By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Dandy Ideal, winner of the Hempt Pace last summer here at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania in the midst of a $900G+ sophomore series battling top horses, made his 2026 debut a winning one on Saturday afternoon, winning the $27,500 top fast-class event by a length against a nemesis from last year, Twisted Destiny, in 1:49.4.
 
Matt Kakaley maneuvered the American Ideal gelding, coming off a 1:50.2 qualifying win at Pocono, to the lead by the :27.1 quarter, then reached the next two poles in a moderate-for-this-group :55 and 1:22.4. Twisted Destiny had to travel the uncovered route and raced well, but he couldn’t reach the Hunter Oakes-trained winner, who now has career earnings of $1,088,007 for Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.
 
Ruthless Hanover, still the fastest horse ever on a five-eighth mile track with his 1:46.3 win at Philly in 2023, posted the fastest clocking of the year at Pocono, 1:49.1, in winning the $20,000 fast-class subfeature. The altered son of Somebeachsomewhere reached the top in the vicinity of a :27 quarter, then froze the timer at :54 and 1:22, before the latter station gaining from the pocket horse breaking and causing confusion.
 
George Napolitano Jr., driving for Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner-brother John, gave only mile vocal encouragement through the lane and Ruthless Hanover won handily. It’s hard to believe that Ruthless Hanover is now yet a millionaire at age nine, but that will be taken care of shortly, and his career bankroll is now $994,089.
 
There were three $17,500 contests for developing horses, one on the pace and two on the trot. Among the trotting events, the Fiftydallarbill gelding Fiftyshadesofblu won their faster division, reducing his mark to 1:54.1 while passing every split on top for George Napolitano Jr., trainer Britney Dillon, and Joseph Musser Trust. The other diagonally-gaited winner was the Father Patrick gelding Non Disclosure, who lost his cover to a break early in the backstretch but continued raw and left his field behind in 1:54.3; Ridge Warren was in the sulky for trainer David Wisser, co-owner with Rebecca Callen.
 
In the pacing section, the Papi Rob Hanover gelding Papi’s Rocket eclipsed the half-million dollar lifetime mark, racing on the engine and then withstanding an onrushing Heaven Needs Me by a neck in for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc. and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC.
 
Papi’s Rocket was one of three winners for the combination of defending driving champion Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, top trainer here five of the last six years. George Napolitano Jr. (with 15 Pocono driving win crowns to his credits) also had a triple; Ridge Warren visited Victory Lane twice.
 
Nine consecutive Sunday 5 p.m. twilight cards begin with the next Pocono card (May 31), with a feature fast-class trot, the return of the American Harness Driving Club of amateur sulkysmiths, and carryovers into the fifth race Pick 5 and the tenth and last race High 5. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Anibal Borjas, a 43-year-old native of Guatemala best known for being an assistant admiral in the Armada of trainer Tony Alagna, has fewer than 80 driving victories in his limited sulky career, but he now has had doubles on Thursday and Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and his win behind Perfidious Crown (Tall Dark Stranger – Treacherous Reign) in the $14,000 featured distaff pace as the second of his Friday wins was a masterclass of tactical ability.
 
Borjas left very hard with Perfidious Crown as the innermost of three swift starters, with Gala, the heavy favorite, between horses, and Neil’s Diamond out widest. Gala backed off a bit as the other two went on, with Neil’s Diamond accepting the early pocket after a :27.1 opener. Gala then went up to challenge, and Borjas and Perfidious Crown pushed a bit then yielded for the new golden seat.
 
Gala’s career record entering this race was 8-6-2-0-$241,250-1:50.1f after a great freshman campaign in Kentucky and a 1:51 Pocono win in her seasonal bow. The frontstepping chalk reached the next two poles in :55.2 and 1:23.1, with Perfidious Crown continuing to stay connected as the opposition melted. Gala still had two lengths at the stretch call, but her arduous trip (forced to a degree by Borjas’s tactics) caught up with her just past midstretch, while Borjas and his mare never gave up and took the measure of the pacesetter by a neck to equal her mark of 1:51.1 for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Alagna Racing LLC, and Big Als Stables.
 
The $12,000 subclass feature for developing distaffs went to the Bettor’s Wish filly Bettor Be A Star in 1:51.4 for the Ryder Stable – driver Patrick, trainer Chris, and the Ryder Stable ownership. Second and third in stakes competition so far his year after ending her freshman campaign in the Three Diamonds and Breeders Crown, Bettor Be A Wish came uncovered from fourth down the backstretch and did not let up the rest of the way, with her own back half in :54.4 while winning by 1 1/4 lengths over another daughter of Bettor’s Wish, Blazing Queen.


