By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA –Ervin Hanover is now a double Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner in his young career after capturing his $81,110 division of the second prelim for two-year-old pacing males Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, while Annapolis Hanover won his second straight stakes start in finishing first in the other division.
 
The Captaintreacherous – Eloquent Grace colt Ervin Hanover got to sit third behind Fulton, who set fractions of :27.1 and :56, and pocketed favorite Bugaboo Lou, who beat both of these colts in 1:51.3 in a Pocono Pennsylvania All-Stars race last time out. Yannick Gingras tipped Ervin Hanover out late in the backstretch to challenge the pacesetter before and after the 1:24.1 three-quarters, and the finish came down to these two after Bugaboo Hanover, with a clear inner lane after the two-hole journey, failed to fire.
 
Ervin Hanover managed to wear down Fulton by a neck in 1:52.1, a new lifetime mark, with Bugaboo Hanover a further 1¼ lengths back in third. Now the winner of two out of three purse starts, Ervin Hanover is trained by Gingras’s fellow new Hall Of Famer Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva Stables LLC, and Jim Simpson.
 
Annapolis Hanover (Stay Hungry – All Night Long), who was third to Fulton and Bugaboo Lou in his first PaSS leg, held at The Meadows, and who won a Pocono All-Stars event in 1:51.3, needed 1:52.3 here to notch the victory for owner/trainer Mitchell York, a retired Pennsylvania state trooper. Annapolis Hanover, the favorite, sat just behind second choice Lousain Bolt in fractions of :27.4, :56.4, and 1:24.4, then showed stretch grittiness to post his fourth win in six starts, beating out first-over Stay Grounded by a neck, with first leg PaSS winner Ken Hanover another three parts of a length behind in third, and Lousain Hanover fading to fourth. 
 
Captaintreacherous dominated the siring stats in the six $20,000 Stallion Series events, with “The Captain” the father of three winners; Sweet Lou had two successes, and Stay Hungry one. Tim Tetrick also won three Stallion Series races – all with horses by different sires.
 
Two of the Tetrick wins were for trainer Jim King Jr.: the Sweet Lou – Zane Hanover colt Lyons Stealth, now a double Stallion Series winner and the fastest divisional winner today, 1:53 (a new mark) for Threelyonsracing; and the Captaintreacherous – Dark Secret gelding Secret Captain, who dropped from the Sire Stakes and broke his maiden in 1:54 for owner Jo Ann Looney-King.
 
Tetrick’s other StS success came with the Stay Hungry – Dear Valley Miss gelding Dempsey Hanover, coming off an All-Stars second to here break his maiden in 1:54 for trainer Todd Luther and Black Magic Racing.
 
Miller, who won a Sire Stakes with a Stay Hungry, had two sons of Captaintreacherous win for him in the Stallion Series to match Tetrick with three stakes successes. The two StS winners for “The Captain” and Miller were Quixote, a gelding out of the dam Love Canal, who won his initial purse start in 1:54.3 for trainer Nifty Norman, co-owner with Let It Ride Cooper Stables, Bottom Line Racing LLC and Howard Taylor; and Ship Ship Hooray, now a double StS winner in addition to an All-Stars triumph in his brief undefeated three-race career, the colt out of Scandalous Hanover taking a new mark of 1:53.3 for trainer Chris Ryder and owners Ryder Henderson  Mondillo, Ken Jacobs, and Barry Spak.
 
Ryder completed a StS training double with the other Sweet Lou offspring, the colt Aperitif (dam Candlelight Dinner), who broke his maiden in 1:53.3 for driver Dexter Dunn and Let It Ride Cooper Stables, Mac Nichol, Howard Taylor, and Bottom Line Racing LLC.
 
Two-year-old trotting males occupy the Thursday spotlight at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with two $75,816 divisions of that group’s second prelim round of their Sire Stakes action, one of which is a head-to-head matchup of the first leg winners Crantini and Kenobi. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Frazzleberry got his own way on the lead past the half in the $13,000 featured pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on a hot Tuesday afternoon, but he still had to work hard late to hang on to a nose victory over Fulsome in 1:54.2.
 
