By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Braxten Boyd, the young driver becoming known for his ability to get the most out of longshots, guided 10-1 shot Dire Straits to a 1:52.4 victory in the $25,000 fast-class handicap trot Sunday night at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Two of the sextet of featured horses lost gait as the field came off the turn before the start, and favored Ferretti took back, but the inner three vied for early command, with Dire Straits finally making the front after a :27 opener. Boyd got him a breather to a :56.1 half, then picked up the tempo to 1:24.2 as an outer tier made gains.
 
Ferretti was second-over and swung wide at headstretch, but Dire Straits was just too far away to be overhauled, coming home in :28.2 in notching a 1¼ length triumph. Ed Hart trains the son of Muscle Hill, now a winner of $383,000, for owners Richard Gutnick, Thomas Pontone, and Gary Cocco.
 
Belmont Major N had won two of his last three starts against the top claiming handicap pacers at Pocono, but he still was dismissed at 9-1 in the Sunday $16,000 co-feature. But Anthony Napolitano (the leading driver on the card with four victories) did not let the outside post eight deter him, sending the Art Major gelding right to command and rolling on to fractions of :26.3, :55.2, and 1:22.4, then holding off the favored pocketsitter Lunar by   a half length in 1:50.1. Lou Pena conditions the razor-sharp pacer  for Todd’s Auto.
 
A three-year-old trotting colt making his second start of the year five weeks before the Hambletonian might seem a dicey proposition  for glory … but if your parents are Walner and Check Me Out … and if you are trained by Lucas Wallin … and if you lure Tim Tetrick up to Pocono for a single drive … well, the chances against The Rogue Prince, a $350,000 yearling purchase, don’t seem so high. And when he came first-over, trotting his back fractions in :55.3 - :27.2,  to win in a lifetime best 1:53.4 by 5½ lengths, the odds are surely not as steep as first thought for The Rogue Prince and Wallin Racing Stable Inc., Karin Wallert-Mommert, Arden Homestead Stable and Solfrid Myhre.
 
The first local stakes action of the season for two-year-olds comes Monday, with four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for trotting fillies; that card will also feature a $25,000 fast-class contest for distaff pacers. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A range of feature events for many types of top-level horses were in the spotlight at a hot Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
 
Male pacers working their way to the higher ranks (and bigger purses) were gathered for the $13,500 Sunday Philly feature. The winner was the Captain Crunch ridgling Pineapple Crunch, who attacked uncovered just past the half and swept to the lead just past the three-quarters (his own third split :27.1), then stayed clear of his opposition while finishing his mile 1:51.2. Andrew McCarthy was in the sulky for Team Cancelliere – trainer Tom and owner-brother John.
 
Two $12,000 events served as the subfeatures for the card. On the pace, Welcometotheshow certainly lived up to his name by reducing his mark to 1:50.1 for driver Josert Fonseca and trainer Nancy Takter, the latter also co-owning the Tall Dark Stranger gelding with Joe Sbrocco, JAF Racing LLC, and Martha Frank. Welcometotheshow had a trip similar to feature winner Pineapple Crunch, moving from third down the backstretch and going his own third quarter in :26.2 to take a clear lead before the three-quarters, and he went on to win comfortably.
 
The subfeature for trotters was won by Seal The Deal AS, ain International Moni sophomore fully who took a new mark of 1:54.3. Tim Tetrick got the filly to first-over position nearing the half and, like most of the feature success stories, cleared to the lead before the three-quarters, with never an anxious moment through the lane for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owners ACL Stuteri AB.
 
In the afternoon’s $11,000 pace for fast-class veterans, Pat McGarry A remained undefeated in four 2025 starts at Philly, coming his own last half in :54.2 uncovered (have we heard that story before?) to just catch pacesetting favorite Bettor Not Talk by a nose in 1:51 under the guidance of David Miller. The Joe Bongiorno trainee, owned by Howard Taylor, now has 34 victories since coming to North America, divided equally between Philly and the other tracks at which he’s raced – except to get to that “17” number, the Million Dollar Cam gelding has needed only 34 starts at the southeast Pennsylvania oval (50%) while taking 72 starts at other North American ovals to reach the same win figure.
 
