredneck (driver George Napolitano Jr., new mark of 1:53.1) and My Mind Is Madeup (Braxten Boyd, 1:53.3), were claimed among the septet of horses who paraded back to Victory Lane after GOC races.
 
Matt Kakaley drove two series winners, adding to his Weiss win to tie him for day’s driving honors with Braxten Boyd: Seal O’Neill (1:53.4) and Cheyenne Reijane (1:53, and remarkable in that the meet’s leading driver anywhere rarely pays $98.40 to win). Other Game Of Claims winners were Team Mac (Jim Pantaleano, the fastest GOC time of 1:52.3 for a new mark), Record Year (Simon Allard, 1:53.1), and Buckeye Emery (Anthony Napolitano, 1:54).
 
The upturn in mercury surely aided the Captaintreacherous gelding De Los Cielos Deo to tie for the fastest win at the meet with a 1:51.1 score. The eight-year-old looked like the colt who was briefly near the top of his class in his freshman campaign, pacing strongly for driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer/driver Besim Odza. And if you were really impressed with De Los Cielos Deo – he’s entered right back for a $30,000 tag on the Saturday card!
 
Sixteen races are on tap for Tuesday’s 1 p.m. program, with six divisions of the opening leg of the Weiss for sophomore filly trotters, each for $20,000, and a like number of $17,500 events for the second round of the Game Of Claims Trot for horses bearing a $27,500 price tag. Free Pocono programs are at www.phha,org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – There were decidedly mixed results in $20,000 first round preliminaries of the Bobby Weiss Series for three-year-old pacers on a cool Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. In the three dashes for fillies, two favorites and a second choice won, but in action for the sophomore males the chalk met its Waterloo, with four second choices, a third choice, and a 36-1 prospect winning.
 
The fastest winner among the males went off at 90 cents on the dollar, and he was even not the favorite in his grouping. But Bonaparte, a gelded son of Bettor’s Delight out of top mare Treacherous Reign, raced like a sure thing, heading right down the road for George Napolitano Jr. and winning over pocketsitting Supplemental Fee by three-quarters of a length while taking a new mark of 1:51.3 for trainer Richard Johnson and owner Guy Gemore.
 
Bonaparte was one of four winners on the afternoon for driver George Napolitano Jr.; matching him at that figure was sulkysitting leader Matt Kakaley, who was the only driver to win twice in Weiss competition, even mixing the sexes. Kakaley put maiden marks on two 2024 male debutantes: the American Ideal gelding Howlenthehills, home in 1:53.3 for trainer Travis Alexander and Symmetry Stables LLC, and Liillbliss, a striking white colt (like his sire White Bliss) who led throughout in 1:54.1 for trainer Äke Svanstedt and Knutsson Trotting Inc.
 
The biggest-priced winner in the favorite-blanking parade among the males was the Courtly Choice colt Spring Blake, picking up his first lifetime win in 1:52.2 and paying $75.60 for driver Mark MacDonald and trainer Blake MacIntosh, the latter co-owner with Hult Racing Stable, Ozzie Mackay, and Robert Mac Neil. Fastest last quarter was the 26.4 turned by the Captaintreacherous gelding Captain Caveman, a pocket rocket who lowered his mark to 1:53 for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Robert Cleary, and owner Robert Corrigan.
 
The only winner in the Weiss races for males who did not lower his mark was last year’s Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes champion Ante Up Hanover, a Betting Line gelding who led throughout in 1:53.4 for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with Christine Schadel.
 
Quickest of the Weiss female winners was Whassup Hanover, a Captaintreacherous filly who ran her 2024 record to 6-4-2-0 while also earning a speed badge of 1:54.2 for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Eric Ell, the latter co-owner with Lisa Ell. The other successful filly favorite in the Weiss was Beautiful Roz, who brought $260,000 as a yearling as a daughter of Always B Miki miss out of a full sister to Precocious Beauty, and she is now fulfilling that promise by winning her second straight, here in 1:55.3 for driver Jack Pelling, trainer/father Brett, and the partnership of Kentuckiana Racing Stables, Melvin Segal, and Bud Hatfield.
 
Spoiling a chalk sweep in the filly ranks was the Roll With Joe distaff Petrol Queen, who was ready in her seasonal bow to reduce her mark to 1:55.1 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Jacob Hartline, and Anatolia Racing LLC.
 
The series action continues full-tilt at Pocono on Monday and Tuesday cards starting at 1 p.m. Monday features four $20,000 divisions of Weiss trotting colts and seven $9000 cuts in a Game Of Claims Series for pacers base-tagged at $12,500; Tuesday will find six divisions each of Weiss trotting fillies going for $20,000 and $27,500 base-claiming price trotters contesting $17,500 GOC sections. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.