By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Huntsville mare Threecurtaincalls, a stakes winner at British Columbia’s Fraser Downs in 2024 and 2025, went the mile of her life on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, ringing up a new mark of 1:51.2 while taking the $17,500 featured distaff pace.
 
Anthony Napolitano got the Deborah Dauget trainee, owned by J J J Stables, into a good striking position second-over after front splits of :27 and :55.1, tipping her three-deep shortly after the 1:23.1 three-quarters, and then powering off late to be a 2¾ length winner.
 
The top trot on the Monday card was a $16,500 matchup of developing horses, with the Tactical Landing gelding Caballero winning his second straight and third in his last five while reducing his lifetime best to 1:53.3. For the second straight time Caballero had to go up first-over, but he proved equal to the assignment, wearing down odds-on pacesetter Onemore Volo by 1¼ lengths. Anthony Napolitano completed a sweep of the features with the winning steer behind Caballero for hot trainer Anthony Faulkner (8 wins in 34 June starts) and owner Jaypaul Hanover.
 
Pocono’s top driver Tyler Buter had four victories, including bookending the card with Ron Burke trainees – Burke was the only two-time training winner, and the “B And B Boys” strengthened their respective leads in the Pocono colony. Anthony Napolitano and Braxten Boyd, second and third respectively behind Buter, each had a driving triple.
 
Trotters of both the fast-class and developing variety will have feature races on the Tuesday 1 p.m. card; there will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5. The next pari-mutuel card after that one, scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m., will see two-year-olds in their first stakes action at Pocono, with three $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for trotting colts. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Pennsylvania All-Stars races for state-sired two-year-olds will be raced at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania during the first half of July, with the first the event for trotting males on the Fourth Of July, this coming Saturday. Several classes of two-year-old prep races, for $16,000, were written for the Sunday twilight card at the mountain oval, and among the baby colts to race in Saturday’s debut stake, the 1-2 finishers on Sunday – Yankee Boss and Celebrity Hunter – may be worth keeping an eye on.
 
Åke Svanstedt put the favored winner right on the lead – often a good place in a race for green trotters, and especially so in this incident-marred contest. Driver-trainer Svanstedt and the Captain Corey colt just went about their business and were untroubled in notching a 1:57.4 score for Kiwi Stables LLC and Graham Grace Stables LLC. We also mention Celebrity Hunter, who was in the pocket early when he miscued, dropped so far back that he wasn’t in the television picture until the top of the stretch, and was officially charted in :56 for his back half in getting second after an inquiry – watch him if on his behavior.
In no big surprise, Team Svanstedt also won the filly trot with the Walner – Jula Emmylou Me miss Emotica, as the crowd choice controlled the tempo then sprinted home in :58.1 - :28.4 to complete a 1:58 maiden victory. Åke Svanstedt Inc. co-owns the promising baby with Santandrea Inc. and Little E LLC.
 
Pacing fillies were also gathered, with the Captain Crunch – Ideal Lifestyle A distaff Crunchstyle being pushed wide before the half then left uncovered shortly thereafter, yet still able to go her last half in :55.3 for a 1:53.4 maiden win. The rugged filly was driven by Ridge Warren for trainer Juan Cano, whose Cano Racing Stable LLC shares ownership with Ernie Davis LLC.
 
In the featured overnight pace, a $15,500 contest for the track’s top claimers, Statesidelckdwn GB blasted away from the pole and kept control throughout, coming his back half in :54.2 to lower his mark to 1:50.2. Anthony Napolitano guided the altered son of Tom Hill for trainer Lou Pena and Todd’s Auto.
 
No one at Pocono had more than two victories on Sunday. Sulkyside the two-baggers were earned by Tyler Buter, Anthony Napolitano, and Åke Svanstedt; Svanstedt also trained his two winners, a feat also achieved in conditioning by Cameron Capone and Lou Pena.
 
