By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
PROSPECT PA – The three-year-old Well Said pacing filly Crew Sock Hanover, who had won fourteen races in her career, teamed with driver Mitchell York, who had won four, and produced the fastest mile ever at the Butler County Fairgrounds, 2:00.1, in winning a Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes event during Friday racing action at the Big Butler Fair in this northwest Pennsylvania town.
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The speedy clocking reduced by a fifth the overall track record first set 27 years ago by Audie K, and then equaled by Star Of Terror in 2016 and Cirrus De Vie last year. York, in a driving career less than two weeks old, co-owns with trainer Dave Brickell the new Butler standardbearer, who has never been beaten in a dozen starts over Pennsylvania fair twicearounds. Crew Sock Hanover is also the fastest overall performer on the Pennsylvania fair circuit in its first three 2019 stops.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Backseat Terror was a front-end winner for her fifth consecutive victory in the $17,000 featured pace for distaffs on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but she was all-out to hold off Rob Them Blind by a head in 1:51.4.
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Hurrikane Shorty took the field to the first station in :26.4, with driver Corey Callahan on the move with Backseat Terror, the daughter of Western Terror establishing command long before the :55.4 half. Favored (by $11 over the winner) Newsday applied strong pressure on the winner to the 1:23.1 three-quarters, with more horses joining the battle in the stretch.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill – Cooler Schooner two-year-old trotting gelding Real Cool Sam gave an amazing performance in his pari-mutuel debut at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, winning effortlessly in 1:56.

David Miller kept Real Cool Sam in third for much of the mile as Libero Hanover went away from the rail to post early numbers of :29.3 and :59, then pulled “Sam” out to challenge the leader before the 1:28 three-quarters. In a matter of strides Real Cool Sam went by the pacesetter, then kept rallying place horse Worthy Of Honor at bay by 4½ lengths with a :28 last quarter, with Miller not asking for anything extra.
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The 1:56 clocking was obviously a race mark for Real Cool Sam, and it far eclipsed his 1:59.2 qualifying win time. The time was also not only a North American season’s record for his division, it was faster than any other freshman has trotted a 5/8-mile track this year, and it made him the fastest baby trotting gelding on any size oval. Finally, on June 27, Real Cool Sam came within a second of the world record of 1:55 for age, sex, and gait (Correctamundo 2009, Mississippi Storm 2017, White Tiger 2018).

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – There will be an open race on both gaits in the Great Northeast Open Series (GNOS) this weekend, one at each track (Pocono and Philly), with the purse in the Pocono GNOS trot upped to $75,000 as part of the giant Sun Stakes Saturday Championship card.

In the Saturday trot, 2017 Harness Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover will try to get her season pointed in a consistently positive direction. In three starts this year, the daughter of Swan For All, trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino, and J&T Silva Stables, has had one superlative race, a 1:50.3 win at Mohawk, sandwiched between a pair of mediocre outings, and “Hannelore” will look to put it all together Saturday from post one for driver Yannick Gingras.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Unraced at two and slow to get going at three, He’s Packin is beginning to show that Team Cancelliere’s waiting on him may be worthwhile, as the sophomore posted his second straight win on Wednesday in Harrah’s $14,000 featured pace, lowering his mark to 1:50.4.

Andrew McCarthy sat fourth with the Western Ideal gelding out of Power Pack Hanover, whose own dam has produced six $200,000+ winners, as favorite Scirocco Mistysaid made an early brush to the lead going by the :27.3 quarter, with the winner, a close second choice, moving outside uncovered nearing the :56.1 half.

He’s Packin scorched a 26.2 individual third quarter raw to take over by the 1:23 three-quarters mark and stayed strong to the wire, 6 1/2 lengths clear of nearest challenger Jessicas Beach Boy for the brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere.
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With the Pennsylvania pari-mutuel Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for two-year-olds beginning next week, Philly has carded several races for the babies this week, with three $13,000 events for pacers today.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Sweet Lou – Keystone Dawn two-year-old pacing colt Keystone Dash set a North American season’s record for his division as he dashed to a 1:54.2 victory in a morning baby qualifying race at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Keystone Dash went right to the lead and posted equal halves of :57.1 while in control to the wire.

Keystone Dash’s trainer and driver may surprise some – he is a member of the Åke Svanstedt stable, and Svanstedt handled driving chores in his record mile for Åke Svanstedt Inc. But superior horsemanship is gait-transferrable – as proven by a fellow native Swede who wore green, black, and white in his Hall of Fame career.
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The Charlie Norris stable sent out both winners in two-year-old trotting males action: the Muscle Massive – My Winning Way K colt Moveoutofmyway K, driven by Matt Kakaley to a 1:59.3 win, and the Cantab Hall – Tough Girl Lindy colt Tuff To Be Lindy, whom Norris guided to a 2:00.3 victory.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Trixton sophomore filly Golden Tricks, developing rapidly for the Åke Svanstedt stable, won her second straight race and lowered her lifetime speed mark to 1:54 in winning the $15,000 featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during the Tuesday twilight card.

Eric Carlson got the catch-driving assignment from Svanstedt and kept the winner in the second half of the field to the half as Town Hall Justice cut out fractions of :26.4 and :56.2, then made a big backstretch move that brought her to the pacesetter by the 1:24.3 three-quarters. Golden Tricks was by the leader in a matter of steps and drew off to be clear by 3½ lengths at the finish for owners Brixton Medical Inc., whose filly was third in a New Jersey Sire Stakes Final in only her third lifetime start and is regaining peak form approaching the first of August.
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In a $14,000 pace for mares, Rockin The Boys A posted her second straight victory, taking a North American speed mark of 1:51.1. George Napolitano Jr., a five-time winenr on the card, sent the Rock N Roll Heaven mare to the lead and through early fractions of :27.1 and :56.2, then got her to step consecutive :27.2 quarters home to defeat Bye Bye Michelle by 1¾ lengths and boost her lifetime earnings to $101,453. Andrew Harris conditions the winner for Cool Cat Racing Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Most of the better two-year-olds at this time are beginning their pari-mutuel careers, but a Tuesday morning freshman qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia still unveiled a few winners, mostly first-time, worth looking for in the near future.
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There were two divisions of males and two of females on the trotting side, and the fastest winner, the Sebastian K S – Carla filly Knockdown Dragout, set the North American season’s record for her group while winning in 1:57.1 for driver David Miller, trainer Andrew Harris, and The Stable Knockdown Group. This young miss showed tremendous front-end speed, both in her previous 1:58.3 qualifying win at Mohawk and in this event, and will be tough to catch as the stakes season opens.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rockmatic, after a 1:59 qualifying win at Philly, made a more-than-successful purse debut at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on the Monday twilight card, as her victory in 1:54.2 in a $13,000 contest not only obviously lowered own her own mark, but also beat the North American season’s record for two-year-old pacing fillies on 5/8-mile tracks by a full second.

Simon Allard got the daughter of Pet Rock out of the $869G winner Monochromatic away well, yielded to Bottled Up Hanover, then was back outside as favored Dance Club made the lead in a :27.4 opener. Dance Club went on enough to allow Rockmatic to tuck in the pocket, and there the baby sat through midfractions of :57.1 and 1:25.4, then to headstretch.
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At the top of the lane, Rockmatic moved back outside and gradually wore down Dance Club by half a length for owner/breeder North State Street Stable. Ironically, the filly she displaced as a season’s leader was a stablemate of hers in the barn of trainer Kevin Lare, Silver Tail, who had won in 1:55.2 at Harrah’s Philly on Saturday afternoon.