By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​​WILKES-BARRE PA – The Captaintreacherous mare Rocket Deo left strongest of all in Monday afternoon’s $25,000 fast-class distaff pace at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, set the pace to her liking, then blitzed home in :26.4 to win by three lengths in 1:51.2.
 
Rocket Deo, now a winner of $646,954, found no serious early opposition, with Promiseland A taking advantage of track geometry from the rail to maintain the pocket and sit in the two-hole as Rocket Deo rang up fractions of :27.4, :56.2, and 1:24.3. With that kind of easy early work, the pacesetter had plenty left in the tank for the drive to the wire; Promiseland A maintained the deuce, three lengths behind at the finish to the winener, who was driven by Jack Pelling, for trainer-father Brett and the ownership of Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding.
 
Co-featured on the card were four $15,000 conditioned events for developing horses, equally split between the gaits, and the paces split by sex. The Always B Miki gelding Laugh Shop followed up on his 1:50 win of six days prior to pace to a 1:50.3 victory in his contest, forced to pay a :26.4 (slightly wind-aided) price in quarter two for command but maintaining the lead to the wire. Captain Luffy won a photo for second behind the Braxten Boyd-driven, Jill Wine-trained late bloomer, now winner of three of his last five for Samuel Abdoo and Wine Stable.
 
The pacing distaffs were fronted the entire mile by the Captaintreacherous sophomore filly Simply Perfect, but she had to step her final half in :55 to ward off first-over Calamity Hour by a nose in a career-best 1:51.1. Simon Allard was the sulkysitter for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Kenneth Jacobs.
 
The trots had no sexual separation in their conditions. The faster by a tick was turned in by Inferno DK, successful in three of his last six trips to the gate after holding off Top Floor Tactics by three quarters of a length in 1:55.3. George Napolitano Jr. guided the improving winner, an altered son of Great Challenger, for trainer-owner Yinson Quezada.
 
The Muscle Hill gelding Diplomacy overcame the outside post eight to lead at every pole in his 1:55.4 triumph, with 46-1 shot Stevie Ray second, 2¼ lengths back. Niko Karna drove the winner for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Allister Stables LLC, L A Express & Sjoblom Inc., Frank Canzone, and Michael Dolan.
 
Anthony Napolitano reported home first four times to earn the day’s honors as winningest sulkysmith.
 
The racing week concludes at Pocono on Tuesday at 1 p.m., with the very first race having a carryover into its Superfecta pool. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha,org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Two-year-old pacing fillies, many of whom had raced at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania last Sunday in a Pennsylvania All-Stars event, came right back in seven days to contest $238,266 offered over three PA Sire Stakes divisions and five PA Stallion Series section in their group’s second preliminary leg.
 
And for those lamenting the growing importance of front-end speed in modern harness racing – this was a card for you. Only one stakes horse in the eight added-money races led at both the three-quarters and the wire, and only two ahead at the top of the stretch held sway all the way home. Also, every race save one was decided by a half-length or less.
 
All three Sire Stakes events were held over a track rerated from “sloppy” during an early rainstorm to “good” by midcard. The fastest division went in 1:51.3, not a season’s record (but curiously faster than any male has paced on a 5/8-mile track so far), and it was won by the Sweet Lou – Benear miss I’m A Lou Lou, who sat a two-hole trip, was the only stakes winner to take over the lead on the far turn (she came her back half in :55.2), then held of flying Imagine Heaven (own last half :55) by half a length while breaking her maiden. Tim Tetrick guided the winner for trainer Ron Burke and Burke Racing LLC, Knox Services Inc., Lawrence Karr, and Phillip Collura.
 
The only horse in either grouping to post a second win in her section was Bahama Momma (Tall Dark Stranger – Idyllic Beach), whose entire career consists of “Sire Stakes win” / “Sire Stakes win.” Coming her own back numbers in :55.2 - :27.3 in the 1:52 mile ( a tick off her first victory), Bahama Momma caught another first leg winner, Loua Dipa, by a head for trainer-driver Joe Bongiorno and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing.
 
The third PaSS winner was the Captaintreacherous – Tica Hanover filly Big Weekend, who had to back out of a collapsing pocket and was fourth at the stretch call, but still could close in :27.2 to chase down Call Me Angelita by a head while reducing her mark to 1:52.3. An All-Stars winner in her last start, Big Weekend was driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Travis Alexander and Fiddler’s Creek Stables.
 