Featured on Pocono’s Monday card at 1 p.m. will be a $17,500 pace for top-level distaffs, along with a $16,500 trot for horses seeking advancement up the classladder. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Perfect Sting gelding Everlast Sting Deo reduced his mark to 1:50.1 despite having to go first-over, winning the $13,500 feature pace for developing males on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Mark Herschberger sat third with Everlast Sting Deo behind early numbers of :27.1 and :55.2, then came with his horse raw down the back and went their own third split in :27.3 to be head-and-head with pacesetter Moneyhill GB at the 1:23.3 three quarters. Pocketsitter Easy Breeze made it a three-way battle through the lane, but the victorious son of Perfect Sting could summon a :26.3 last quarter to be a length clear of Easy Breeze at the wire, with Moneyhill GB just another neck off on the money. Everlast Sting Deo is trained by Travis Alexander for Morrison Racing Stables.
 
There were two $12,000 divisions of the class just below the top one for pacing males. The faster was the 1:50.3 recorded by the Papi Rob Hanover gelding PA Luke, a Breeders Crown finalist last year who has now won two straight. An early mover to command, PA Luke was not threatened late for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Robert Cleary, and Celtic Racing.
 
Twist Of Lemon also set a new speed record when he took the other section in 1:52.4. A Captain Crunch colt driven by Johnathan Ahle for trainer Jeffrey Smith and owner Jeffrey Webster, Twist Of Lemon followed cover then went on to challenge that clearing cover, making the lead then holding off the horse on his back, Lou’s Rodeo, by a nose.
 
Quickest mile of the day came from the fast-class handicap pacers in a $13,000 race, with Best Chip leaving little doubt who was best today as he streaked to a new mark of 1:48.3. Tim Tetrick made two speed moves with the son of Heston Blue Chip in front fractions of :27.2, :55.1 and 1:22.2, then tapped the pacer on the far turn, and he smoked home in :26.1 without too much apparent exertion; Young Bluey A and Wish You Well gave game but futile chase in finishing second and third, respectively. The late-bloomer has a record of 6-4-2-0-$41,535 since joining up with trainer Joe Bongiorno and El Dorado Stables two months ago.
 
The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, put up 8-5-1-1 in his Philly sulky action Sunday. Doublers include Mark Herschberger and amateur driver William Clark Jr, who trains both his sulky successes, joining Travis Alexander and Howard Birney as multiple conditioning winners.
 
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philly on “Trottin’ Thursday” at 12:25, with Ari Ferrari J going for his third in a row in the $16,000 fast-class handicap feature; if he is to do so, he’ll have to overcome the outermost starting slot for the third straight outing. There will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wager. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The American Ideal gelding Dandy Ideal finished with an explosive late kick to down fellow millionaires Ken Hanover and Ruthless Hanover in 1:48.3 over a “sloppy” oval while taking the $27,500 fast-class handicap pace Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Dandy Ideal, Ruthless Hanover and Ken Hanover lined up behind the gate in that order on the right-hand side of the field of six. Dandy Ideal, driven by Braxten Boyd, outleft everybody for early command, with the noted frontrunner Ruthless Hanover continuing up to make the lead and Ken Hanover forced to drop in third before the :26 quarter. “Ruthless,” an engine winner in his last two starts at Pocono, continued on to midsplits of :54.2 and 1:21.4, with favored Ken Hanover getting into the major action uncovered before the latter station.
 
“Ken” gained on “Ruthless” on the far turn, and the millionaires’ three opponents were not able to stay close, so Boyd had a choice of the inner or outer route with his horse, and he chose to back him out and then swing wide early in the stretch. A big last sixteenth enabled Dandy Ideal to gobble up the embattled front two to win by 1½ lengths over Ken Hanover, with Ruthless Hanover another three quarters of a length behind the winner. Hunter Oakes trains the winner of $1,112,507 for Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.
 
The $20,000 subfeature fast-class pace went to the game Always B Miki gelding Congressional, who moved to command in front of the stands and held on to the wire in 1:50.1, with potential pocket rocket American Fling just a half-length behind at the finish. Congressional was driven and is trained and owned by Kevin Wallis, one of three (Tim Tetrick, George Napolitano Jr.) on the select list of the top fourteen active winningest drivers who raced at Pocono Saturday.
 
Honolulu Hanover, seventh at the half, moved three-wide late in the backstretch and circled his opposition to win the top trot of the day, worth $17,500. The Bar Hopping gelding came from a very tough spot in the 1:56 victory for Pocono’s top driver and trainer, Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala, and James Martin.
 
The spoils were well-divided on the Saturday card; driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Chelsey Faurot were the only doublers.
 
