By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Team Melander took the two trotting features on Sun Stakes Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – Joviality S in the Delmonica Hanover, Temporal Hanover in the Earl Beal Memorial – and they came back to win the two trotting features among four $15,000 headliners over a wet, “sloppy” track on Monday afternoon.
 
On Monday trainer Marcus Melander sent out a pair of three-year-old colts by Nuncio, and they showed their quality by overcoming tuck-then-first-over journeys. The faster was Theresnolimit S, who might be named as a description of the number of talented trotters in this barn, scoring in 1:54.1. Another good horse, Abruzzo, gave the winner a fine battle through the stretch, with the Mattias Melander-driven sophomore prevailing by a neck after a :28 last quarter for Stall TZ Inc.
 
Mattias Melander and Stall TZ were also important parts of the earlier trot feature winner, Letsdoit S, who was home first by 1¾ lengths in 1:55.3 for Mattias, Marcus, and co-owners Stall TZ Inc. and Holly Lane Stud East LTD.
 
The Melanders combined on a third winner, the Chapter Seven three-year-old Zappa, who in taking a new mark of 1:57 for S R F Stable was not an odds-on winner like his stablemates, but a 7-1 shot who held off heavy favorite Priceless Fashion by a nose. The three Melander winners paid $3.00 in race 8, $3.40 in race 10, and $17.40 in race 12; if you would have combined them with Tyler Buter winners in the odd-numbered races in between, Gino Sniper ($22.00) and Captain Romance ($6.60), your 8-1-6-1-4 Pick-5 ticket would have returned $425.82 for the minimum 20-cent wager. Mattias Melander and Tyler Buter were the drivers with three victories on the Monday card.
 
We haven’t forgotten the pacing winners – they were the He’s Watching three-year-old gelding Codys Knapsack, winning his third straight with a 1:52.4 mile for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Scott Dillon, and the Sweet Lou three-year-old filly Odds On Gamma, home in 1:53.4 for driver Jim Taggart Jr., trainer Tony Alagna, and Odds On Racing.
 
The jam-packed week of racing at The Downs concludes on Tuesday with a 1:30 post time. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
DAYTON PA – Prime time for the Pennsylvania Fair Harness Racing Circuit continued unabated with Wednesday and Thursday racing at the Dayton Fairgrounds in Armstrong County, in this borough in the westcentral part of the state.
 
The freshmen were out first Wednesday, with the Betting Line – Parlee Beach gelding Rusty Beach producing the fastest mile of the day, 2:01.2, for driver Eric Neal and trainer Richard Dunn, the latter co-owner with MBC Stables LLC. On the trot, the International Moni – Arrowstar colt Action Shot was the fastest baby at 2:04.4, coming in his next start after tying the all-age track trot record at Honesdale of 2:02. Trainer/driver Todd Schadel shares ownership of the four-time winner with his wife Christine and Rick and Regina Beinhauer.
 
There was an upset as Rambling Ruby, the first horse to reach seven victories at the state’s fairs this season, was beaten by a maiden, the Stay Hungry – Take That Hanover pacing filly Tahini Hanover in 2:03. Trainer/driver Wayne Long was in the sulky behind Tahini Hanover for owner Bill Kreutzer.
 
During the Thursday action for three-year-olds, the Explosive Matter trotting filly Heart Matters joined Rambling Ruby as a seven-time winner on the Pennsy cotton candy circuit, with the fastest mile on her gait at Dayton, 2:02.3, another distinction in a summer where she currently has the fastest overall trotting mile of the year, 2:00.3 at Bedford. Heart Matters now has six straight victories and a Stallion Series triumph among her nine seasonal conquests for the Schadel/Beinhauer combine also behind Action Shot.
 
Fastest pacer of the meet was Buchannon Hanover, who with four 2:00 victories in the only PA fairs performer with more than one. At Dayton, the Always B Miki colt only needed 2:00.4 to record his sixth straight win for trainer/driver Todd and co-owner Christine Schadel. Right behind in the speed category was the Betting Line miss Cathy Hanover, who now has won three of her last five starts after a 2:01 victory for driver Aaron Johnston, trainer Nathan Bresnahan, and owner Matthew Miller.
 
The powerful barn that Todd Schadel has put together again enabled him to top the meet in driving (six) and training (seven) victories. Others who had great success at Dayton were drivers Wayne Long and Eric Neal, who drove four and three winners respectively, and trainers Long and Mitchell York, who harnessed three successful charges. Driver Long and trainer York both had three wins with babies on Wednesday.
 