George Napolitano Jr. moved the son of Art Major to the lead early, got a 30 second breather in quarter two, but then faced a challenge from first-over Fulsome most of the way home. Others joined in the dash to the wire, but the camera showed Frazzleberry a winner by the smallest of margins over his grinding foe, with Ripplesonthebeach third, just a neck from taking it all after photoing out late-clearing Win Place’N Show for the show dough.
 
Frazzleberry has now captured two of his last three starts, with a second in between, for trainer Jose Godinez and the partnership of Joseph Betro, Ian Behar, and Kristie Leigh Farm Inc.
 
In the first of two $12,500 trotting co-features, Top Me Off, a son of Bar Hopping who was the winningest three-year-old diamondgaited male in North America last year with 15 victories, posted a second successive success with a 1:54.4 triumph, moving in front of the stands to take control and going on to win for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer/owner Arlene Cameron, who combined for a pair of wins on the card.
 
The other top trot went even more quickly, as driver George Napolitano Jr. took his second feature of the day, this one with Can’t Say No in a lifetime best 1:54. The son of Explosive Matter never relinquished control from the pole and left his opponents far behind  in winning for the second straight time for trainer Tee Wine and Jemaxpo Racing Stable LLC.
 
“George Nap,” perennially the track’s leading driver, had five wins on the day. Uncustomarily, though, he is looking up for second this season at Matt Kakaley, who leads in sulky victories this season and added three on Tuesday.
 
Excellent racing will be featured this weekend at The Downs. On Saturday’s 1:30 card, there will be a $25,000 pace with such stalwarts as Catch The Fire, J M Mandamin, and Southwind Ozzi top contenders; the last race High-5 bet will have a $6258.52 carryover. A similar $25,000 event for pacing distaffs appears on Sunday’s 5:00 program, along with three $30,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies, with several of them already having stakes success. Program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for two-year-old trotting fillies were featured on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and after a favorite started the stakes action off, it was a longshot player’s delight the rest of the way.
 
There was no hint in the air of what was to come when the Father Patrick – Evelyn filly Vanessa J won as a heavy favorite while taking a maiden mark of 1:57.3 in an easy 4¼ length victory. Tim Tetrick guided the winner, who had been fourth in a PA Sire Stakes in her only other purse start, for owner/trainer Lucas Wallin, who has had quite the profitable relationship with Tetrick as of late.
 
Heavy favorite Angelpedia made the lead in another All-Stars division, but then she made a break past the eighth, leaving the race wide open. In the end, it was the International Moni – Possessed By Lindy filly Pembroke Moni who made the best rally in the last quarter, scoring her second career victory in a 1:58.3 mile by 1¼ lengths for meet-leading driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Mark Ford, and owner William Varney. The first four finishers in this race went off at 16-1, 26-1, 6-1, and 99-1.
 
David Miller won the other two races, although not getting the pari-mutuel respect a Hall of Famer is usually due. He guided the fastest All-Stars winner of the day, the Donato Hanover – Movitational miss Portulaca, who won a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in her only other purse start and here lowered her mark to 1:56.3 at a truly generous 14-1. The other Sire Stakes winner in the first round, Fashion Annie, was odds-on from the rail vs. Portulaca’s starting from the outside post seven, but her own :56.2 late charge landed her a neck behind the winner, trained by Kathleen La Montagne, co-owner with Donald La Montagne.
 
All of this was mere All-Stars pari-mutuel prelude to the $108.80 winner Broadway Sensation, who took a maiden mark of 1:58.4 in a field of six where the three favorites all made miscues, and the top three finishers were 53-1, 18-1, and 22-1. Broadway Sensation is a daughter of Bar Hopping – Broadway Woman who is trained by Steve LeBlanc for LeBlanc Racing Inc., Douglas Johnson, and Glenn Dyke, and was 1½ lengths clear at the finish.
 