The Fear The Dragon gelding I Fear Nothing had not gotten a check when entered for $6000 in his last start before hooking up with trainer Izzy Estrada, but it’s been nothing but upward mobility since then. On Sunday, I Fear Nothing received all kinds of pressure on the lead in an $11,000 handicap pace for horses valued at $20,000 to $25,000, and he resisted all comers while winning in 1:52.1. That’s four wins in the five starts since he changed barns, with Troy Beyer driving here for owner Jaypaul Hoover.
 
David Miller got hot late on the Sunday card with three victories and tied for Sunday honors among the horsemen with Troy Beyer, who drove two races early then captured the last contest.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia will be adding a 12:25 live card for the five Wednesdays in July to its regular schedule; it should be noted that the card on the Fourth Of July, Friday, will have a first post of 12:40 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA -- A pair of $17,000 races for developing horses headed the Saturday card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with Rio winning the top pace and Tenforthebigguy victorious in the featured trot.

Rio closed well after an argued early pace (:26.2, :53.3, 1:21.1) to catch the leading Lou's Starr by half a length in the lead pacing contest, taking a new mark of 1:49. Braxten Boyd engineered an 11-1 upset with the Sweet Lou gelding, who is trained by Tee Wine  for owner  Jack Piatt III.

The Southwind Frank gelding Tenforthebigguy sat in the two-hole behind Kinder Thinktwice and fractions of :28, :57.3, and 1:25, then moved out in the lane and caught the pacesetter by a half length, with the final time of 1:54 just a tick off his mark. George Napolitano Jr. had the sulky duty behind the favorite  for trainer Scot Davidson and Randy's Lawn Care. 

The top fast-class pace, going for $16,500, also went to a pocket rocket, the Somebeachsomewhere gelding South Beach Star, who sat in closest proximity to the favored pacesetter Hazeville's fractions of :26.1, :54, and 1:20.4, then outpaced the leader home by a length while equaling his mark of 1:48.1. The winner, now successful in four of his last six races, was driven by Braxten Boyd (another longshot winner for Boyd, this one at 9-1) for trainer Mark Silva and All Star Racing Inc. (A third sub-1:50 was turned in on the card by 1:49.1 winner Rockin Jukebox.)

Tyler Buter, Pocono's leading driver, brought home three winners to lead the driving colony; Braxten Boyd, George Napolitano Jr., and Ridge Warren each steered two winners. Saturday's twelve winners were conditioned by twelve different trainers.

Pocono will be racing on Sunday at 6 p.m., when there will be a carryover into the last race High 5 pool, and then stage Monday and Tuesday programs at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Young pacing females seeking to compete at a higher rung (and purse level) of the class ladder squared off in the Friday features, worth $12,000, at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
The quicker of the two races saw many of those out to contest the early lead get shuffled when the eventual pacesetter tired down the backstretch; getting out into a live flow was the Sweet Lou mare Spicy Story, who then ducked inside and outclosed Ginger Tree Rose by a neck in a lifetime best of 1:52.3. Spicy Story was niftily steered by Troy Beyer for trainer Stacy Chiodo and owner Donald Wolf.
 
In the other feature section, the Captaintreacherous sophomore filly Act Classy got a cushy two-hole ride behind $350,000 yearling Supermax Contract through moderate fractions, then left that one and the rest of the opposition well behind while stopping the timer in 1:53.1. Patrick Ryder drove the winner for trainer-father Chris Ryder and Strideline Racing.
 
There were also a pair of $11,000 pacing contests for two-year-old pacing fillies, with driver Tyler Buter and trainer Hunter Oakes invading from Pocono with two talented two-year-olds who had won two qualifiers and here made their pari-mutuel debuts successfully. One was the Papi Rob Hanover – OK Heavenly miss Imagine Heaven, who vacated the two-hole near the five-eighths then stormed home in :54.3 to win in a brisk 1:54.2, auguring good things to come for owners Flying A Racing Stable, Lucky Strike, and Charles Oakes. (Imagine Heaven’s half-brother Dandy Ideal is/was in the Messenger Final later on Friday.)
 