The first two Stallion Series races were raced over a “sloppy” surface, which quickly bounced back to “good” status, which it held the rest of the card; we indicate the sloppy track clockings.
 
All five Stallion Series winners broke their maidens in their victories, three of them first-time starters. The fastest StS winner, Lyons I Wanna Chip (Stay Hungry – Zellweger Bluechip), who had experience, was also the only stakes-winning filly to successfully use engine tactics, with :55.3 - :27.2 speed enough in the 1:53.1 mile to defeat debutante Fabulous Hanover (own back half :54.4 raw) by a neck. The distaff specialist pairing of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr. got the job done for Threelyonsracing.
 
The father-son team of trainer Chris and driver Patrick Ryder scored with two StS winners, both first-time starters: the Bettor’s Wish – It Can Happen filly Bettor Be A Star, who won in 1:53.3 for the Ryder Stable while being both the biggest longshot ($29.40) and the “most decisive” winner, 1¼ lengths, and also the Captaintreacherous – Dream Outloud baby Need You Now, a head ahead of Funky Billie Chin in 1:54.4(sy) for Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki.
 
The other Stallion Series winners were yet another debutante, JK Fierce Lady (Captaintreacherous – JK First Lady), winner by a head over Lovebug Hanover in 1:54.1 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Nancy Takter, and 3 Brothers Stable, and Getting Hungry (Stay Hungry – Striking Terror), a 1:53.3(sy) winner for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander, and Fiddler’s Creek Stables.
 
Trainer Travis Alexander and sire Captaintreacherous each were successful three times in the eight stakes races: Alexander in a Sire Stake, Stallion Series race, and an overnight, and Captaintreacherous’s three-bagger including a PaSS win and two StS victories. (If we put in all the doubles, this already-long story might be interminable.)
 
Monday’s 1 p.m. card at Pocono will be topped by a $25,000 fast-class pace for distaffs; the local racing week closes out on Tuesday with another 1 p.m. program. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
HESTER PA – Two $12,000 events for horses working their way towards the higher classification levels were the feature races at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon; there was one scheduled for each gait.
 
The pacing feature was restricted to male horses, and it was captured by the Heston Blue Chip gelding Best Chip, who won his second straight race for trainer Jacob Stilwell and owners Bruce Stallworth, Matthew Bassett, and Steve Schefkind. Michael Cole had the drive Sunday, and he pointed Best Chip to the early lead, then yielded after the :27.2 quarter to Captain Fear, who put up middle splits of :56.3 and 1:24.1. Best Chip moved out from the pocket to challenge headstretch, and he got by the leader late, winning by a neck.
 
A four-across-the-wire finish in the trotting headliner went to the Six Pack sophomore gelding Theobald, who lowered his race record six seconds to 1:55.2 for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Chris Freck, and Stormi And Bruiser Stable. Dream Weaver Deo went right out and put up quick splits of :27.1, :56.1, and 1:25.1; on the far turn he was joined by the first-over winner, with second-over Lisbon and Bourbon Buzz (splitting horses midstretch) joining the cavalry charge. Theobald won by a neck over 50-1 Bourbon Buzz, who won a photo for second over Lisbon, who won the picture for third over Dream River Deo.      
 
Johnathan Ahle and Corey Callahan each won one leg of the Late Double, giving both drivers three victories and a share of the day’s leadership. Two of Ahle’s victories came for trainer Noel Daley, the only conditioner doubling on the Sunday program. 
 
Racing continues on a four-day-a-week schedule during July at Harrah’s Philadelphia: Wednesday through Friday cards start at 12:25, while Sunday programs begin at 12:40. 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 contests, one on each gait, for horses preparing to ascend to stakes or open company were the featured contests on the Saturday afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
The pacing division saw Jamaican Rock A, a gelded son of A Rocknroll Dance making his first North American start, get the coveted “one-and-one” trip (second-over), then swing wide in a group within three lengths of each other at headstretch and pace to a 1:50.3 victory. The Aussie import, a winner of five of eight 2025 starts, decisioned Pocono Pike challenger Iknowbetter by a length for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Scott Blackler, and owner Chad Rowal.
 
In the featured trot, the runaway leaders in the local horsemen’s standings, driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ron Burke, combined with the Father Patrick gelding Ordained to take the big slice of the purse in 1:53. The pacesetting Ordained got a breather in the second quarter then blitzed home in :56 - :27.3 to hold off free-too-late Whiskey Lou by 1¼ lengths. The winner of $319,331 is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Beasty LLC, and Frank Baldachino.
 