In fact, Pocono had a second explosion of the tote board three races after Broadway Express won, as TSM Batman came up the deep Pocono Pike to post a $132.60 bomber mutuel for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Bob Krenitsky Jr. and owner Ted Tomson. Although this result was an “upset” in the usual sense of the word, deep readers of the form noticed that on June 13, TSM Batman won and paid $99.20 to win. He becomes the first horse to post two $50+ prices in the 2022 meet; also, the last time there were two $100 winners on the same card at Pocono was nearly four years ago, on August 11, 2018.
 
All the burnt-out lightbulbs in the tote board will be replaced by Tuesday’s 1:30 card, which ends the four-day racing week at The Downs. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.       

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Beach Cowgirl, a two-year-old pacing daughter of Captaintreacherous – Stonebridge Sundae, was astounding in winning her $54,986 division of the second Pennsylvania Sire Stakes prelim for her division during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – in 1:50.2.
 
Let’s take care of all the speed notes for Beach Cowgirl. The 1:50.2 clocking was a fifth of a second short of the track and world record set by Allstar Rating while winning a 2013 Breeders Crown elimination here. She is now the fastest freshman filly on any size of track this year, and ranks behind only two 1:50.1 Kindergarten winners at The Meadowlands Friday for babies of either sex.
 
And she did that in her second lifetime start, after setting a 1:51 stake record at The Meadows in her debut, also in a Sire Stakes.
 
Joe Bongiorno was content to wait third with his brilliant filly as Proud Mary rolled to the quarter in :26.3 and Ginger Tree Coco went around that one to the half in :55.1. Beach Cowgirl roared out of the hole near the 5/8, blasted to the lead at the 1:22.4 three-quarters and finished out in :27.3 under only mild coaxing for a 2¼ length win over 29-1 closer Hello Yes Hi. Trainer Jennifer Bongiorno and the ownership of Joseph Di Scala Jr., Zippett Racing Stables, Scarlett Stables LLC, and JAF Racing LLC have themselves a filly for whom the sky is the current limit.
 
Also notching a second Sire Stakes win was My Little Captain, who shares with Beach Cowgirl a two-for-two life record and sire Captaintreacherous (she’s out of My Little Delight). My Little Captain was moved out on the far turn by driver Mike Wilder behind Absolute Power, whose uncovered move had carried her to the lead, and ran down that foe by 1:53.2 for trainer Andrew Stafford and EVM Racing LLC.
 
The third PaSS winner was the Stay Hungry – Four Starzz Melisa distaff Racing Hungry, who challenged frontstepping favorite Dole Whip in the last quarter and was game late to catch that one by a neck while posting a speed mark of 1:53.3. Racing Hungry is now two-for-three in her brief career for trainer Charlie Norris and the ownership of Scott Mceneny (her developer in Canada), Teresa Davidson, and Floyd Marshall. Her driver, Matt Kakaley, Pocono’s leading driver, won five times on the night.
 
Doublers in the five $20,000 Stallion Series divisions were driver David Miller, sires Stay Hungry (top stakes sire on the night with three wins) and A Rocknroll Dance, and three first-round StS winners. David Miller handled one by each sire, and both posted their second Stallion Series wins: the Stay Hungry – Arodast baby Ginger Tree Lena, taking a new mark of 1:55 for trainer Steve Cook and owners Sam Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures LLC, Knollview Stable, and Robert Reber Jr., and Little Lady J, by A Rocknroll Dance – Monet’s Lilly filly, who already has five wins including stakes at Butler Fair, The Meadows, and now Pocono after reducing her standard to 1:54 for owner/trainer Mitchell York.
 