The $11,500 fast-class feature for mares was won by the Huntsville mare Strutsville, who gave a gritty performance first-over to equal her mark of 1:52, giving Patrick Ryder another feature win. The Ron Coyne Jr. trainee, owned by Nancy Retzlaff and Douglas Stout, smoked up raw while pacing her third quarter in :26.2 and gradually wore down two-moving pacesetter Absolute Power by a length.
 
Drivers Troy Beyer and Patrick Ryder had three victories on the card; two of Beyer’s were for 2025 Philly training champ Izzy Estrada, and two of Patrick Ryder’s trio were for trainer-father Chris. And Team Borjas/Alagna paraded back first twice, as mentioned in the lead paragraph.
 
Two divisions of the $13,000 fast-class pace top the Sunday menu at Harrah’s Philadelphia; the American Harness Drivers Club of amateur drivers will also be making their 2026 local bow on the 12:40 card. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – On the first card at Harrah’s Philadelphia since the track’s “Super Sunday” extravaganza, the diagonally-gaited horses took over the headlines, as is customary on “Trottin’ Thursdays” at the riverside oval.
 
The feature was a $16,000 fast-class handicap, which was won by the Creatine gelding Asteroid, though the favorite did not have it easy in the 1:53.2 victory, as he was out in three-wide space much of a :27.4 quarter before making the top for driver Tim Tetrick. The winner of $552,368 posted a pair of moderate :28.2 fractions in the middle (:56.1, 1:24.3), with second choice Ultion Face S batlling the leader first-over from midbackstretch through early in the stretch.
 
With that rival taken care of, Asteroid then had to brace for a late bid from Dribbling Bi, the horse who had been just inside him during the early three-way tussle, but that one’s late charge fell three quarters of a length short. Enrico Robinson trains the determined trotter for Pollack Racing LLC.
 
A race earlier, the oft-winning Shoresy came south on the PA Turnpike to Philly and promptly captured the $13,000 sub-feature for the fast-class set in a new mark of 1:53. The victorious son of Cantab Hall, now a winners circle visitor eight time this year, was on the move off the first turn, gained command, and then held it to the wire while not threatened for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Per Engblom, and the partnership of Timothy Betts and Shanamphilankilou Inc.
 
Trainer Scott Di Domenico sent out both winners in the top trots for the developing set. First up, in the $14,000 event for this classification, was the Trixton gelding B Mo, who sat a pocket trip behind favored R Lady W and then found a little mo’ late to author a 1:54.3 triumph, a half length to the good of the chalk, for driver Johnathan Ahle and owner Ben Robards.
 
In the very next race, a $13,500 contest, the Captain Corey sophomore gelding Jim Beam had to travel the first-over route, but still could show a :56.2-:27.3 late kick to win in the clear for driver Tm Tetrick and owner Allen Wenc.
 
Meet-leader Tetrick guided three winners to add to his margin at the top of the sulky column; Johnathan Ahle and Anibal Borjas drove two winners each. Scott Di Domenico had the only training two-bagger.
 
Friday’s Philly action will see the spotlight given over to the distaff pacing set, with a $14,000 contest for up-and-coming performers the feature attraction. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Though the World Cup of football/soccer does not come to North America for 16 more days, there already has been a “golazo” (Spanish for “amazing goal”) – a trotter named Golazo, who on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania won the $35,000 Game Of Claims Trotting Series Championship in 1:53.3.
 
With Tuesday’s first nine winners (and twelve of fourteen on the day) on the lead at the half, there was quite a landrush for forward positioning out of the gate. Prelim sweeper Pisces Rising tried to overcome the outside post eight with an early expenditure of energy, and he put a head ahead of Abruzzo at the :27 quarter. Golazo left but settled behind the cover of the early challenger, then commenced his surge to the front under the handling of George Napolitano Jr., reaching the half in :55.3 and firing on to a 1:23.3 three-quarters.
 
The torrid pace had reduced the contest to the three betting choices on the far turn – Golazo, first-over favorite LMC Wagon Wheel, who had gotten a pocket tuck on the turn after Pisces Rising faded, and Abruzzo, who had backed out to follow LMC Wagon Wheel and went on raw after he ducked in. Golazo showed true grit in the dash to the wire, winning by three quarters of a length over Abruzzo, who won the photo for second over Pocono Piker LMC Wagon Wheel.
 