Flying A also shares ownership (with Chuck Pompey) of the other Buter/Oakes precocious baby, Tall Dark Tequila, who worked to the lead before the quarter then flashed back splits of :56.2 - :27.2 to take a maiden mark of 1:56.1. Tall Dark Tequila is by Tall Dark Stranger – Tequila Monday, the dam a winner of almost seven figures and a world champion.
 
Four-time defending Philly driving champion Tim Tetrick had three wins on the day, as did Mark Herschberger, who has now worked his way up to ninth in the standings.
 
Racing resumes at Philly on Sunday at 12:40 p.m. Starting this coming Wednesday (July 2), Harrah’s Philadelphia will have a live 12:25 program on that day on the five Wednesdays in July. Also, the post time for the Fourth Of July Friday has been switched to 12:40. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Conors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – On “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the feature for developing horses went for $13,500, and the Cantab Hall filly Tabdone made it the opportunity to post her third straight win, taking the lead at the quarter and rolling on to victory in a lifetime best 1:54.
 
Four out the five horses in the feature were on the gate and looking for early position, with Tabdone clearing Camera Man to lead at the :28.2 quarter. Relatively soft middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.3 were hung up, and then trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer asked his filly for more and she responded nicely, stepping a :27.2 last quarter to defeat Camera Man by two lengths for Purple Haze Stables LLC.
 
The $13,000 co-feature, for fast-class trotters, saw French Wine, second in the Hambletonian Maturity in 2024, pick up his first win in a year and nine days with a 1:53.2 tally. Andy Miller directed the winning son of Bar Hopping into the two-hole behind fellow even-money shot Cecil Hanover (the pacesetter was the slight choice), waited through :28.1, :56.4, and 1:25 splits, then dove to the inside passing lane and went on to win by two lengths, with third-in Credit Con edging Cecil Hanover for the deuce. Julie Miller trains the winner of $1,236,469 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Daniel and Jean Christophe Plouffe, and One Legend Stable Inc.
 
The assembled talent of seasoned diagonally-gaited horses produced no fewer than seven sub-1:55f miles in the spirited competition throughout the hot day.
 
There was also a pair of $11,000 races for two-year-old trotters, one for each sex. Making a most impressive purse bow was San Patricio, a Swan For All – Kaikoura gelding who after a tune-up win in a morning event won easily in 1:57.1 for trainer John Butenschoen, red-hot with freshman trotters along the eastern Pennsylvania corridor, and owners Tony and Michael Holmes,  June Zent, and Timothy Thornton. Andrew McCarthy, sitting fifth with the fast baby down the backstretch, backed out behind a parked horse then swung his charge three-wide just past the three-quarters and got back fractions of :57 - :28.1 out of him as the pair trotted off from the opposition.
 
After earlier capturing the day’s featured event, Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze had another impressive win with the freshman filly Islandgirl Hanover, who was ready off a winning qualifier to immediately break her maiden in 1:57.4. Sitting third much of the way until nearing the far turn, Islandgirl Hanover grinded home in  :57 - :27.3 to catch pacesetter French Echo by a neck.
 
While the feature events eluded him, Philly’s four-time defending driving champion Tim Tetrick brought home four winners as he continues to build a sizable lead towards capturing consecutive crown number five.
 
Harrah’s Philly will race on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, and then the schedule will expand for the month of July as five Wednesday cards will be held, beginning at 12:25 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Up-and-coming horses were the featured attractions on a hot Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with a pair of $15,500 races for pacers complemented by two $15,000 contests for trotters.
 
The Bettor’s Delight sophomore filly Three Times Bettor is undefeated in three 2025 starts and in four straight outings overall after looking most impressive in a 1:51.3 victory. Jack Pelling put the filly on the lead, got a breather to the half, then powered home in :54.3 - :27.1 to win easily for trainer-father Brett Pelling and owner Thaddeus Wier.
 
Team Pelling and Falkirk were heavy favorites to complete a sweep of the featured paces, but after Falkirk was involved in very fast fractions, he gave way in the lane (taking $13,686 of win-place-show money with him) as the Sweet Lou gelding Sweet Parlay made the most of a second-over trip, winning in a lifetime best of 1:51.2. Braxten Boyd had the winner rolling late for trainer Richard Dunn, co-owner with MBC Stables LLC.
 
