By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Art Major mare Crazy Cute overcame a sloppy track, a cool early evening near 50 degrees, and a rough two-move journey to win the $13,000 featured distaff pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:55.1 during the Sunday twilight card.
 
Crazy Cute tucked fourth leaving, then had to come uncovered to try to catch pacesetter Caviart Cherie, who had gotten away with a :59 half. But driver George Napolitano Jr., who had five wins on the card, got his mare to pace her own last half in a swift :55.2 in the muck to catch the pacesetter by a length. Trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera also shares ownership in the winner with Barbara Arnstine.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The classy Cantab Hall gelding Crystal Fashion boosted his lifetime earnings to $2,033,918 with an easy 1:53.4 victory in a $22,500 Open trot under cold, windy, moist conditions at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Jordan Stratton, the leading driver at Yonkers and the veteran’s regular pilot in his last few races, let Melady’s Monet and Scirocco Rob argue through a :27.3 opening fraction, then moved outside under the wire first time and had command by the :56.3 half. When the pair reached the three-quarters in 1:25.3 and opened some distance on his nearest rivals, it was all over but the shouting, and Crystal Fashion stayed clear despite drifting out a little, winning for the team of trainer Jim Campbell and Fashion Farms LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Four $12,600 conditioned events spotlighted some of the stars of tomorrow on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
One was reserved for distaff pacers, and it was won by the promising Sweet Lou sophomore filly Chase Lounge in 1:52.3. David Miller guided her to the lead nearing the quarter, held off outside opposition to the stretch, then withstood a game bid by Nashville Elgenna (Always B Miki – Anndrovette) by three-quarters of a length while streaking back fractions of :55.1 - :27.2. Chase Lounge won both her freshman starts, made a break in her 2021 bow, then tallied in 1:51 and now again today for trainer Roland Mallar and owner William Hartt.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The big Memorial Day Weekend stakes trail comes to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Monday afternoon, where classy three-year-old colt trotters will contest the second preliminary round of their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, along with the complementary Stallion Series races.
 
Each of the three Sires divisions has a distinctive “personality.”
 
The sixth race cut is the “Ready To Break Through” division, as many of the horses could progress to the top level of this group with a good performance. The early favorite is Capstone, who missed just a neck in his 2021 debut for trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt and will start from post five here; just outside him is Mister Boinga, a Pennsylvania All-Stars winner in his last start for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Jill Roland.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Explosive Matter gelding Mcmatters, making his debut for Team Orange Crush (driver Andy and trainer Julie Miller), went a giant first-over mile to catch heavy favorite Bluffinner, bidding for his fifth straight win, and take a division of the twin $14,400 trotting features at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday in 1:54.2.
 
Bluffinner moved to the lead under the wire the first time and looked like he might be tough to catch after getting a :59 half. But nobody told this to Mcmatters; the four-year-old started raw at the race’s midpoint, gained into a fast third panel and got a tuck in the pocket past the 1:26.4 three-quarters, then came out again for the stretch battle and went on by Bluffinner by 1¼ lengths. The math adds up to a raw last half of :54.4 for Mcmatters, earning his first win of the year for owner Denise Dennis.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A quartet of $12,600 paces, two for males and two for females, on Wednesday started up a 5-day week at Harrah’s Philadelphia that includes a super card of class racing on Sunday and a special Monday card on Memorial Day.
 
By far the faster of the male winners was the American Ideal sophomore colt I’ll Drink To That, who made an early move to control the pace and then held off major danger Transparency by 1¼ lengths to reduce his mark to 1:51. Dexter Dunn guided the Chris Ryder trainee for Craig Henderson, Lawrence Minowitz, Robert Mondillo, and Oompa’s Farm Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The $15,300 twin features at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon were won by the pacer Horse and the trotter King Alphonso, one in a tight fight and one in a romp.
 
Horse, likely named for the cartoon character Dudley Do-Right’s trusty steed as the sidewheeler was bred in Canadian Mounties territory, has come east and done well for himself, with three wins and a second in seven starts, including this victory in 1:51, a lifetime mark. Tyler Buter rallied the Vertical Horizon gelding from just off fractions of :26.4, :55.2 and 1:22.3 to take the stretch lead, then kept him rolling to defeat the late inside thrust of Pocono Pike shooter Tru Lou by a head. Bucky Angle conditions the talented pacer for William Daggett Jr. and Lawrence Vukovic.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The first Top Ten poll of North America’s harness horses was posted on Tuesday  – and the top six horses in the poll, including #1 Manchego, will be at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday for what must be rated as one of the best, if not the best, card of the young stakes season.
 
The big program is topped by three $100,000 Invitationals – the Commodore Berry FFA Pace, the Betsy Ross FFA Mares Pace, and the Maxie Lee FFA Trot. These races are complemented by two divisions of the third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for the glamour guys, the three-year-old pacing colts, and all five of the PaSS winners so far this year – no one won in both the first two legs – will be racing at Philly. There are also eight divisions of this group’s Stallion Series third leg – eleven of the twelve winners (there were no repeaters in the PaStS, either) are present.
 
Here’s a brief look at the major events of the day:

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Test Of Faith, the fastest two-year-old of 2020, showed she’s ready for whatever her opponents may throw at her with a sensational qualifying victory in 1:53.1 at Harrah’s Philadelphia Tuesday morning. 
 
The Art Major filly, trained by Brett Pelling for Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran, was reserved off early fractions of :28.2 and :58.2 by driver David Miller, sitting third, four lengths off at the half. Test Of Faith moved up to second, still six lengths off the lead, by the 1:26 three-quarters, but she roared her individual last quarter in :26 to be a 1½ length winner. Test Of Faith now has two winning qualifiers in preparation for 2021, a year after her 1:48.4 win at Lexington was quicker than even “the boys” among freshmen.
 
Forbidden Trade, the 2019 Hambletonian winner who would draw post four for this Sunday’s $100,000 Maxie Lee Trot at Philly an hour later, got a good workout in another qualifier, winning in 1:58.1 with back fractions of :57.3 - :28.1. Bob McClure drove the son of Kadabra for trainer Luc Blais and owners Determination.
 
Shnitzledosomethin qualified in 1:53.3 for driver David Miller, trainer Dylan Davis, and owners Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold, Abraham Basen, and Richard Lombardo. The son of Fred And Ginger will not be in the $100,000 Commodore Barry Pace, but he may be on a strong undercard on Sunday.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Coming off of a layoff of 26 days upon changing over to the Steven Brabrook stable, the Explosive Matter gelding Sortie was dismissed at 26-1 in the $12,800 featured claiming handicap trot on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but he roared past embattled leaders late to get the job done in 1:53.3.
 
Favored Thisisshe made the lead before the :27 quarter, but then yielded to Stop Resistin, who got a relatively soft half of :56.2, but then opened some ground to a 1:24.2 three-quarters. Thisisshe was being left behind in the pocket, first-over Clarion Hall was not making much of an inroad – and the longshot board on the board was just moving outside.