The fastest Stallion Series winner and the other double winner, the Always B Miki – Sweet Body filly Ambushed, was ironically the only StS winner Sunday who did not take a mark despite pacing in 1:53.2, fastest of the five cuts. A winner earlier is 1:53.1 at The Meadows, Ambushed won handily for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Hunter Oakes, and the partnership of D Racing Stable Inc. and Donald Mac Rae.
 
The second Stay Hungry winner in the Stallion Series was Nevertellmetheodds (dam Armbro Cinnamon), who debuted after two qualifying wins and tasted success at first asking while taking a mark of 1:54.4 for Matt Kalaley and trainer Christopher Beaver, also co-owner with Anastasia Meshkoba. A Rocknroll Dance got a second winner in Frondeur (dam Redhot’s Memory), a winner of half her four starts and possessor of a new mark of 1:54.3 for driver Marcus Miller, trainer/father Erv Miller, and the ownership of Shim Racing LLC. 
 
In a $25,000 pace for fast-class mares, Sly Eleanor N won by a flared nostril over No Win No Feed A in 1:51.2. No Win No Feed A took the field to the quarter in :26.4, but Matt Kakaley moved Sly Eleanor N to the lead in front of the stands and put up midsplits of :56 and 1:23.4. The race boiled down to a stretch sprint between these two, with the McArdle mare Sly Eleanor N edging her Pocono Pike opponent by the smallest of margins for trainer Travis Alexander (that trainer/driver team is on a roll) and owner Gary Lance.
 
Four divisions of two-year-old trotting fillies will headline the Monday 1:30 card at Pocono, competing in $30,000 sections of their Pennsylvania All-Stars event. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.       

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – After finishing second to the World’s Fastest Harness Horse, Bulldog Hanover, in two of his first three 2022 starts, the Captaintreacherous gelding Allywag Hanover obviously relished some class relief Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, taking the $22,500 handicap pacing feature in 1:49.2.
 
Last year’s older pacing champion was sent to the lead from the outside in the field of six by driver Todd McCarthy (top driver of the day with four victories) and reached that spot before the :26.4 first clocking, then continued on to midrace fractions of :55.2 and 1:22.3. Fellow millionaire Southwind Ozzi came out of the pocket on the far turn to gain some and momentarily give the crowd a thrill, but McCarthy sat chilly in the bike as Allywag Hanover came home in :26.4 to a deceptively-easy victory, with the game Southwind Ozzi three-quarters of a length back. The winner of $1,253,530 got his first success of this season for trainer Brett Pelling and the Allywag Stable.
 
Virgo commenced an uncovered bid from third past the five-eighths of the $15,300 co-featured pace after Pat McGarry A had put up early fractions of :26.2 and :55.1, and kept gaining even though the timer read 1:21.4 at the three-quarters. Corey Callahan guided the altered son of Always A Virgin to the lead in the stretch, then won the late battle of yellow-and-green by holding off strong closer Southwind Sandor (Tim Tetrick) by a neck in 1:49.3. Dylan Davis co-owns the winner of $377,872 with Howard Taylor.
 
Tony Beltrami, who won two of the American Harness Drivers Club paces on the Friday card at Philly, came back and swept the two trots carded for amateur horsemen on Sunday: All Rise didn’t see the rail until the three-quarters but still won in 1:57.4 for owner Beltrami and trainer Edwin Quevedo, and then Tidquist overcame first-over duties to record a 1:56.2 win for owner/trainer John Obert.
 
Two-year-old colts in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series will be the featured performers at the beginning of this coming week – pacers on Wednesday and trotters on Thursday. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The impeccably-bred Bee Forever kept his 2022 record perfect after six starts by winning the $17,500 co-featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a career best 1:52.3, with the co-featured pace also seeing the winner take a new record, as Casual Cool wired his field in 1:48.3.
 
Bee Forever, a son of Horses of the Year Muscle Hill and Bee A Magician, made only thirteen starts at two and three, and aside from a win in the Valley Victory at two, was not the equal of his royal pedigree. Trainer Nifty Norman deserves much credit for working with the gelding, now four, and enabling him to show his powerful stride and will to win for owners Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman, and David Mc Duffee.
 
