By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – They were three-wide to the quarter in the $21,500 trotting feature Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and they were three-wide the length of the stretch as well, with the Kadabra four-year-old gelding Say You Do taking his fifth straight victory in 1:52.2.
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The three involved early were railsitter Scirooco Rob, Very Very Fast between horses, and favored Winning Shadow three-wide in a :27 opener, with the last-named circling to the front past Scirocco Rob nearing the 3/8, going on to the half in :55.2. Very Very Fast, who backed off to tuck at the quarter, made a second move raw at the 5/8, with Say You Do moving to follow the cover, and the front ones hit the three-quarters in 1:23.4.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Western Joe, hard-used to make the lead just before the half, showed no ill effects late, crossing the wire an easy 1:49.2 winner in the $21,500 fast-class featured pace on Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

A son of Western Ideal, Western Joe got away fourth in a 26.1 contested quarter, then had to work hard to clear the early leader Major Crocker A, finally doing so for driver Pat Berry near the :54 midpoint. The three-quarters came and went in 1:21.1 without a threat to the favored leader, and Western Joe had no anxious moments through the lane, with the razor-sharp Prairie Panther able to cut the winning margin down to 1½ lengths by the finish.
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The track recordholder at 1¼ miles, Western Joe is trained by Christopher Choate for owners Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosies. He has now bankrolled $540,031 in his career.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
HARVEY’S LAKE PA – The first new home to harness racing in Pennsylvania in thirteen years, and the first new fair harness venue in seventeen years, came to life in spectacular fashion on Thursday and Friday, as Silver Springs Ranch, a training facility located approximately a half-hour northwest of The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, applied for a 2-day Fair Sire Stakes meet this year, was granted it, and then conducted a fine program appreciated by horsemen and spectators alike.
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The tone was set in the very first race ever over the half-mile oval, as the Well Said – Harlow Hall freshman gelding pacer Halliwell Hanover  broke his maiden in 1:59.2 for the first 2:00 mile of the year on the Pennsy fair circuit by a two-year-old. Trainer/driver David Brickell is co-owner of the promising youngster with Mitchell York.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras each had three wins in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes second preliminary round action for two-year-old trotting fillies Friday afternoon on a hot day at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the pair combining twice, including with the fastest divisional winner, Sister Sledge.
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The Father Patrick – Behindclosedoors miss Sister Sledge won a Sire Stakes in his first purse start, then caught the eye of many when she followed by winning a Pennsylvania All-Stars division in 1:53.4 – the fastest time of the year by any baby trotter, regardless of sex or size of track. On Friday Gingras let her work her way to the top past a :28 opener, get a :58 rest to the half, pick up the pace to 1:26.4 at the three-quarters, then scooted home with her in :28.2 to complete the 1:55.1 package, holding off  Sherry Lyns Lady, also a PaSS winner earlier, by a confident length.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Six $20,000 divisions of the second preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series for two-year-old trotting fillies headed the card at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday. Intermittent rain caused three changes in track condition during the hot afternoon, but five of the six winners still produced lifetime marks.

The fastest winner in the freshman sextet was the Muscle Hill – Quite Possible miss Dune Hill, who posted a clocking of 1:56.2 over a “good” surface. The filly had been having some breaking difficulties, but here driver Yannick Gingras let her ramble down the road, keeping opponents three-wide to the quarter before they tucked, then powering off to win by five lengths for trainer Ron Burke and owner Joseph Di Scala Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – In a stretch battle of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winners earlier this season, the filly Nomo Volo was up in the final stride over the colt Ginger Tree Skyr to take the $16,000 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon in 1:56.4.

Trainer/driver Jeff Gregory got away in the middle of the field with the winning Explosive Matter sophomore as favored Navarone Hanover made the early lead, then moved outside nearing the half and got cover from Ginger Tree Skyr. That colt grinded and worked past the favored pacesetting filly in the lane, but then was nipped by the filly on his back in a very close picture. Nomo Volo, who has had breaking issues since winning a Sire Stakes event on May 26, used her best behavior and ability to raise her bankroll to $141,467 for Jeff Gregory Inc. and Jesmeral Stable.