In the quicker of the two trots, the three-year-old Tactical Landing gelding Top Floor Tactics received an alert steer from Colin Kelly while lowering his mark to 1:55.2. Kelly backed "Tactics" out of the pocket on the far turn as Assiduous cleared the leader with a first-over move, then caught the new leader by a length while coming home in  :28.1 for trainer Ashley Bako and owners Rosemary Sienicki, Patricia Taddeo, and Eric Taddeo.
 
Bank Credit, a son of Credit Winner who had been rimmed the mile at Yonkers in his last start, made the most of a kinder opportunity and took a new mark of 1:55.4. Braxten Boyd got Barn Credit in third early, then could wait until late in the backstretch to make another advancing move, and this second burst proved to be successful, with closer Lionheart Hanover a neck back at the line. Mark Ford is the trainer and owner of Bank Credit.
 
A field of seven two-year-old trotting males contested $14,000 as they made their pari-mutuel debuts. The race was won by the Greenshoe – Settheworldonfire gelding Storm Hanover, who sat in the pocket behind favored pacesetter Money Mayfield most of the mile, then stormed outside late on the far turn and caught the leader by 1¼ lengths in 1:57.4. Driver Todd Schadel also trains the baby, and he owns him with Jim Simpson.
 
Simon Allard drove the winner in four of the day’s first five races to earn driving honors Monday. And also an apologetic late tip of the helmet to Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter, who posted his 5000th career victory here Saturday with Borninlockdown GB.
 
Pocono has cancelled its scheduled Tuesday 1 p.m. card because of the likelihood of excessive heat, and the track has also moved its Wednesday morning qualifiers to 9 a.m. The next racing at the northeast Pennsylvania oval will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Creatine gelding Ferretti sat a perfect two-hole trip, then moved outside mid-far turn and outtrotted heavy favorite Southwind Coors to post the fastest mile of 2025 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, 1:51.3, in the $25,000 fast-class handicap trot Sunday evening, during a card that would be rough going for chalkplayers and lucrative for longshot fanciers.
 
Matt Kakaley, three-time defending Pocono driving champion (and further featured elsewhere in this story), sent Ferretti right to the lead, then forced Southwind Coors, starting from his assigned outside post six, to press on well past the :27.2 quarter before earning the lead. The rest of the field was strung out in middle splits of :56 and 1:24.1, but Kakaley knew his horse was full of go and attacked midway on the far turn. The final margin was a half length, but Ferretti, the 7-2 second choice, was handled confidently late as he won for trainer Travis Alexander and the partnership of David Rovine Stable LLC (whose Hazeville equaled the year’s 1:47.4 pacing standard here Saturday) and CTC Stable.
 
In the $16,000 claiming handicap pace for high-priced horses, the Captaintreacherous gelding Hammering Hank was kept off a cutthroat battle for supremacy until the stretch, then tipped wide and sailed by everybody to come within a tick of his lifetime mark with a 1:51.2 victory. Matt Kakaley timed his winning move well with the 20-1 shot for trainer Joe Bongiorno and owners JB Racing and Stephen Klunowski.
 
Invictus was one of the few bright spots on the evening for chalkplayers when he won a $15,500 pace while lowering his mark three seconds to 1:50. But the victorious Huntsville sophomore gelding was extended to turn away a very game first-over I’m The One by a half length while winning for the meet’s top driver Tyler Buter, trainer Hunter Oakes, and owner Jeffrey Nanna.
 
It’s not often that a horse pays $50 or more to win twice in 20 days, but after returning exactly that price on June 2, The Boss Said came back Sunday and overcame post eight to return $84.80 to his scattered backers. It’s not often you see Matt Kakaley (who would later bring in a $42.80 winner as noted above) have a $50+ “bomber” in consecutive days, but he drove The Boss Said after winning a Stallion Series race with Ballast ($62.60) Saturday. And the horse’s trainer, Darren Taneyhill, with a win percentage right at 20%, is certainly one of the few trainers with that rate who lead a meet with three bombers to his credit already.
 