Leaving from the outside post eight, Bee Forever, who could not count smoothness of gait among his many assets, actually made a charted bobble past the eighth pole, but driver Tyler Buter got him straightened out quickly, and went up past the :27.3 quarter to get the lead and go on to fractions of :56.2 and 1:24.4. Pocketsitter Chapolier was positioned for an upset, but Bee Forever still had a :27.4 last quarter in him to keep that rival 1¾ lengths in arrears.
 
After the race, Director Of Racing Rick Kane presented Tyler Buter with a sign commemorating his 4000th driving victory, which he picked up Thursday at Yonkers.
 
Casual Cool certainly enjoyed coming from Jersey to Pocono in the pacing co-feature with his strong front-end effort, featuring fractions of :26.2, :54.4, and 1:21.3. Pocketsitter Betterrock tried valiantly to make an impression, but he wound up 1½ lengths behind the winning American Ideal gelding, who was driven by Jim Pantaleano for trainer Daniel Renaud and Dune Road Stables LLC. Casual Cool now has a lifetime bankroll of $520,410.
 
Speed held up extraordinarily well at Pocono on Saturday, which it frequently does on a warm and dry afternoon. Another proven way to get to the mountain oval’s winners circle, the claiming box, was very busy, with seventeen horses changing hands for a total of $457,250 – the biggest one-day figure since the height of Game Of Claims Series mania back four months ago.
 
Perennial Pocono dashwinning driving leader George Napolitano Jr. paraded back four horses today to lead the horsemen’s colony, two of them for trainer Crissy Crissman-Bier.
 
Stakes racing for two-year-old fillies is on tap for the next two cards at The Downs – during Sunday’s 5 p.m. card, over $260,000 will be on the line for the second prelim of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes / Stallion Series for this group, with all three winners in the first PaSS leg – Proud Mary, Beach Cowgirl, and My Little Captain – are scheduled to go. On Monday’s 1:30 program, there will be four $30,000 divisions of Pennsylvania All-Stars action for their trotting counterparts. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.     

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The $325,000 yearling purchase Energetic Hanover, a sophomore who did not race at two, is starting to show the promise of his pedigree, on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia posting a new mark of 1:50.3 in winning the $15,300 featured pace. 
 
A Captaintreacherous gelding, Energetic Hanover is out of Eloquent Grace, who is a Well Said sister to the $1M+-winning full brother and sister Fred And Ginger and Ginger And Fred (helping to explain the common thread of names in the family). Energetic Hanover danced away from his competition Friday, moving to the lead past a :27.2 quarter under Todd McCarthy’s guidance, then motoring by the half in :55.3, the three-quarters in 1:23.1, and the finish three lengths ahead of Jo Pa’s Warrior, whom he had passed for the lead. The Brett Pelling trainee is five for eleven on the season, with a Pennsylvania Sire Stake win on June 8, for owners David Mc Duffee, Melvin Hartman, Steven Arnold, and Paul Bordogna.
 
There were four paces for the American Harness Drivers Club amateur horsemen. Tony Beltrami won twice with Brandon Mongiello trainees, including a notable uncovered-the-mile win with Maajaackkobe in an across-the-track stretch drive.  Johnathan Ahle and John Calabrese also visited the AHDC winners circle. And in all four AHDC events, the half was reached in :56 or less, reflecting the hard-contested races.
 
Some special cards of racing are in the near future at Harrah’s Philadelphia, starting with Sunday’s 12:40 program which in its $22,500 feature handicap pace finds last year’s top older pacer, Allywag Hanover, beginning from the outside in the field of six. The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for two-year-old colts come to town for the 12:25 cards next Wednesday and Thursday – the first day the pacers will be featured, and then the trotters.  Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
HUGHESVILLE PA – The Pennsylvania Fair circuit came to the Lycoming County Fair in this northcentral Pennsylvania borough, near Williamsport of Little League World Series fame, for two days of PA Fair Sire Stakes racing on Wednesday and Thursday.
 