In a $14,500 event for fast-class pacers, the Dragon Again gelding Blake North quarter-moved to command, then came home in :55.3 to post a half-length victory in 1:51.3 for driver George Napolitano Jr., meet-leading trainer Gilbert Garcia-Owen, and owner Gilberto Garcia-Herrera. It was 51-1 shot Emeritus Maximus who shot out to early command, yielded to the odds-on winner, and made him work hard for the triumph; even with that longshot followed in order by 16-1 shot Hudsonandbernard and 12-1 Te Kawau N (second choice Jeneral Patton did get fifth), the winning 1-6-5-7-2 Jackpot Hi-5 ticket was played by multiple players, and so the jackpot carryover climbed to $42,387.03 for Thursday’s racing.

Tim Tetrick, newly named as a Hall Of Fame ballot candidate for this summer’s voting, built onto his lead as the winningest driver at Harrah’s Philadelphia, visiting Victory Lane six times on the Wednesday afternoon program.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Smokee Mirrors came in from The Meadows for his first start at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on the Tuesday twilight card. The son of Kadabra scratched in off the AE list to get post nine, and was ninth at the half. And despite all that “distance,” Smokee Mirrors was able to sweep his field to win the $15,000 featured trot in 1:58.2.

Smokee Mirrors and driver Anthony Napolitano did get a fast pace behind which to work, and they followed the sweeping Papi Hanover from fourth-over at the 5/8, going three and then four-wide late on the far turn. In the stretch, Papi Hanover made a short lead, but the long wide journey was tiring, and Smokee Mirrors took over late, then withstood by a neck the favored Holiday Hangover, who had been badly shuffled and was closing even wider than the winner. Andrew Harris is handling the training of Smokee Mirrors for owner Robert Key.

In a $14,000 distaff pacing co-feature, for the second straight week Dark Force parlayed an inside trip into a victory, on Tuesday taking a new mark of 1:50.3. Eric Carlson got away third with the Bettor’s Delight mare, sitting behind pacesetting favorite Sidewalk Dancer and pocketsitter Bye Bye Michelle; Sidewalk Dancer went fast fractions and seemed to blunt any late kick from Bye Bye Michelle, but Dark Force was steered to the deep Pocono Pike and responded sharply to overhaul the chalk by a neck. Ross Croghan trains the winner for Let It Ride Stables Inc.
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Simon Allard drove five winners to head the Pocono sulkysitters during the Tuesday card, the last of which was $81.20 bomber Shady Secret, who was all alone most of the last half.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Kadabra gelding Noble Prize overcame the tough first-over journey for the second straight week, winning the $14,000 claiming handicap trotting feature on the Monday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

After a forward tuck early, Noble Prize started his uncovered move for driver George Napolitano Jr. on favored High Blue at the half, battling that one down the backstretch, through the turn, and into the stretch. Nearing the wire, the grinder proved the toughest horse, winning by 1¾ lengths, with second-over Keystone Sergeant just along to nip High Blue for second. The winner’s time of 1:54.4 gave him a new mark.

Noble Prize raced for trainer Lou Pena and owner Clinton Lugar, but he won’t go for these connections next time he faces the gate, as he was taken for the $17,000 claiming price, a frequent occurrence at a track with sharp horsemen always looking to acquire fit horses.

The featured trot was carded as the curtainraiser on the card; “George Nap” then completed the Early Double with the 10-year-old Cee Pee Panic (the Quebec-bred champion way back at age three) in 1:53.4. Napolitano had a total of five winners on the Monday card, and now has climbed to 299 victories during the season, putting him in fourth among North American drivers. Not bad for a driver who had a total of nine 2019 victories when Pocono opened its season on March 16; only Iron Man Aaron Merriman has won more races than Napolitano since that date.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Trainer Ron Burke, who won three of four $30,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars contests for two-year-old pacing fillies Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, came back to add two more when four divisions of All-Star freshman male pacers went postward Sunday.
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Tying for Sunday’s fastest All-Star performer was the Somebeachsomewhere – Michelle’s Jackpot colt Mac’s Big Boy, who was the first horse to show off the gate, but tucked and fell back as far as fifth down the back, got room deep in the Pocono Pike and squeezed through under Matt Kakaley’s guidance to win for the first time in a purse race in 1:53. Lyons Music, who was to the winner’s right in the Pike, ducking inside the pacesetter, was outdashed by ¾ of a length to the wire, with closer Tell Them Lou another neck back in third. Mac’s Big Boy, who had won a Gaitway qualifier in 1:55.3, is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby, and Wingfield Five LLC.