By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Streaking classriser Bella Ava held off a late bid from favored classdropper Winnerup to take a new mark of 1:53.2 in the $13,600 trotting feature on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Dexter Dunn made two moves to control the pace with the daughter of Cantab Hall, opened up ground on the second-over Winnerup down the backstretch and around the far turn, then stayed strong while trotting her last half in :56.1 to defeat her main rival by 1½ lengths. It was the fourth straight victory, stepping up every time, for Bella Ava, who is trained by Jenny Melander for the JPS Racing Stables LLC. In a pair of $11,600 co-features on the “Trottin’ Thursday” card at Philly, driver Tyler and trainer Todd Buter shipped in with a pair of horses who had won exactly one-third of their lifetime starts – and both improved on that percentage by coming home first. The faster of the two was the Explosive Matter gelding Rich And Miserable, who came uncovered into a :55.2 back half yet still won comfortably in 1:52.1, giving him 18 wins in 52 career starts. Buter Farm Inc., Lynette Buter, and William and Carol Fuhs own the talented trotter. The same ownership foursome are also the sponsors of the Muscle Massive gelding Two AM, who came out of the pocket headstretch, had his prospects not hurt when pacesetting Broadway Athena briefly went offstride, and then scored in 1:53.1 to bring his career scorecard to 29 wins in 85 starts. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – A second purse start, a second win, a second divisional track record. The racing game must seem easy to Captain Corey, as he won his $103,361 section of the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for two-year-old trotting colts Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, matching his divisional colt record of 1:55. Handled by trainer Åke Svanstedt, Captain Corey ranged frontward after a :28 quarter, then with long strides the big colt stepped to the lead at the 3/8 and got a breather to the :58 half. Captain Corey came home easily on his own in :57 - :28.1, defeating stablemate Johan Palema by 1½ lengths while equaling the Philly track record for colts set by Rome Pays Off last year. That colt goes in the Hambletonian on Saturday; this one has already shown the talent to say that he would belong there. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Premium Pennsylvania-sired three-year-old pacing fillies will be racing for over $300,000 on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, including two $93,542 divisions of the third preliminary round of the group’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and six $20,000 divisions of their Stallion Series action. Four different fillies bring victory in Sire Stakes action to Sunday’s event, and even though three of them are in the race five division, it’s likely that the tenth race will draw at least as much interest, as it contains the sole two-time Sire Stakes winner, the Captaintreacherous filly Party Girl Hill, unraced at two but unbeaten in five starts at three, who will begin from post two in a field of six for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Chris Ryder, and owner Tom Hill. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Encore Encore mare Striking Encore, caught late in this class last week, made amends on the Tuesday afternoon card at a soggy The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, controlling the pace in a 1:56.2 victory in the $12,800 featured trot. George Napolitano Jr. had few anxious moments with the winner, who has now won three times in five starts since she joined up with trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera and owner Gilbert Garcia-Owen. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CLEARFIELD PA – The Explosive Matter colt Stickler Hanover trotted the fastest mile in the history of the Clearfield (PA) County fairgrounds on Monday afternoon in Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes action, winning in 2:01.1 to reduce by a tick the mark set by Bet On Tom three years and two days previously. Trainer Steve Schoeffel had the lines behind the new track recordholder, who won his PA Fair Championship event in 2019. Stickler Hanover boosted his lifetime earnings over $100,000 and has now won both of his fair starts (with a Stallion Series victory in between) for owners Virginia and Kathy Schoeffel. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The sophomore gelding Saint Sebastian, sired by the late Sebastian K S, broke not only his maiden but that of his 59-year-old trainer Mahlon Martin with a 1:57.4 win at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Monday afternoon, in the process lighting up the tote board to the tune of $118.60 to win. Tom Jackson got the winner away in the two-hole, watched 2-1 shots Tuff To Be Lindy and Gerard battle until the stretch, and then went into the Pocono Pike to score a half-length victory for the LCL Stable. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Sportswriter mare Kendra N teamed with driver Jordan Stratton to take advantage of a wild front-end battle in the $17,200 mares pacing feature on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, closing the best of all to take a new mark of 1:51. Summer Charm was sent to the lead early and hit the quarter in 26; favored Bettor Joy N attempted to quarter-move but was given the cold shoulder by the pacesetter into a strong wind, and with Shecandance N keeping the pocket tight, the raging duel took the front of the field by the half in a punishing :53.2. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
WILKES-BARRE PA – Skyway Quinton, circling four-wide on the far turn around horses who had been used hard early, stayed strong to the wire to take the $17,200 pacing feature in 1:50.2 on Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Anthony Napolitano kept the victorious son of Real Desire near the back of the pack as favored Alluneedisfaith N yielded to Rollwithpapajoe near the quarter, after which that one put up splits of :26.1, :55.2, and 1:22.1. A first-over bid from Western Fame and a three-wide sweep from Luciano N did not gain on the frontenders, but Skyway Quinton did, pulling away to win by 1½ lengths over two Pocono Pike users who dead-heated for second – chalk Alluneedisfaith N and Prairie Panther, the longest shot on the board. By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill – Order By Wish four-year-old Marseille, whose full brother Rome Pays Off goes in the Hambletonian eliminations tomorrow, set a good example for his “younger brother” with a commanding 1:53.2 victory in the $12,800 trotting feature Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Marseille, who posted a 50-1 upset holding off Greenshoe in the Beal Final last year at Pocono, had the top here in a matter of steps and put up fractions of :27.4, :57, and 1:25.2 for trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt, coasting home to win by three lengths while raising his lifetime bankroll to $509,678 for Åke Svanstedt Inc., Order By Stable, and Howard Taylor. |
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April 2024
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