A son of International Moni trained and owned by Jill Roland, Golazo finished fourth and second in preliminary action before winning by 5½ lengths in 1:53.2 in last week’s final prelim, and he continued his run of peak form in the Championship.
 
The day’s co-feature was a $15,500 conditioned trot that was captured by Geronimo Trio IT, an altered son of Manofmanymissions who went right down the road in 1:55.3. He triumphed by 1¼ lengths over Mysterious Frank for driver Braxten Boyd, meet-leading trainer Per Engblom, and Tar Heel Racing.
 
Braxten Boyd won four of the day’s first seven races and wound up with five victories in all to top the sulky colony. Anthony Napolitano triumphed three times; Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr. visited the winners circle twice each.
 
Pocono now switches to its early summer four-card-a-week lineup, with the regular Saturday-Monday-Tuesday 1 p.m. schedule being supplemented by a 5 p.m. card for the next nine Sundays. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling combined to take the two featured paces for fillies and mares on Monday  afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – and it will be interesting to see which one keeps a higher profile in the weeks to come.
 
The Always A Virgin mare Walkin On Sunshine paced to a 1:51.1 victory in the $27,500 featured fast-class handicap pace. McCarthy had the winner three-wide early en route to command by the :26.2 quarter, continuing on with middle fractions of :54 and 1:21.4. Those numbers would be enough to bottom out many a field, but the opposition came at her in waves nearing the wire – Stayingwiththewind from the first-over path, and Looklikediamonds A up the Pocono Pike.
 
Walkin On Sunshine made her lead stand, defeating Stayingwiththewind by a neck (10 of the 13 races at Pocono on Monday were decided by a half-length or less), with Looklikediamonds A just another neck back from taking it all. Maynard Miller, Daniel Lehman, and Michael Yoder own the fast mare.
 
Walkin On Sunshine has already earned into six figures this year, her fourth season in a row of accomplishing that feat, with no signs of letting up soon, and her lifetime earnings are at $718,862. That’s almost ten times the career bankroll of the winner of the $17,500 co-feature, the Bettor’s Wish filly Miss Jum Jabber – but you should not underestimate this filly’s potential for making headlines, even with only $75,463 amassed so far.
 
Owned by Pelling’s Pelling Racing LLC, Miss Jum Jabber has now won six straight starts, with Monday’s win her fastest ever at 1:50.1. That’s a great time, but the frightening thing about this sophomore is her extreme speed in the last half and the last quarter, at least the way she has been raced. Monday Miss Jum Jabber got away in the pocket behind Gigglingonthebeach, a sophomore stakes winner who took a mark of 1:50 at Pocono last year, and when that mare got pokey early fractions of :28 and :56.3, she looked like she might be tough to catch given the talent she had showed and the fact it was a sophomore chasing her.
 
But Miss Jum Jabber again said, “No problem,” staying in position while following the leader through a :27 third split to a 1:23.3 three-quarters, then coming out on the turn to challenge. Despite her “characteristic” coming off the last turn lean-in, Miss Jum Jabber could fashion a :26.2 last quarter – on a 5/8-mile track, in her seventh lifetime start – to overhaul the talented pacesetter by a half-length. The question now is whether Miss Jum Jabber gains more experience (she still has two more wins to go before winning out of this class!), or whether she has some stakes racing to showcase her quickstep, which given her form  should find herself giving a very solid accounting of her talent.
 
In all Andrew McCarthy drove four winners on the Monday Pocono card; the brothers Napolitano, Anthony and George Jr., each came home first twice, as did pupils of Pelling and Ron Burke.
 
Tuesday’s feature at Pocono is the $35,000 Championship of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series, with Pisces Rising looking for a series sweep after taking all three preliminary starts; a major obstacle will be his beginning from the outside post eight. After that Pocono adds Sunday racing starting at 5 p.m. to its basic Saturday-Monday-Tuesday 1 p.m. schedule, with the Sunday sessions continuing for nine weeks. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Through rain and the coldest May 23 ever in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area, three-year-old trotting fillies continued to make progress during their sophomore stakes season, contesting four $30,000 divisions of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event.
 
Only one of the four favorites won in the stakes races (as opposed to an amazing nine out of ten in the “overnight” contests). The quickest All-Stars winner was the Greenshoe miss Berry Good News, who was berry good news to her backers at 11-1. Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter gave the filly a pocket trip behind the chalk Little Road (who did not look easy to drive this day), and the winner scampered by in the lane by 1¼ lengths while taking a new mark of 1:55.2 for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Melvin Hartman and David Mc Duffee.
 
