By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Real Desire mare Eclipse Me N, who still has a share of the local track record for older pacing mares, is going on strongly at the age of nine, working gradually to the lead and then coming home in :55 - :27.1 to take the $19,300 distaff pacing feature during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
The winner had been showing solid form 100 miles south of here at Harrah’s Philly, and she was able to bring that sharpness to Pocono, with Simon Allard in his usual perch in the sulky. The winner of $394,119, trained by Lou Pena for Yves Sarrazin, D Racing Stable Inc., and Donald MacRae, visited the winners circle for the 34th times in 117 career starts.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Southwind Frank gelding Whiskey Blu, a $7000 yearling unraced at two, is now the winningest trotter in North America in 2021 as he recorded his tenth victory of the campaign in one of three $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for sophomore trotting colts Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Dan Charlino guided the Ron Burke-trained Whiskey Blu to the lead just past a quick :27 opener, and soon had slight favorite Type A charging at him, with Type A clearing to the top only as he approached the half in :55.2. Whiskey Blu sat in the pocket to the 1:23.4 three-quarters and into the stretch, when he moved out and caught the stubborn Type A by a head in 1:53.2 while taking a new mark for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Kitefield Stable. Whiskey Blu now has the ten wins (including a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division), which also ties him with Giggle Monster for the overall North American lead; in his other two starts he was second, beaten by a nose and a half-length.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Anoka Hanover, the Dan Patch awardwinner for two-year-old trotting fillies in 2020, was ready to go in her 2021 bow, equaling the Harrah’s Philadelphia track record of 1:52.3 for her three-year-old section in her division of the first prelim of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes on Friday afternoon.
 
Mazzarati controlled the early pace in :28 and :56.3; at the midpoint Anoka Hanover was fifth. But Todd McCarthy then asked “Anoka” to go, and she responded with an individual third split of :27 to get within a neck of the frontstepper. Anoka Hanover just kept eating up racetrack in the :27.3 last quarter, going on to a 3¼ length victory over the pacesetter while tying the track standard set by Whose Blues last year, and also matching her own quickest clocking.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The late-developing Donato Hanover gelding So Long Hanover has now won three of his last five starts after recording a 1:55.3 win in the $14,400 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
Unraced at two and winless at three, So Long Hanover has five wins this season after Thursday’s feature triumph. Tim Tetrick, the meet’s leading driver and a five-time winner on Thursday, spotted him behind contentious early speedsters, then brushed to the lead with him in front of the stands, drawing off in the last quarter for Bottom Line Racing LLC and Triple D Stables. For trainer Scott Di Domenico, it was his 2001stcareer training win, after his milestone achievement with Maroma Beach on Tuesday at Yonkers.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The second choice came through in each of the three divisions of the first preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stake for three-year-old pacing fillies Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, on a card which also featured seven Stallion Series sections.
 
First to Victory Lane was the Somebeachsomewhere miss Thebeachiscalling, who had earned $161,196 without winning in the first ten starts of her career, but built on a winning effort last week to take her Sires event in a new mark of 1:50 for owner Bella Racing LTD. The winner was first on top but then saw Grace Hill and then favored Blue Diamond Eyes go by her past the :26.4 quarter, with the latter carrying on to a fast :54.1 half and a 1:21.4 three-quarters, nearing which Thebeachiscalling was taken outside to challenge by driver Andrew McCarthy.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Three-year-old trotters will be in the spotlight this weekend at the eastern Pennsylvania tracks, with the fillies in PA Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action at Harrah’s Philly on Friday, and the colts and geldings at Pocono Saturday for a Pennsylvania All-Stars event.
 
This is the first coming-together for the state-sired fillies, and most of last year’s top-rated misses will be on hand, along with one noted newcomer, Bella Bellini. Bella Bellini is in probably the toughest of the three Sires Stakes divisions, race eight, but she’s ready for her “acid test” here as she comes in off of three victories in 1:54 or better for driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Nifty Norman. There is no shortage of talented challengers, including Love Muffin, coming off a 1:53 qualifier at The Meadowlands; Flawless Country, last year’s Sire Stakes champion; and Lady Chaos, the Breeders Crown champion for this group in 2020.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Dragon Again gray horse Gray Dragon made it two straight over 2019 Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, again acting as a pocket rocket to catch the pacesetter, this time in 1:50.1, in one of three $15,300 feature races. 
 
Best In Show, who was favored at 3 to 5 in his second race of the year to Gray Dragon’s 6 to 5, made the lead around his archrival in :27.1, then posted fractions of :55 and 1:22.4, the latter coming as Blu Crew ranged up first-over. That one could not sustain his bid, however, and the stretch battle was between the familiar rivals, with Gray Dragon having the stronger turn of late step by a half-length for driver Mark MacDonald, trainer John Butenschoen, and Emerald Highlands Farm. Gray Dragon is now perfect in three starts at Pocono, and still his eligibility in his present class.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The fastest two-year-old of 2020, the filly Test Of Faith, made her first racetrack appearance of 2021 a very good one on Tuesday morning at Harrah’s Philadelphia, coming from off the pace in :55.3 - :27.1 to win her qualifier in 1:55.1. David Miller drove the potential star for trainer Brett Pelling and the ownership of Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran.
 
The Art Major filly paced in 1:48.4 at Lexington at two to lead everybody in her age group, including the males. She earned exactly $500,000 while recording eight wins and a second in nine starts, the lone defeat coming which she suffered an “ix.” For having been away from the track since October 8, the day of her record mile, Test Of Faith showed herself rapidly getting ready for her upcoming Grand Circuit campaign.
 
Kimberly Deo, a daughter of Trixton whose freshman campaign was undistinguished, showed that she may turn her fortunes around at three by trotting wire-to-wire in 1:55.3, more than thirteen lengths to the good with a back half of :56. David Miller also drove this winner for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of Richard Gutnick, Thomas Pontone, and Deo Volente Farms LLC.
 
Fast winning miles were posted by veteran Kiwi pacers Tact Tate N (1:53.1) and Pat Stanley N (1:53.4). Second in the latter mile, beaten 1½ lengths, was Captain Fancy, a Captaintreacherous sophomore colt out of world champion Fancy Filly, who earned six figures at two while posting four wins and four seconds in ten starts.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Windsong Espoir gelding Clarion Hall made a successful debut for the barn of Gilbert Garcia-Herrera, the leading trainer at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with driver Anthony Napolitano finding enough room up the inside to reduce the trotter’s mark to 1:54.4 in winning the $12,800 claiming handicap trot Monday.
 
Clarion Hall got early position then stayed inside and found himself shuffled back through quite a few lead changes, entering the stretch in the difficult fourth-inside position. However, the pace had been hot, and Napolitano was able to rally his charge up the Pocono Pike to catch the pacesetting Stop Resistin right on the money.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Abuckabett Hanover took away the undefeated status of two-year-old champion Perfect Sting, but both colts lost nothing of their lofty reputations at the end of a 1:50 mile, the fastest of three divisions of the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Lou’s Pearlman took advantage of the rail to put Summa Cum Laude in the pocket by the 27.3 quarter, only soon to see Perfect Sting and then Abuckabett Hanover sweep past to the lead by a :56.1 half. The field went to the three-quarters in 1:23.3, and then the afterburners were turned on, with Abucketabett Hanover coming home in :26.2  for Andrew McCarthy to finish a head better than Perfect Sting, who in his seasonal debut came home individually in :53.3 - :26.