Three $16,000 contests for two-year-olds will be in the spotlight on the Pocono Sunday twilight card at 5 p.m., as the stakes season for two-year-olds starts this coming Saturday (July 4) with a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for trotting males kicking off the state-sired action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – 2024 Harness Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh showed she’s back in top form while finishing the 1-2 combination for trainer Chris Ryder that was started yesterday by Miki And Minnie at Plainridge, doing so by winning the $16,000 distaff handicap pace Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in a powerful 1:48.4.
 
Dexter Dunn came in for the catch-drive behind the daughter of Roll With Joe, settled her in second behind Elektra A well before a :27.1 quarter, then brushed with her in front of the stands to the lead before a :55.2 half (no doubt helped by the scratch of Gigglingonthebeach, the frontstepping horse who was considered to be her main rival Friday). Twin B Joe Fresh was then asked for championship speed and she gave it, pacing her third quarter in :26.4 to hit the third marker in 1:22.1, and then staying strong with a :26.3 kicker to complete the mile – only 4/5 of a second off Shartin N’s 2019 divisional track record.
 
Trainer Ryder and driver Dunn are co-owners of the winner of $2,874.799 with Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak. With Twin B Joe Fresh and the aforementioned Miki And Minnie, who each have won two Dan Patch divisional awards, Ryder has a pair of super sidewheelers who are the reference points for the free-for-all pacing mares division.
 
If on the far turn of the $11,500 co-featured pace for the fast-class distaffs you were looking for the winner, she would have been in an unusual-for-Philly spot, circling up four-wide. But the Pet Rock mare Blood Moon A stayed in after forcing the early pace, was shuffled behind a contested lead battle that collapsed and had to wait until late backstretch to get clearance, then swung wide and swept by everybody in the last eighth to win in 1:51.2 for driver Mark Herschberger, trainer Enrico Robinson, and Pollack Racing LLC.
 
There were a pair of $12,000 contests for younger horses on the improve. The contest for pacing distaffs was impressively won by Luckylady Hanover, a Captaintreacherous filly who reduced her mark to 1:52 for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Stacy Chiodo, and Timothy Tobias Sable LLC. Luckylady Hanover came roaring frontward down the back and made the point while pacing her own third quarter in :27.2, then tacked on a :27 kicker to be drawing away with the greatest of ease.
 
The trotting sector of this class went to the Calgary Games filly Calgary Sun, who is now perfect in two starts since entering the Per Engblom shedrow after reducing her mark to 1:55.2. Calgary Sun also used a backstretch move (in :27.3) to gain contention under George Napolitano Jr.’s guidance, made the lead in the lane, then held off Sister Wine, who closed well after a shuffle, by a neck for Myfab Inc.
 
An impressive debuting two-year-old was the Roll With Joe - R Marie Hanover colt Marie’s Jet, who won a photo over pacesetting favorite Beeville in 1:52.3. Beeville set fast fractions of :26.3, :55.3, and 1:23.2; Marie’s Jet, who had tucked fourth on the first turn, started an unrelenting move midbackstretch that carried him up to the leader approaching headstretch, then enabled him to get the decision by a head over the game pacesetter. Troy Beyer had the drive for trainer Aaron Lambert and owners Vincent Ferriero Jr. and Carlye Yanstick.
 
Beyer won sulky honors on the day with four victories, with Simon Allard one behind. Doubles were rung up by driver Corey Callahan and trainer Enrico Robinson.
 
Sunday’s 12:40 racing card at Philly features male pacers competing in both the classes for up-and-coming performers and for the established fat-class set. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Ari Ferrari J again showed plenty of horsepower Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the winner of $1,289,737 capturing his second straight $16,000 fast-class trotting feature, here in 1:52.2, after again overcoming the outside post assignment.
 
The son of Walner, driven by Tyler Buter for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Kenneth Jacobs, was briefly three-wide at two different points on the first turn before establishing command past a :27.2 quarter, and sailed right along through middle splits of :56.1 and 1:24.1. Benjamin Hanover (driven by Tim Tetrick in a head-to-head matchup between the leading drivers at Pocono and Philly), who had forced a tuck from Dribbling Bi early before yielding to the winner, came outside for the drive but could get no closer than a length at the wire; “Benjamin” did preserve second in a photo over inside charger Dribbling Bi.
 