A $16,500 pace for fast-class horses produced the fastest mile of the day by far as the Lazarus N gelding Endofstory said “end of story!” to his opponents early, putting fractions of :26.2, :54.3, and 1:20.4 on the timer before finishing out strongly to freeze the clock at 1:48,3, a new mark. Belmont Royale A gave chase from the pocket but wound up 1½ lengths behind the winner, who was driven by George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Doug Dilloian Jr. and owners David Linker, Brian Loman, Robert Venable, and Kyle Warren.
 
The top fast-class trot on the day was a handicap event going for $12,500. The Walner gelding TNT Blue Chip gelding made two speed moves in front of leaving horses taking back after finding no early holes, set the pace the last five-eighths of the mile, and completed his success story easily in 1:53.1. Anthony Napolitano drove the winner to his second win in his last three starts for trainer Bruce Clarke; his B Clarke Racing LLC shares ownership in the winner with Patricia Waldeck.
 
The big winner on the day was meet-leading trainer Ron Burke, whose Pocono win total rose by three (that number being two behind the number of horses he qualified for the Adios Final across the state next Saturday). Two wins in the sulky were put in by Matt Kakaley and the Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr.
 
Many of the same two-year-old pacing fillies who raced at Pocono last Sunday in Pennsylvania All-Stars competition are back this Sunday for the second preliminary of their Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action, with $232,266 on the line in three Sire Stakes sections and five Stallion Series cuts. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
BEDFORD PA – The Pennsylvania fair circuit pulled into this borough south and roughly halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg for a two-card fair meet, but wet weather caused the Thursday card, to be devoted to two-year-olds, to have to cancel, the first of the Pennsylvania season. (Jake Hoover is soon due for better luck.)
 
But Bedford bounced right back, and the three-year-olds put on a magnificent Friday of racing, topped by a magnificent day for driver-husband Tony Schadel and trainer-wife Linda, the hottest pairing on the circuit, who combined for six winners on the day, including a winner in three of the four “A” events in the Pennsylvania Fair Stakes which they jointly own.
 
Tony and Linda got proceedings off to a fast start by taking the two divisions of the filly pace. The quicker of the two winners was the Bettor’s Wish miss Tina’s Wish, who lowered her overall record almost five seconds with a 1:56.4 win over the half-mile oval. Her stablemate Milagro, 2024 Fair Champion and author of the 1:55.2 fastest mile of the young fair season at Hughesville, then won her fourth consecutive fair start in 1:59.
 
On the pacing colt side, the main fireworks were provided by fair newcomer Fasting, a Stay Hungry gelding who blazed the twicearound in 1:56, quickest time of the meet, and of the fair year for his division, for driver Eric Neal and trainer Mitchell York, the latter co-owner with Erin York. The clocking was not far off the all-time Bedford track record of 1:55.2, first set in 2021 by the fillyTiamogonedancen (trained and co-owned at the time by York) and later matched by the gelding Captaincountrystar.
 
The former colt divisional leader, the Captain Crunch colt Bettor Not, became the first horse to notch five “A” wins in 1:59.2, furthering his 2:00 total to four (Milagro has three) for trainer-driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with Christine Schadel.
 
Author of the fastest trotting victory of the meet was the Cantab Hall gelding Cantab Zette, whose 2:00.3 mile ended the undefeated fair streak of Set The Bar (winner in 1:58.4 for the Hughesville and seasonal trotting record). Cantab Zette won for driver Eric Neal and trainer Susan Callihan, the latter co-owner with Gregory Callihan, Nichole Buchleitner, and Amber Setznefand. Tony and Linda Schadel kept their hand in with a 2:03.2 victory by 2024 Fair Champion Lionheart Hanover, a Greenshoe gelding.
 
The Families Schadel were honors even in the filly trots. The Cantab Hall miss Classy Cocktail was the quicker in 2:00.4 for Team Todd Schadel; brother Tony guided the International Moni filly Tally The Tab to a 2:02 victory in the other section.
 
(By the way, the final winner for Tony and Linda, the “B” winner Baby Tao, an altered son of Bar Hopping, does have a co-owner in Presli Poletti.)
 
