By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Given the royal battles that Downbytheseaside and Huntsville had in their racing careers, it seems appropriate they would be the sires of the first two finishers in the fastest of four $11,700 pari-mutuel debut races for two-year-olds Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
The Downbytheseaside – D D Delightful pacing filly Lightning Leia was sent to the lead by driver Matt Kakaley and controlled the pace, looking good until nearing the wire, when the Huntsville miss Twenty Grand founa higher gear and narrowed in. But it was Lightning Leia getting a head decision in 1:54.2 for trainer Travis Alexander and Fiddler’s Creek Stable LLC, following up on a 1:57 win in a baby qualifier in her first charted line.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Pennsylvania-sired three-year-old trotting colts, looking to solidify spots in their upcoming Pennsylvania championships and also establish sharp form for lucrative upcoming stakes such as the Hambletonian, will race the third preliminary of the state Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competitions on the Wednesday card at Harrah’s Philadelphia. There will be two divisions of the Sire Stakes, in races four and eight; five Stallion Series sections will be interspersed throughout the card.
 
Top horseman Åke Svanstedt has a two-horse coupled entry in each of the Sire Stakes divisions, and both have been made early 8-5 favorites. In the fourth race, his horses drew posts one and two, with the inside going to Delayed Hanover, a Southwind Frank colt who won his only start of the year in a Sire Stakes event at Pocono and whom Åke will drive; just to his right will be another Southwind Frank colt, Capstone, who was second in both Sire Stakes legs so far, and who will be driven by Andrew McCarthy.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Shecandance N went right out to the early lead in the $11,200 distaff pacing feature during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, backed off the half, then blitzed home to be a safe winner in 1:52.3.
 
Anthony Napolitano got the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance away swiftly at the start, with Juxta Cowgirl and Georgie Martin N filling the two spots behind her to the :27.4 opener. With no pressure coming, Shecandance N got to back off the half to :57.3, and from there he flashed home in :55 to score by 1 1/4 lengths over Georgie Martin N, who caught Juxta Cowgirl for top minor honors. Jose Godinez trains the Kiwi import, winner 13 times in but 49 career starts and an earner of $142,533, for Bukers Stable and Godinez Racing Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Aside from Stone Hanover rallying to win the $15,700 featured fast-class pace in 1:50.2 on Saturday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Pocono, it was pretty much the “George and Darren Show,” as driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Darren Taneyhill had huge days.
 
Breaking up the focus on those two was Stone Hanover, a son of Art Major who was rallied by driver Matt Kakaley for trainer Joe Pavia Jr., whose Joe Pavia Jr. Stable Inc. co-owns the winner with Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky, Steven Held, and John Whitig. Kakaley kept the pacer close to fractions of :26.3, :55.3, and 1:22.3, was able to find clearance on the far turn, angled wide in the lane and was along with a sharp late kick.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Always B Miki gelding Serious Miki served notice that he deserves serious consideration on the national sophomore pacing colt radar when he defeated Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner Literl Lad Hanover in 1:51.4 on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in one of three $12,600 featured events.
 
Serious Miki and meet-leading driver Tim Tetrick rushed around Literl Lad Hanover well before a :27.3 quarter, then got to the half in a very easy :57. From there it was all over but the shouting, as Serious Miki went to the three-quarters in 1:24.3, saw the pocketsitter pull on the far turn to challenge, but then left him behind by 3¼ lengths with a :27.1 last quarter.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Lindy The Great showed himself in the class of any of the FFA male trotters going right now as he raced to an easy 1:52.1 victory in the $16,200 handicap feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.
 
Starting from the outside post seven, favored Lindy The Great outrushed everybody to early command, but soon was joined by close second choice Scirocco Rob nearing the :27.3 quarter. Driver Andy Miller let that rival go to the lead only to retake before the :56.2 half, and the victorious son of Crazed took it from there, hitting the three-quarters in 1:24.2 before drawing clear of Scirocco Rob by 3½ lengths.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The very popular “non-winners of 3 races” class for developing horses was certainly utilized by horsemen entering for the Wednesday card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as six $12,600 divisions filled the feature spotlight: two each for trotters, pacing males, and pacing mares. All of the winners turned out to be three-year-olds.
 
Perhaps the most impressive of all the featured sextet was the Chapter Seven gelding Seventier, who trotted to a new mark of 1:53.2 while winning his third straight. The competition was certainly tough – two horses other than Seventier, who last started and won an Excelsior A race, were dropping off wins, PA Stallion Series winners A Hopeful Prayer and Samedame Life AS – but they had to settle for second and third respectively behind Seventier, who had the biggest winning margin of all the feature winners, 2¾ lengths. The late-bloomer trotted his back half in :56.2 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Trond Smedshammer, and Purple Haze Stables LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Thirteen fields of two-year-olds got further education during a Wednesday morning qualifying session at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Erv Miller took a rare turn in the sulky and produced the fastest mile of the day, a 1:55 victory with the Huntsville – Jessalilmixup pacing gelding Stretch The Line. The youngster made a break while going first-over in his debut, but today there was no mistake as Miller headed the baby whom he trains right down the road, coming home in 55.3 – 27.2 in winning by over ten lengths. Ervin Miller Stable Inc. shares ownership of the promising pacer with Rock And Roll Stable Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Mark MacDonald won both of the $15,300 feature races at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon, and with the pacer Gray Dragon having gotten a lot of “ink” in recent weeks, we’ll lead with the trotter Can’t Say No, a game 1:55.4 winner and a horse with his own interesting back story.
 
MacDonald let two foes go by early, then got the Explosive Matter four-year-old underway midway through turn one, claiming the top not much past the :27.4 quarter, then backing off the half to :57.4 and the three-quarters in 1:26.4. Can’t Say No had too much in the tank left in the dash to the line, winning by three parts of a length over Banzai As, who carried on gamely despite broken equipment.