Howlingathemoon DK has now won two of his last three starts and three of his last six after leading at every pole in the $13,000 fast-class co-feature. Simon Allard set sail with the Cantab Hall gelding and put down fractions of :27.1, :56.3, and 1:24.1, then warded off first-over favorite Shoresy by 1½ lengths in 1:53 for trainer-driver Pat Lachance.
 
With the global sports extravaganza for football/soccer, the World Cup, in the midst of being played and partially hosted by the U.S., it seems appropriate that David Seaman S, named after one of England’s greatest goalkeepers and a two-time World Cup participant, would win the $13,500 top trot race for developing horses.
 
The sophomore Six Pack gelding also found the front end as the path to victory, making the top in :28 and then backing off the half to :58.1, before a 1:26.1 three-quarters preceded a :27.3 last quarter to complete the 1:53.4 mile a head ahead of an oncharging Jim Beam. Driver-trainer Åke Svanstedt’sÅke Svanstedt Inc. shares ownership with Stall Arsenal AB (Arsenal was David Seaman’s club team for many years).
 
Tim Tetrick visited the winners circle five times on the day, including with last race winner Spy Booth after a five-horse photo while paying an un-Tetrick-like $53.80. Sulky doubles were turned in by Troy Beyer, Tyler Buter, Andrew McCarthy, and Åke Svanstedt. Svanstedt also drove both of the winners out of his barn; other conditioning doublers were Tony Alagna and Joe Columbo. There were a total of nine sub-1:55 diamondgaited miles on the “Trottin’ Thursday” card.
 
2024 Harness Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh will visit Harrah’s Philly on Friday afternoon, starting from the outside post in a $16,000 field of six as she seems to regain her championship form. (Her Ryder stablemate Miki And Minnie will go postward about three hours later at Plainridge, which can be seen on the Harrah’s mutuel system.) Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – In the final morning session for baby qualifiers at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, five of the eight freshman contests were for pacing colts, and they were swept by trainers Travis Alexander and Hunter Oakes.
 
Alexander had three of the winners, including 1-2 finishes in two of the races; they also happened to be the quickest pair as well as both being repeaters. Primacy Station went down the road in 1:55.3 - :56.1- :27.4, with the American Ideal- Preeminence colt beating out barnmate Brookie Cookie for the ownership of Alexander Racing Stable LLC, C M T Farms, EVM Racing LLC, and James Scarpias.
 
Also with double success in the morning races is the Heston Blue Chip – Counterparty Risk colt Current Events,  who here sat in the pocket behind stablemate Takes Courage then beat that one by a neck in 1:56.3 - :57.2 - :28.3 under Ridge Warren’s handling. Alexander’s third winner among the males was the American Courage – Ascending colt Bastonata Bluechip, with Kakaley guiding him to a 1:58.1 – :57- :28 victory.
 
Oakes’s two colts were both driven by Tyler Buter. Babylon Blue Chip (a Huntsville – Onassis Blue Chip colt) overcame interference past the three quarters and still finished in 1:57 - :56 first over for the triumph, making him a member of the Two Win Club, while the Captain Crunch – Dandy’s Sweetness gelding Dapper Station won from in front in 1:57.2 - :57 - :28; he too now has two baby victories.
 
There was one division for each of the other three groups of two-year-olds, and Alexander-Kakaley accounted for the filly pace as well: Sublime Hanover (Stay Hungry – So Perfect) came out of the two-hole to win in 1:58.4 - :57.2 - :28.2 for Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC and Alexander Racing Stable LLC.
 
On the trotting side, the Walner – Bella Glos colt Extra Anelo wired his field in 2:00.3 - :58.3 - :28.1 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ray Schnittker, co-owner with Ted Gewertz and Nolamaura Racing LLC, while the Captain Corey – Swizzle Sticks filly Stir The Pot was first-over from well back in winning in 2:01.2 - :59 - :29.1 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Jenny Melander, and the partnership of Charles Stansley, Lenavitt Investments LLC, John Licausi, and Arden Homestead Stable.
 
It won’t be long now before the two-year-olds begin their stakes careers: the first freshman stake at Pocono is an All-Stars event for the trotting colts on the Fourth of July, a Saturday, while the Pennsylvania fair season opens three days earlier in Butler.
 
