By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The two heavy favorites, Moonshiner Hanover and Tight Lines, battled through the heavy rain in the $18,000 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, with Moonshiner Hanover reversing the crowd’s final opinion by edging his rival by ¾ of a length in 1:53.1.

​George Napolitano Jr. got away third from post two with the son of Andover Hall, while Tight Lines and Jeff Gregory, starting from the difficult post eight, had to take a tuck fifth with many leavers inside him. “George Nap” moved his trotter to the lead in front of the stands, with Gregory taking his charge up first-over nearing turn two, and by the backstretch the race was on, with it soon becoming apparent that one of the drivers would win for the third time on the afternoon. 

Tight Lines battled valiantly the rest of the way, but the early positional edge may have given Moonshiner Hanover enough to withstand his troublesome foe to the wire. Chris Beaver conditions the winner of $583,417, and he also co-owns him with Synerco Ventures Inc. and Bill Manes.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The northbound lanes of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be a very busy place just before suppertime this Sunday, as horsemen competing in the big card at Philly in the afternoon will then be making their way 100 miles to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, for third preliminary round action in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old trotting fillies.
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In the fifth race first division, like the other pair worth $55,168, Sonnet Grace has been accorded early favoritism as she starts from post five for trainer Ron Burke and driver Matt Kakaley. The Muscle Massive filly, whose granddam is the great CR Kay Suzie, was victorious in a Sire Stake in her first start of the year, then miscued in a PaSS contest at The Meadows last week. Sonnet Grace will look to bounce back Sunday, with among her opposition Hallintheclouds, who also had a first round Sire Stakes triumph.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Captaintreacherous gelding Captain Disomma, guided by the leading driver at Harrah’s Philadelphia, Tim Tetrick, came on late for a 13-1 upset in the $14,000 pacing feature at the southeast Pennsylvania oval Wednesday afternoon, while also taking a new mark of 1:53.
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Come-from-behind winners have been in short supply recently at the Philly oval, but with a strung-out field and little in the way of an outer tier, Tetrick could reserve Captain Disomma fourth-inside until the ¾, then gradually fan the three-year-old wider. The Captain had the most pace late, winning by 1¼ lengths over Springbridge Proud, another closer, with favored Jo Pa’s Sweet Lou, who had moved from the pocket to early stretch command, another 1½ lengths back in third. Jacob Hartline trains the winner for Anatolia Farm LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Millionaire trotting mare Plunge Blue Chip was impressive in her first official trip behind the gate in her four-year-old season, going wire-to-wire in 1:54.2 in a qualifier Wednesday morning at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

The daughter of Muscle Mass was guided as usual by trainer Åke Svanstedt, and she set fractions of :29.2, :58.4, and 1:27 en route to a 5½ length victory, with a back half of :55.3, and a final quarter of :27.2. Åke Svanstedt Inc. co-owns the talented trotter with Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc. and Tomas Andersson.
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Last year Plunge Blue Chip turned in three world record performances. Over a mile track she twice trotted in 1:49.4, at The Meadowlands and at The Red Mile, to tie with fellow then-sophomore Impinktoo as the fastest distaff trotter in North America in 2018. At Delaware she tied the divisional world record of Frau Blucher with a 1:53.1 victory. She also won her New York Sire Stakes championship, and her career figures are now 26-17-3-4 for earnings of $1,003,559.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The A Rocknroll Dance mare Reclamation – foaled in Pennsylvania out of a Swedish-owned mare, sold at Lexington, then starting her career in Ireland and Wales before racing at Harrah’s Philly and The Meadowlands – added another location to her already-stuffed itinerary, coming to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono for the Tuesday twilight card and promptly winning the $17,500 distaff pacing feature in 1:50.4.
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Despite 25 days between races, driver Matt Kakaley had no problem moving Reclamation frontward after a :26.4 opener, reaching the half in :54 and the three-quarters in 1:22.3, then finishing strongly to remain 1¼ lengths clear of another well-traveled mare, the New Zealand import American Express N. Reclamation has a 5-4-1-0 record this year and an enviable 19-11-6-1 lifetime tab, with her earnings of $72,405 sure to be rising nicely in short order for trainer Ron Burke and owners W J Donovan of Delray Beach FL and Donal Murphy of Baltimore … Ireland.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – All three defending champions will be on hand Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as the southeast Pennsylvania track hosts its Super Stakes Sunday of $100,000 Invitationals – the Betsy Ross Pace for mares, the Maxie Lee Trot, and the Commodore Barry Pace, going as races ten through twelve respectively on the 12:40 card.