On the first day, a pacing filly record was broken, and then a pacing colt record rewritten, and then – 12 minutes later – that same record was not only broken again, but the latter mile also tied the all-time Hughesville speed standard.
 
And Wednesday was the day for two-year-olds! The all-age track record would again be smashed on Thursday, when the three-year-olds took center stage!
 
Let’s start recapping with the freshmen, as they set more records.
 
First to alter a line in the local standards was the Heston Blue Chip – Balasun pacing miss Sunshine Chip, who stopped the watch at 2:00.1, lowering by a full second the Hughesville record set by Crew Sock Hanover in 2018. Eric Neal guided the baby for trainer Bob Krenitsky Jr. and owner Julie Krenitsky. (In the other division of this group, Rambling Ruby became the fair circuit’s first three-time “A” winner on the year with a 2:01.2 mile for trainer/driver Todd Scahdel.)
 
Then came the two-year-old colts. First to set a record was the Captaintreacherous – Well What’s New gelding Captaincountrystar, who paced in 1:58.4 to reduce the standard of 1:59.2 set by Lislea Moran all the way back in 2008 for trainer/driver Todd Schadel and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Wallace Townsend Jr. 
 
But as noted, in the very next race that mark was eclipsed by a 1:57.2 effort turned in by the Heston Blue Chip – Franciegirl gelding Make Me An Offer, who is co-owned by driver Tony and trainer Linda Schadel. And that 1:57.2 also equaled the all-age Hughesville track standard of Love Cut, who paced hat fast as a three-year-old in 2018.
 
Before leaving the freshmen, it must be noted that Team Todd Schadel swept the “A” Fair Sire Stakes for baby trotters, two divisions for colts and three for fillies, with the fastest by sex the International Moni – Arrowstar colt Action Shot in 2:04, and another International Moni offspring, the filly Quarantina (dam Cantab Cabela), in 2:04.2. Todd as trainer/driver went to Victory Lane eight times on Wednesday.
 
When the sophomores raced on Thursday, the spotlight fell on driver Jack Killeen and trainer Jason Shaw, who swept the pacing colt divisions. First up was the gelding Myartblongstorock, a 2:01.1 winner for owner Christian Apel. This mile would be a prelude to an amazing 1:56.3 effort by the Betting Line gelding Aladdin Hanover, whose blistering mile rewrote the 23 hour and 16 minute record of freshman Make Me An Offer, for Team Killeen/Jason Shaw and owner Mason Shaw.
 
Also earning a sophomore citation is the Explosive Matter miss Curry Hanover, first trotter to get to three “A” fair wins for the hot trainer/driver Steve Schoeffel with a 2:01.4 clocking.
 
Trainer/driver Todd Schadel led the horsemen’s colony with his eight-win Wednesday; in behind him on the driving side was Eric Neal, who won five times during the two-day meet, and Tony Schadel, who won four races, and on the training side by Linda Schadel, Todd’s sister-in-law, who harnessed four winners between the two days.
 
Next stop on the busy PA Fair circuit is at the Bedford County Fair, which will race Thursday and Friday (July 21 and 22), and for which entries must be made by 10 a.m. on Tuesday the 19th.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Top Me Off was the winningest three-year-old male trotter of North America in 2021, and the son of Bar Hopping continues to exhibit good form, on Thursday afternoon winning the $15,300 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia under Tim Tetrick’s guidance, paying an un-Tetrick-like $41.40.
 
Tetrick spotted Top Me Off fourth early from the outside post eight as favored Star Razor, going for his sixth straight victory, took command at the :27.4 quarter and went on to put up fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.3. Top Me Off had been given his marching orders going uncovered down the back and through the turn, and in the stretch it was Top Me Off who proved the strongest, winning by a half length over pocketsitter AP Hall Of Trix, with Star Razor another half length back. 
 