The Keystone fair circuit now has its longest break of the entire summer until racing resumes on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3 at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Wattsburg PA, its “two-day” meet. Post time for both cards will be at 1 p.m.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – There was no sophomore trotting filly adding a second Pennsylvania Sire Stakes credit to her resume when two divisions of the third preliminary round were raced at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon; in fact, both winners had most recently competed in the Stallion Series division of the Pennsylvania program.
 
The quicker winner was the Greenshoe filly Dearly Beloved, who has victories in the PA Stallion Series, the Currier & Ives, and now the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in her last three starts after lowering her mark to 1:53.1 in this $51,683 division. Dearly Beloved was moved uncovered at the half by driver David Miller, and the game filly, now six for nine on the year, trotted her own back half in :55.4 to go past pacesetting favorite Hangover by 1½ lengths for trainer Jenny Melander and owner Donald Bartling.
 
The “uncovered horse catching the frontstepping chalk by 1½ lengths” scenario was repeated in the second division of the Sire Stake, worth $52,083; here it was Highlandstarburst, a daughter of Father Patrick, overcoming the rough journey under Yannick Gingras’s handling to go past leader Payback Moni to win in a lifetime best 1:53.2; her own back numbers were :55.2 - :27.3. Trainer Nancy Takter took trotting hopples off the filly upon her arrival to her new barn, and the filly had no problems winning for Highland Thoroughbred Farm.
 
In the only $20,000 division of Stallion Series action for this group, the International Moni filly Seal The Deal AS dropped down from the Sire Stakes and was much the best in her field, winning in 1:52.4, a new mark, faster than either Sire Stakes division, and only three-fifths of a second off the track record. Tim Tetrick got the winner of two straight to the lead at the quarter, saw favored Tabdone behind him make a break as she started to move forward, and had an easy time of it after that, with only pocketsitter Bay Breeze Hanover within hailing distance, and she was three lengths back at the line. A winner of two straight, Seal The Deal AS is trained by Anette Lorentzon for ACL Stuteri AB.
 
Last Friday trainer Ray Burt sent the longest-priced winner of the meet, Sporty Dragon, who paid $136.20 for a $2 ticket. The crowd will catch on to Burt eventually, but it didn’t Friday – just seven days later, Burt was the conditioner behind A Stud Named Sam, who came from off a hot pace to win and return $121.20.
 
Burt is the only trainer to have two $50+ “bombers” in the meet, and both of his brought back over $100. A Stud Named Sam was driven by Patrick Ryder, one of only two horsemen to have a pair of $50+ winners at Philly in 2025 – the other is Johnathan Ahle, who drove Sporty Dragon! (And then later on the card Ahle grabbed back the “bomber lead” back when winning with Always Trump at $54.40.) There were five $50+ horses in the first 37 days of the 2025 season, and now there have been five in the last eight, including Ahle’s triple contribution.
 
The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, led all sulkysitters with three wins on Friday; doubles were put up by David Miller, George Napolitano Jr., and Åke Svanstedt. Svanstedt also had a pair of winners on the training side, as did Brett Pelling.
 
The racing week will conclude at Philly on Sunday with a 12:40 card; there will be a carryover of $3381.32 into the first race Pick 4 pool. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.             

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA –$240,752 was on the line Thursday afternoon during the second preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for two-year-old trotting fillies. Favorites did not do well in the stakes, coming up only one for nine, and there was only one repeat winner, but every equine visitor to Victory Lane either set or equaled her mark.
 
And on the unusual day of an all-trot 15-race card, it was good to be among this group: Team Orange Crush; Todd Schadel; Dexter Dunn; and sires Bar Hopping and Captain Corey.
 
Fastest of the three Sire Stakes divisions was the 1:55.1 mile turned in by the Captain Corey – Island Lily filly Islandgirl Hanover, who moved uncovered against favored Atlantic Summer then left her 2¾ lengths behind. Islandgirl Hanover came her back half in :56 and took a new mark for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze Stables LLC.
 
The sole repeat winner in the stakes action was the Bar Hopping – Perfect Chance miss Ginger Tree Lex, who flew home in :56.2 to equal her mark of 1:57.1 while capturing her second Sire Stakes. Andrew McCarthy guided the winner for trainer Steve Cook and owners Samuel Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures LLC, Knollview Stable 2, and Robert Reber Jr. (And we have already mentioned the sires of seven of the nine stakes successes, as Bar Hopping had four offspring triumph and Captain Corey had three, including both of these Sires victories.)
 