Each of these races will also count towards the pointstandings for the summerlong Great Northeast Open Series (GNOS), in which many of these stars have been competing.
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The giant card also has three divisions of the third preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Captain Crunch, last year’s two-year-old champion, had people asking “What’s he going to do when he gets tighter?” after taking his 2019 debut by an effortless 1¾ lengths in a division of the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts Sunday at Mohegan Sun Pocono, negotiating a sloppy track in an amazing 1:49.1, last quarter :26.

2018 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Proof left hard from an outer post to clear to the lead just after the :27 quarter, with Scott Zeron already having given the word to Captain Crunch and the Captaintreacherous colt powering right to the lead before reaching the half in :55.2. Southwind Ozzi, a first-round PaSS winner, made a bold move from fifth to challenge the leader towards the 1:23.1 three-quarters, but then, without a race in 145 days, over off going, Captain Crunch charged home with the powerhouse :26 blitz, with Zeron mostly an interested passenger. Southwind Ozzi, the second choice, held extremely well in second, a length in front of third choice Proof, who also stayed on nicely after the early usage.
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Though some people have been known to complain about soggy cereal, Captain Crunch has no apparent aversion to moisture, having won the Breeders Crown (here) and the Governor’s Cup on sloppy ovals, and now posting this off-track victory, which equaled his lifetime mark and is the fastest mile of the young season by a three-year-old on any size of oval. Nancy Johansson trains the divisional favorite and winner of $645,322 for 3 Brothers Stable, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables, and Caviart Farms.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rodeo Rock posted the fastest clocking of the year at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, 1:49, in winning a $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series for open pacers on Saturday night.

The altered son of Rock N Roll Heaven got away midpack in a field of seven as Tiger Thompson N, winning of the GNOS divisional leg at Philly last week, took the early lead via a :26.2 opener. With the leader applying the brakes, Rodeo Rock and driver Eric Goodell (a three-time winner on the evening)  made a quick move at the 3/8 to pass the three horses in front of him, reaching the half in a “leisurely” :55.4.
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The price of pacing went up dramatically down the back, as suddenly-uncovered favorite Dealt A Winner tried to challenge the leader down the back, but couldn’t really menace as Rodeo Rock went his third panel in :26.1 for a 1:22 tripping of the three-quarters timer, then added a :27 kicker to be an easy  1 ¾ length winner at the end while also establishing a new lifetime mark. Tiger Thompson N held on well for second, with 2019’s fastest pacer, Sweet Rock (1:48.1), another half length back while bagging the show dough.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Rocknroll Hanover mare Rock N Shard N seems headed for Open company as she won for the third time in her four-race United States career, a 1:51.3 mile over a “sloppy +1” surface in the $17,000 distaff pacing feature during a Friday evening card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
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Driver Art Stafford Jr. patiently guided Rock N Shard N on her uncovered grind from sixth while Newsday went to the front and set fractions of :27, :55.4, and 1:23.1. These two were close to being on even terms as they turned for home, but despite the overland journey Rock N Shard N proved the stronger late, two lengths to the good of Newsday, with pocketsitting Ghosttothepost third. The Kiwi mare is another of a long line of successes for trainer Joshua Parker over the last couple of seasons; Parker also owns Rock N Shard N with Nanticoke Racing Inc. and Barry Spedden.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Luminosity shined most brightly in the $18,000 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, winning by 5¾ lengths in 1:53.4, just a fifth off the lifetime best of the nine-year-old.
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Driver Yannick Gingras reserved the Cash Hall gelding, trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, off a contested :27.3 quarter, but then gave him the word to go, and Luminosity did, hitting the half in :56.3 and then staying clear the back half, past the 1:24.3 three-quarters and right through the wire. Dream Massive, who four starts ago was laboring in the track’s bottom class, raced well uncovered for second, with Sky Marshal closing for third. A winner of $826,917, Luminosity raised his win percentage to 25% both for the season (4-of-16) and lifetime (45-of-180).