Top Me Off, who was purchased by trainer Arlene Cameron at the end of last year, equaled his lifetime best of 1:54.2 with the win Thursday, but putting up fast clockings is old hat to him – he holds the  record for the fastest trotting mile ever on the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit, going in 1:57.2 at Gratz last season.
 
Tom Haughton, a member of one of harness racing’s most prominent “golden families” and still with his hand in on a reduced basis, trained his first winner in over just a year (encompassing just thirteen starts) when his mare Nancy Bar, also sired by Bar Hopping, went wire-to-wire for driver George Napolitano Jr. Nancy Bar was the longest-priced winner on a day when upsets were generally the rule, paying $54.60 while also overcoming the outside post eight (which does better at Philly than at most tracks, with an 8.2% win ratio).
 
Andy Miller won four races on the day, two for trainer/wife Julie; Tim Tetrick, the meet’s leading driver, was next in line with three tallies, two for trainer Arlene Cameron.
 
The next few days of racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia have some sort of feature every day. Friday there are $5000 guaranteed pools for the Pick-4 bets beginning in races one and ten, and a $1525.46 carryover for the Pick-5, which launches in race five. On Sunday, 2021’s superstar free-for-aller Allywag Hanover comes to town, handicapped to the outside post six in a $22,500 contest. And next Wednesday and Thursday two-year-old males will contest a leg of their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes / Stallion Series contests – the pacers on Wednesday and the trotters on Thursday. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Yucatan Party Man took advantages of several “breaks” during the $14,400 trotting feature Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and the Credit Winner gelding took advantage of all of them in posting a 1:53.4 victory, giving the four-year-old a new mark.
 
The first break the “Party Man” got was from behind-the-gate right-hand neighbor Chulo, the favorite, who made a misstep shortly past the start. Andrew McCarthy got Yucatan Party Man right to command well before the :27.2 quarter, and the pair then got their second “break” – a breather on the lead, with the half in :57.
 
Yucatan Party Man was in charge from there, getting to the three-quarters in 1:25, and stayed safe the rest of the way; Andrew’s brother Todd narrowed in with second choice Design Fashion, but could only get to within 2¼ lengths. Trainer Noel Daley, also co-owner with Marika Tommola, had the winner ready after 19 days away from the races.
 
There were three $12,600 co-featured events, one for trotters and one for each sex of pacers. Outwit Outrun appears to be getting the hang of the game now with his fourth win in his last six starts, taking the section for male pacers in a lifetime best 1:51.4. The sophomore Captaintreacherous gelding was sent to the front by driver Simon Allard, rated the half, then sped home in :55.2 to hold off pocketsitter Caviart Scout by three-quarters of a length for trainer Mark Silva and All Star Racing Inc.
 
In the distaff pace, the Western Shore sophomore miss I Forbid You played give and go with Reenactment past a :28.2 quarter, reached the midsplits in :57.3 and 1:26.1, then kicked home in :28.1 to hold Reenactment safe by a neck at the end of the 1:54.2 mile under Corey Callahan’s guidance. The filly, sponsored by Team Cancelliere (trainer Tom, owner John), has now won two straight and still has room to become even better based on recent form.
 
The Andover Hall sophomore miss Newell Place is developing into a solid closer, coming from third-over to run down By The Book, who had moved up steadily first-over, by 1¾ lengths while lowering her mark to 1:54.4 in the trotting co-feature. Troy Beyer got the driving call from trainer John Calabrese and the Calabrese Farms LLC, and he steered her expertly into a position from which to win as she came her own back half in :56.2.
 
Simon Allard and Todd McCarthy each had three winners during the Wednesday card.
 
The Thursday feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia is a $15,300 trot for developing horses, with Star Razor and Cash Machine Girl appearing to be the two who will take the most cash from the betting public. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.