Greenshoe also sired the second-fastest filly winner in 6-1 proposition Duicinea Hanover, who was sent to the lead by driver Andrew McCarthy and resisted heavy favorite Lainey W, who grinded up but couldn’t reach by a half length, with Chestnut Kelly closing to be just another neck off in the 1:55.3 mile. Duicinea Hanover broke her maiden in a Stallion Series race in her last start, and here she added an All-Stars conquest for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Harbor Racing Stable, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, James McGovern, and Vincent Urciuoli.
 
Yannick Gingras had come to Pocono planning on just a cameo appearance behind Lainey W, but when a catch-drive opened up behind the favorite in another division, the basic green colors of trainer Åke Svanstedt were replaced by the “Green Hornet,” Gingras, and he combined with Maya Patel Hanover to save the chalk some “face” in a 1:56.3 mile. Maya Patel Hanover, coming off a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, looked fairly comfortable to the wire despite late energy from Cash Out Express, second in a photo with I Take The Cake. That pair was three parts of a length off the winner, who is owned by Svanstedt in partnership with Brittany Farms LLC.
 
Maya Patel Hanover is sired by Captain Corey, as was the fourth All-Stars winner, Shemightbetheone, who is now two-for-two for the year after a 1:56.4 closing tally, equaling her mark, for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Fred Grant, the latter co-owner with Burton Fitel, Paul Marino, and Timber Ridge Stable. Shemightbetheone had the most decisive margin in the stakes racing, 1½ lengths, but she still paid $74.60 to win – in fact, the three three-year-old fillies aside from “Maya Patel” were the three longest prices on the card.
 
The $20,000 fast-class pace went to Voukefalas, who prevailed easily in 1:51.2 for trainer Michael Russo and owner Michael Pagones. Last week Voukefalas and driver Jordan Stratton made an early bid for command but were left on the rim for the duration, yet still only missed by a head; this week the crowd held him at odds-on status despite not having won since July of 2024, and Stratton got a bit more power to clear with his veteran at the half, going on to an easy triumph.
 
Fastest mile of the day came in the form of a 1:51 mile from Downbythewater, a four-year-old son of Downbytheseaside who gamely resisted a late bid from Gentleman’s Club, last year’s Governor’s Cup winner, by 1½ lengths for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Linda Toscano, and the partnership of Schillaci Stables LLC, John Manning, Sam Bova Racing LLC, and Howard Berke.
 
Tyler Buter increased his margin at the head of the Pocono class with four driving wins, including two for trainer John Butenschoen, the only trainer who doubled. Braxten Boyd, Matt Kakaley, and George Napolitano Jr. each reported home first with a pair of victories.
 
Filly and mare pacers headline Monday’s 1 p.m. card, with the top purse a $27,500 fast-class contest; on Tuesday at 1 p.m., the final program of the week will have the $35,000 Game Of Claims Trotting Series Championship, in which Pisces Rising, the only sweeper in three prelims, will have to face the challenging post eight. After that the Pocono weekly schedule keeps its Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday 1 p.m. cards, but will add a 5 p.m. program on Sundays for nine consecutive weeks.
 
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Distaff pacers were in the feature spotlight the most on an overcast but rainless Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
A $13,000 handicap pace for fast-class mares gave the Sweet Lou distaff Sweetnikkilou A a perfect showcase for her talents in her North American debut, winning in 1:50.2. Driven by Andrew McCarthy for trainer Nifty Norman and his Enzed Racing Stable Inc., Sweetnikkilou A sat behind pacesetting Factory Girl through fractions of :27.2, :55.3, and 1:23.3, then paced her own last quarter in :26.3, without much apparent urging, to go by the stubborn leader by a half length.
 
Developing younger females were in two of the three $12,000 subfeatures. The quicker was She’s A Rich Girl, a royally-bred sophomore (by Captaintreacherous out of My Little Dragon, she a full sister to Treacherous Dragon and a three-quarter sister to Stay Hungry, a Standardbred Million Dollar Quartet). Tim Tetrick quarter-moved with the Linda Toscano trainee and came home in :56.3-:27.4 to win easily in 1:52.1 for owners Richard and Joanne Young.
 
The other pacing subfeature split was won by the Tall Dark Stranger filly Kissin In The Dark, who made an early move around leader Carolina, then held off the late comeback of that one by a half length with a :27.3 last quarter, establishing a new mark of 1:52.4. George Napolitano Jr. drove the winner for trainer Doug Dilloian Jr. and the partnership of Dilloian Stable LLC, Brian Loman, and Robert Venable.
 