Later, everybody who saw what driver Braxten Boyd can do with a longshot last Saturday in Toronto got another taste of his skills, as he won with $67.60 horse Padre to tie Anthony Napolitano and Ridge Warren with four $50+ victories at the meet. At Pocono Tuesday Braxten brought in Rwehomeyet, who at $180.40 is by far the biggest-priced horse of 2025 at Pocono.
 
Live cards will be featured at 1 p.m. on both Monday and Tuesday at Pocono Downs; on Monday (after Sunday’s Longshots Deluxe card) there will be a carryover into both the first race Pick 4 pool and the fifth race Pick 5 wager. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Younger horses looking to climb up the classification ladder were featured in two $12,000 events at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a warm Sunday afternoon.
 
The Great Challenger gelding Inferno DK (perhaps enjoying the heat) evened up his North American record – two breaks, and now two wins after taking a new mark of 1:54.3 in the trotting section of the feature class. Tim Tetrick got no misbehavior from his charge today as he came home in :56.2 while in full control for trainer-owner Yinson Quevada.
 
A handicap pace for feature-level males showed that the Always B Miki gelding Always B Gibby is in career form, as he won for the second straight start, here parlaying a pocket trip into a win in a lifetime best 1:51 with a :27.1 sprint home. Jack Pelling worked out the top trip with the winner, who is trained by Nifty Norman (the only conditioner with two wins on the day) for LSC Stables.
 
In an $11,000 pace for fast-class veterans, Belmont Royale N was out most of a :26.1 quarter to get the lead, then  forced hard work from Bettor Not Talk before surrendering the lead to that one and sitting behind him in midfractions of :54.1 and 1:22. In the stretch Mark Herschberger directed Belmont Royale N to the passing lane, and the winning Betterthancheddar gelding gained enough on the tough pacesetter to go by him by a neck in 1:49.1. That time is a new career best for the Nifty Norman trainee, who is owned by Archie McNeil, William O’Donnell, and Enzed Racing Stable Inc.
 
Green and gold were the colors of the day at Philly, accounting for half of the drivers of the winners: the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, recorded three victories, while Troy Beyer and Corey Callahan had driving doubles.
 
Racing resumes at 12:25 p.m. this “Trottin’ Thursday,” with all manner of good contests for diagonally-gaited horses. Philly will then follow with cards on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, and then on July 2 will add 12:25 live cards for the five Wednesdays of July. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rodeo Drive Deo reversed the Fan Hanover final order of finish over freshman champion Miki And Minnie – the major news on an outstanding card  at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, as three-year-old pacing fillies gathered to contest $232,240 in the second preliminary round of their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Pennsylvania Stallion Series action.
 
In the main event, Miki And Minnie got away fourth in a field of seven, with Rodeo Drive Deo right behind her, as Cant See Me made the lead around Who Are You at the :27.1 opener, with Stevie Hanover settling third. The pace was backed off to :56.3 at the half, at which point Stevie Hanover came out uncovered, with Miki And Minnie and Rodeo Drive Deo second- and third-over respectively.
 
As the field reached the three-quarters in 1:23.2, Dexter Dunn tipped “Miki” three-wide and quickly circled to two-wide raw; “Rodeo Drive” and David Miller followed her in the three-path then continued out wide building momentum. Miki And Minnie made the lead in early stretch, but the Captaintreacherous miss Rodeo Drive Deo had dead aim, and she had a bit quicker of a last sixteenth to take the head victory in 1:51.
 
Rodeo Drive Deo scored her third win of the year, and Miki And Minnie (despite pacing her last half in :53.3) tasted her first defeat after opening with three straight victories. Ron Burke conditions Rodeo Drive Deo, who boosted her earnings to $521,459, for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Beasty LLC, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. (An oddity: the winner paid $7.60 for a $2 win bet, but the $2 exacta with the favorite underneath returned only $7.40.)
 
The winners in the PaSS first leg, Asphalt and Good As You, were both in the second Sires division Saturday, but they had to settle for second and third, respectively, behind Papi Grad, a Papi Rob Hanover filly who reported home first nicely for driver Todd McCarthy in a career best 1:50.
 