The only stakes chalk to triumph the entire day was the third PaSS winner, Next Big Think (Greenshoe – Iteration), who broke her maiden in 1:57. Dexter Dunn (who won a division of the PaSS and the PaStS as well as an overnight) was in the sulky behind the Marcus Melander trainee for Courant Inc.
 
Trainer Todd Schadel may have had eight freshmen rained out at the Bedford (PA) Fair, but he still harnessed two Stallion Series winners, including the fastest one in Snow Queen Hanover (Bar Hopping – Snowflake Hanover) , who won in 1:55.3, like all her fellow Stallion Series winners a maiden no more. Schadel co-owns the winner with Jim Simpson, and she was guided by Andy Miller, about whom more in a bit. Schadel and Bar Hopping also came together with another Bar Hopping miss, Amber Ale Hanover (dam Abbie Hall), in 2:00.2 for driver David Miller.
 
Bar Hopping got his third StS winner and fourth stakes winner on the card with Be Mine Hanover (dam Birgitta Hanover), who came from the pocket to win in 1:57.2 for trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt.
 
We mentioned Andy Miller and Team Orange Crunch earlier, and they opened the card with the biggest outsider of the day ($29.40) and one of the two Captain Corey Stallion Series winners, Just Teasing (dam Just Joshing), who came home uncovered in :56.3 to win in 1:56.2. In all, Julie Miller trained three winners for the stable, and Andy won four races, which almost became five in the last race until son Tyler overhauled him with I See A Star.
 
The other Captain Corey winner was the only one involved in a photo finish, Handle Station (dam Harness Am), who won by a neck in 1:58 over Caviart Queen Emma for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Lucas Wallin. The final Stallion Series winner was making her first purse start, Pray For A Win (Father Patrick – Andover The Prize), and she is now one-for-one after tallying in 1:57 for trainer Nancy Takter and driver Dexter Dunn.
 
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for trotting fillies continues on Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the three-year-olds contesting their third-round preliminaries. There will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 pool. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Tim Tetrick, looking for his fifth straight title as winningest driver at Harrah’s Philadelphia, padded an already-sizeable lead by bringing home seven winners during the Wednesday card at the riverside oval.
 
Among Tetrick’s seven-bagger was the winner of one of the two $12,000 featured paces for distaffs, the Captaintreacherous filly Lyons Benz, who made the lead after the quarter, then came home in :56 to win by eight lengths in 1:53. Jim King Jr. trains the winning filly, who shook off a four-race bout of seconditis, for Threelyonsracing.
 
The same triumvirate braintrust attempted a feature sweep in the other division with another Captaintreacherous-sired favorite, Lyons Anitasangel, but that one didn’t get away well and made a break trying to recover the necessary ground to contend. The winner was the Stay Hungry mare Shangri La Hanover, who sat in the two-hole behind fast fractions set by Sweet Odds, then caught that one up the inside by three parts of a length while lowering her mark to 1:51.1. Simon Allard had the winner placed in the most opportune spot for victory for trainer Linda Toscano and the ownership of Steven Held, South Mountain Stables, JAF Racing LLC, and Camelot Stables Inc.
 
There will be Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for trotting fillies on the next two Philly cards. Over $350,000 will be at stake as two-year-olds stage their second preliminary on Thursday’s all-trotting fifteen race card and then three-year-olds have their turn in their third prelim on Friday. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – It was sixty years ago today that the harness horses began to play at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – July 15, 1965 was the first day of racing ever at the Downs, and the tradition went into its seventh decade on Tuesday, with a $15,500 claiming handicap trot as the feature, as has been the case in recent months.
 
This particular classification has been prone to winning streaks all year, and that streak continued with the Tuesday victory of the Anders Bluestone gelding Jas Bluestone, who overcame the outside post to win in 1:53.4 for driver George Napolitano Jr. (a three-time winner to top the local sulkysitters), trainer Joe Pavia Jr., and owner Kathleen Napolitano. “Jas” has now won two straight and five of his last seven starts.
 
The late-developing Always B Miki gelding Laugh Shop took a mark of 1:50 in a “nw 2 races” pace, setting most of a quick tempo and then going free at the end. Braxten Boyd, of Madden Oaks fame, guided the winner for trainer Jill Wine and the ownership of Samuel Abdoo and Wine Stable.
 
Racing returns to Pocono on Saturday for a 1 p.m. start; during the Sunday 6 p.m. program there will be $232,266 in stakes action during the second prelim round of state-sired competition for freshman pacing fillies, with three Sire Stakes divisions and five sections of the Stallion Series. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.