The other subfeature was a trot, in which Lady Suffolk winner Ygritte kept her seasonal tab perfect after three starts with a 1:54 triumph. Mattias Melander got a :27.2 third quarter out of the Gimpanzee filly to reach contention, then took the lead, holding off 40-1 shot Saint Patrick by a length for trainer-brother Marcus and the partnership of S R F Stable and Eric Good.
 
Tim Tetrick, who has driven a winner in one of the Invitational races during eleven of the seventeen years of Philly’s Super Sunday (see next paragraph), got a nice warmup and furthered his meet-topping total by leading the local pilots with three victories Friday. Troy Beyer, Mark Herschberger, Andrew McCarthy, and George Napolitano Jr. visited the winners circle twice. Trainers harnessing two winners included Jason Brewer (both driven by Herschberger), Izzy Estrada (both handled by Beyer), and Nancy Takter.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia will host what is arguably the best card in North American harness racing so far in 2026 this Sunday afternoon, with a 12:40 start to the track’s signature Super Sunday program. Over $600,000 in purses will be on the line, including three $100,000 events for the top free-for-allers: the Maxie Lee Memorial Trot, the Betsy Ross Pace for mares, and the Joseph Auger Memorial Pace – the horses in the three free-for-alls have aggregate lifetime earnings of over $20 million. 


There will also be PA-sired action for the three-year-old pacing males in the Sire Stakes and Stallion Series programs. A Sire Stakes race will kick off a $10,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 wager in race ten, with the three Invitationals comprising the remainder of the bet in the following three races. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org. This is one harness program you will not want to miss!

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – This Sunday afternoon (May 24) Harrah’s Philadelphia will be proud to present as good a card of racing as has been seen in North America so far in 2026, with $611,815 in purses to be contested during the track’s annual marquee “Super Sunday” program beginning at 12:40 p.m., featuring fifteen contests that will include eleven equine millionaires, as well two defending champions from the $100,000 Invitationals of 2025 (both among the seven-figure eleven mentioned).
 
Following is an overview of the three centerpiece $100,000 Invitational races for the most talented established performers in the sport, along with third preliminary round action of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes / Stallion Series racing for the “glamour division,” the three-year-old pacing males. A Sire Stakes division in race ten will start off a Pick 4 wager that is guaranteed to have a $10,000 pool, with the three Invites the last three legs of the bet – the horses in this Pick 4 have combined lifetime winnings over $21 million.
 
 
$100,000 JOSEPH AUGER MEMORIAL PACE (race 13; #senditin race 5, Open race 1)
 
The defending Auger champion is Bythemissal, who has the greatest lifetime earnings of any entrant on the Super Sunday card, $2,562,144, and who has a lifetime record of 1:46.4, taken at Woodbine Mohawk. Bythemissal has had two starts this year, missing by just a nose in the top class at The Meadows in his return, and then having to race from an impossible spot at Miami Valley. He’s likely to get a better trip today as he starts from post three for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke.
 
Ken Hanover certainly turned some heads in his 2026 bow at Pocono, coming from sixth at headstretch and passing a good field like it was attached to the track. The frequent winner, however, is stuck behind the eight-ball, the outside starting spot, in this elite field and has his work cut out for him for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Polie Mallar.
 
There is also the $50,000 #senditin Invitational pace, featuring three millionaires and the world’s fastest horse on a 5/8-mile track, Ruthless Hanover, with that 1:46.3 coming here in the 2023 Auger – “Ruthless” would join the Millionaire’s Club with a victory here. Toss in a $25,000 Open pace to start the card, and the free-for-allers assembled for Super Sunday have collective earnings of $17.1M.
 
 
 $100,000 BETSY ROSS MARES PACE (race 12)
 
Double defending champion and 2024 Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh has not quite returned to her top form yet, but the Chris Ryder barn will send a pretty good “replacement” in Miki And Minnie, who starts from post six. Miki And Minnie was divisional champion at two and three, and she has qualified well for this, her first seasonal start. Trainer Ryder and driver Dexter Dunn could make it three Ross Paces in a row, as Dexter has the perch behind “M&M” Sunday.
 