Papi Grad, second to Asphalt in her seasonal bow, was second choice at even money to that one’s 4-5, and after yielding the early lead (:26.4), the winner regained past the chalk to a :54.4 half, with Good As You coming up first-over. The last-named gained but could not sustain past a 1:22.2 three-quarters, and Papi Grad still had enough to defeat Asphalt by 1½ lengths.
 
Papi Grad, now seven-for-twelve lifetime with a bankroll of $325,267, is trained by Steve Carter for Jay Mossbarger, Brent Hooper, TKO Racing Stable LLC, and Scpstable&Friedlandracing.
 
The Always B Miki filly Always Dawn became the only Stallion Series double winner when she captured her division of the StS in a lifetime mark of 1:51. Matron stake winner Faze was favored in her seasonal debut and indeed had her chance up the Pocono Pike, but Always Dawn, uncovered from mid-backstretch, kept on grinding and outphotoed the chalk by a head for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Anthony Beaton (now with two Stallion Series wins with the filly since she came into his barn), and owner Leo Fleming.
 
Both Andrew McCarthy and his brother Todd won two Stallion Series divisions (Todd of course also winning in the Sire Stakes), and each brother had a 1:50.4 StS winner, fastest clocking in this segment. Andrew’s came with a daughter of Papi Rob Hanover (who also had a PaSS credit), Gigglingonthebeach, who despite not having raced in 40 days took a new speed badge for trainer Juan Cano and Hot Lead Farm.
 
Todd’s 1:50.4 also established a lifetime best for Au Jus Hanover, a daughter of Stay Hungry who made her first start for trainer Andrew Harris a winning one; she is owned by  Casie Coleman, Dumain Haven Farm LLC, Mac Nichol, and Kevin McKinlay. Todd also won with a daughter of Captaintreacherous (who sired the other PaSS winner), Simply Perfect, who is trained by Tony Alagna for the team of Pryde Stable Inc. Steven and Michele Head, and Caviart Farms; this one went her fastest winning race mile of 1:51.4, although she did qualify in 1:51.2 at two.
 
If your last name wasn’t McCarthy, the way to the Stallion Series winners circle was with a longshot. The Tall Dark Stranger filly Ballast returned $62.60 after lowering her best to 1:51 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander, and EVM Racing LLC; Beyonsay Hanover, driven by David Miller, hit all the right notes in paying $44.80 for trainer-owner Mark Silva while giving Stay Hungry another StS sire credit with a 1:52.2 score.
 
Ken Hanover has now won his last four starts, all in a clocking of 1:48.3 – first Pocono, then Philly, then Northfield, and Saturday back at Pocono while winning the $25,000 fast-class handicap pace. David Miller inserted the son of Captaintreacherous midpack from the outside post seven, then moved with cover midbackstretch; Ken Hanover tipped wide nearing headstretch and went by the resilient pacesetter Spring Inhis Step A by three-quarters of a length. The career winner of $826,404 is trained by Roland “Polie” Mallar, who also co-owns him with Patrick Leavitt, William Jordan, and Dennis Osterholt.
 
The Huntsville gelding Hazeville shipped in from Yonkers for an overnight race and never looked back: after going amazing fractions of :25.3, :53.4, and 1:20.2, he kept on rolling and crossed the wire in 1:47.4 -- setting a new lifetime mark, tying with Southwind Gendry for quickest mile of the year at Pocono, and missing Bigtime Hero’s 11-year-old track record for older pacing geldings by a single tick. George Napolitano Jr. had the best view of the fantastic mile behind the Tom Fanning-trained winner, who is owned by David Rovine Stable LLC, VIP Internet Stable LLC, and Howard Taylor.
 
David Miller wound up with a winner in every “column” – Sire Stakes, Stallion Series, fast-class pace, and overnight race – to top all drivers on the day with four victories.
 
The Sunday 6 p.m. card at Pocono is headlined by a $25,000 fast-class handicap trot, with Southwind Coors, second to Aetos Kronos S here last week, assigned the outside in the field of six; there will also be a carryover into the last race High 5 pool. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.