Replays of the baby qualifiers can be viewed at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – For the second time in as many starts at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Dame Good Time, the five-year-old gelded trotter by Chapter Seven, , put in a free-for-all- caliber mile, following up on his 1:50.2 world record-equaling clocking with a very strong 1:51 victory Tuesday afternoon at the mountain oval.
 
Dame God Time started from post five in the six-horse $27,500 handicap event, just inside champion mare Warrawee Michelle, and gradually went up for driver Ridge Warren to take the lead away from “Michelle,” who was sent off at 4-5 vs. the gelding’s 11-10, a good bit past the :26.4 quarter. Dame Good Time continued on to post midsplits of :55 and 1:23.1 with nobody able to start an outside charge at him.
 
Despite the benefit of a two-hole trip, Warrawee Michelle could make up no stretch ground on the new world recordholder; in fact, she wound up three lengths behind the very powerful winner. Dame Good Time, now a career winner of $685,516, seems like he is on a course to face some of North America’s best trotters sometime soon for trainer Nick Devita and owner John Cummins.
 
There were two $15,500 trotting events for horses looking to make headway up the class ladder, and both winners set lifetime bests. Caballero, an altered son of Tactical Landing, launched a second move uncovered down the back from which he carried on to a length triumph in 1:54.1 for the hot combination of driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Anthony Faulkner, and owner Jaypaul Hanover.
 
Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding who has been a mainstay of the Pennsylvania fair circuit the last two seasons, was in form control on the lead in the other sector, stopping the timer in 1:56 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Linda Schadel, the latter co-owner with husband Tony.
 
Anthony Napolitano won four times on the Tuesday card to lead all drivers; two of them were for trainer Anthony Faulkner, the only conditioner who doubled. Also winning twice were drivers Tyler Buter and Jim Pantaleano.
 
There will be a doozy of a $27,500 fast-class handicap pace on the Pocono card Saturday, which begins at 1 p.m.: there are three millionaires handicapped to the outside of the outstanding field – Dandy Ideal, Ruthless Hanover, and Ken Hanover will begin from posts four through six respectively. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Pacers dominated the Tuesday morning qualifying action for two-year-olds at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with four events for each sex being carded.
 
Fastest youngster of the day was the Captaintreacherous – Rockingcam Park colt Renegade Hanover, who had the lead throughout after starting from the rail and coming home in :57- :28.1 in a 1:57 mile. The youngster is owned by Polie Mallar, David Fraser Sr., Dennis Osterholt, and Thaddeus Wier; trainer Mallar teamed with driver Troy Beyer for two of the four sections for males, while the other two were won by the father-son team of driver Patrick and trainer Chris Ryder.
 
Speaking of father-son combos – Captaintreacherous also was the sire of two of the filly pace winners, and his son Captain Crunch sired the other two. Fastest of the fillies was the Captain Crunch filly Buneas Dias, going coast-to-coast in 1:57.1 - :57.2 - :28.3 for driver Russell Foster, trainer Eli Scott Jr., and the partnership of Eli Scott Racing LLC, Barry Mandell, and Larry Brown.
 
Coming through the stretch of the final filly contest, it was apparent that Chris Ryder was going to get a third training credit, but one could not be sure with whom – Renegade Hanover (driven by Pat Ryder) or Rascal Robbie (driven by Beyer). In the end Treacherous Wings (Captaintreacherous-Alicorn) rallied from the pocket to catch her stablemate by a nose in 1:59.1 and make for a Ryder-Ryder triple.
 
Only three of the morning’s eleven qualifiers for two-year-olds were for trotters, and the most interesting of the three success stories was also the quickest winner. That was the filly Nobody Knows It, racing out of the pocket and coming home in 2:01.3 - :58.2 - :29 for driver Corey Callahan and trainer-owner Richard Hans.  
 
When you mention “Richard Hans” the words “Googoo Gaagaa” are usually not far behind, and such is the case here: Nobody Knows It is by Betting Gangster S, a $437G winner overseas whom Hans stands and who produced the 1:55.1f Maryland champion And Just Like That from his first crop.  And Just Like That Is from the Googoo Gaagaa mare Goorateness, and Nobody Knows It is out of the Googoo Gaagaa mare Goo Luck Charm.
 
The Harrah’s qualifiers can be viewed at www.phha.org.