A very dangerous foe from the rail will be the Kiwi import Louies Girl N for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Per Engblom. Louies Girl N has won five of seven starts so far in 2026, and she has the kind of tactical speed that could set up a good journey for her if things get overheated on the front end. Miki And Minnie’s big rival over the last two years, Rodeo Drive Deo, will start from post seven for Team Burke/Gingras after impressing in her comeback mile at Pocono with a 1:49.4 final clocking.
 
 
$100,000 MAXIE LEE MEMORIAL TROT (race 11)
 
If you’ve seen a lot of Yannick Gingras and Ron Burke in this release, here they are again, as the sponsorship behind Antognoni S, who starts from post four in the Lee. Antognoni S has won both of his seasonal starts, downing defending Trotter of the Year last time, and is on a five-race winning streak, obviously starting last year when he posted sixteen victories. This horse has good speed, but he has been irresistible just grinding up into contention until overpowering the opposition.
 
Aetos Kronos S, winner of the 2025 Lee, could earn trainer Marcus Melander his third straight win in this race and Dexter Dunn his second, as they combined behind the horse for last year’s victory. However, the fates of the post positional draw were not with him here, as he will be forced to contend with the very difficult number eight outermost post. “Aetos” had a useful race in finishing second in the Cutler at The Meadowlands last week in his first race of 2026.
 
 
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES and STALLION SERIES, three-year-old pacing males
(Sire Stakes races 7, 10, and 14; Stallion Series races 3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
 
Both groupings of the “glamour division” sophomores have two horses who have won both of their preliminary races to date. On the Sire Stakes side, the resemblance beyond the two doublers, Another C Note and Sneaky Squeaky, goes even further – both horses, relatively unheralded at the year’s beginning, are six-for-six in 2026 competition. Another C Note will be in the tenth race, the event kicking off the $10G Pick 4 wager, while Sneaky Squeaky will race just after the big Invites in race fourteen.
 
A fate that has befallen quite a few of the highly-regarded horses on this card also caught up with Really Bright – if he is to win his third straight Stallion Series prelim in race three, he’ll have to surmount the outside post. Ballroom Affair, on the other hand, will be starting from post two and he looks for another PaStS conquest and to keep his 2026 scorecard unblemished after four starts.
 
 
Any scratches or late driver changes would be available after noon on Thursday. The free Philly program pages for the great Super Sunday card should also be available on Thursday afternoon at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Father Patrick gelding Pisces Rising completed a sweep of his three preliminary rounds of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pocono Tuesday afternoon, and will certainly be among the favorite if not the choice in next Tuesday’s $35,000 GOCTS Championship.
 
The track’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, gave Pisces Rising a heady drive from post seven in a bulky field of nine, leaving just enough to secure the pocket while there was a front end duel. When favored You Got It swept three-wide down the backstretch to the lead, no outer-tier horse could stay with him, so Buter backed Pisces Rising out of the pocket to follow the brusher. The two battled through the lane, and it was Pisces Rising who proved the more photogenic by a neck for trainer Richard  Johnston and owner Guy Gemore. The prelim sweeper also managed to escape being claimed from each of his wins.
 
The Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr., equally divided the remaining four divisions of the GOCTS, including Anthony with the only other horse to win more than once, the Mister Anson gelding Sir Maverick, who was absent for the first leg but now has won two straight, including Tuesday’s 1:55.1 tally for trainer Frank Calcagni and owner Anastasia Meshkova.
 
Brother George got the mile of a lifetime from Golazo, a 1:53.2 lifetime best for trainer-owner Jill Roland. “Gol” is the Spanish word for a goal as in football/soccer, and “golazo” is a spectacular version of a score; the son of Father Patrick did full justice to his name Tuesday.
 
Each brother also handled a winner who took their only GOCTS prelim start: George behind another son of Father Patrick, the gelding Novel, who posted a lifetime best 1:54, and Anthony with the Pocono veteran P L Quinella, a Kadabra gelding who won in 1:55.3.
 
Team Melander – driver Mattias and trainer-brother Marcus – won with a pair of very well-bred horses who had fetched a combined $855,000 at yearling auction, both of whose sires were stars for the Team: Noble Encore, a Greenshoe out of 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover who broke his maiden in 1:56.1, and Art Of State (Gimpanzee – Amour Heiress, and thus a half-brother to Periculum), who set a new mark of 1:54.4.
 
Anthony Napolitano had four winners in all on the day to lead the drivers; Tyler Buter, Matt Kakaley, Mattias Melander, and George Napolitano Jr. had sulky doubles. Conditioners Marcus Melander and Marta Piotrow sent out two winners apiece.
 
Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m., with four $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for three-year-old trotting fillies. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.