Just as the meet was winding down at Dayton, another was just starting up at Meyersdale in Somerset County, 100 miles due south, with two-year-olds on Thursday and three-year-olds Friday. A full recap of that meeting will appear at the conclusion of its racing, as will a summary of the Saturday-Sunday races at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville PA, the end of the biggest week of action at the Pennsylvania fairs this year.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Amigo Volo added another highlight page to his already-stuffed scrapbook of career accomplishments, outfinishing Stormy Kromer in 1:52 to take the $22,500 handicap trotting feature on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
In the handicap field of seven the Race Office assigned Stormy Kromer post six and Amigo Volo post seven, and they got it just right. Stormy Kromer was away rapidly to clear JL Cruze, with Amigo Volo and Dexter Dunn dropping in the three-hole before the :26.4 quarter. With Scirocco Rob starting to come out of fourth at the :55.4 half, Amigo Volo was again moved to the outside, and the rest of the race was basically between the first-over and the temposetter, with Amigo Volo creeping up past the 1:23.1 three-quarters and battling the game Stormy Kromer to the finish, where the camera showed Amigo Volo the better by a head.
 
Nifty Norman trains the five-year-old Father Patrick gelding, the leader of his three-year-old division and never far from the top of his class during his entire career. He now has 25 victories from 55 starts and earnings of $1,783,449 for Pinske Stables and David J. Miller.
 
The Break The Bank K gelding Double Account atoned for a miscue upon coming from North Jersey to Philly, winning the $16,200 co-featured trot in 1:52.3. Tim Tetrick, adding to his meet-leading total with six more winners Thursday, let favored Yanks Dugout go to the :27.1 quarter, quickly was back out to regain the throttle, and put up midsplits of :56.1 and 1:23.2 before beating the chalk by two lengths. Jeff Cullipher trains and is co-owner of the winner of $272,592 with Pollack Racing LLC.
 
It’s hard to consider a winner of over $500,000 a “developing horse,” but the Creatine four-year-old gelding Take All Comers had won only five races in his career, so he was eligible to the $15,300 class usually thought of as a stage for up-and-coming horses. Take All Comers made short work of his field, rolling up to the lead near a :28.1 opener and then posting splits of :57 and 1:24.4 en route to victory in 1:53.1. Runthetable Stables owns the fast trotter, and the race reunited “Team Hambletonian Oaks,” driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim Campbell.
 
This “Trottin’ Thursday” was just an amazing show all around, with three other trotters winning in 1:54 or less: Nylander (1:54), River Otter (1:53.2), and Sorella, who is just shy of a seven-figure career after a 1:53 victory.
 
The great racing continues on Friday at Philly with a pair of $22,500 handicap paces, one for each sex. In the contest for males, Jimmy Freight, rated #1 in the Top Ten polls earlier this year, returns after the better part of two months away; he did show his fitness by qualifying at Philly in 1:50.4 on Tuesday. Among the distaffs, Majorca N returns to the oval where she won the Betsy Ross Invitational in May. Both of these pacers have been assigned the outside starting slots in their respective fields of six. Racing begins Friday at 12:25; program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Younger horses led off the headliners for this week at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with four $12,600 divisions of the “nw 3 races” class giving up-and-comers a chance to show their developing abilities.
 
The Heston Blue Chip sophomore gelding Dragon City was sitting in the pocket around the far turn in his division, awaiting clearance, and when first-over Pick A Genre bore out, driver Troy Beyer pulled on the right line, and he got the winner of four of nine home by a head over the resurgent Pick A Genre in 1:53. Joe Karrat conditions the consistent (eight of nine starts finishing 1-2-3) pacer for owner Jerry Zollo.
 
The other contest for pacing males was also taken by driver Troy Beyer, here with Pompeo Hanover in 1:54.2. Beyer may be the one horseman who has had a good deal of success rallying horses from well off the pace at this speed-favoring oval, and here the victorious sophomore gelding by Betting Line came from four-wide at headstretch to pick up favored Effingham by a neck for trainer Jake Leamon and owner Marvin Rounick.
 
The section for distaff pacers saw the Sweet Lou three-year-old Blazing Ramona squeak into this class through the AE provision (her bankroll before the race of $29,532 was just under the “nw $30,000 lifetime” boundary), and that’s how she recorded her third win in four starts at this level. Jack Pelling pulled the pocket on 100-1 pacesetter Sandradimples entering the backstretch and those two had a hard battle the rest of the way, with Blazing Ramona finally getting the decision of the mare who defied her odds by a neck. Leah Vandervort trains the winner for Anatolia Racing LLC.
 
A division for trotters went to the Detour Hanover filly You’re Dead To Me, who took the lead past the quarter and staved off pocketsitting Fashion Cocktail by three-quarters of a length while reducing her mark to 1:56.3. Corey Callahan drove the sophomore for the brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere.
 
In the $11,200 fast-class pace, the Shadow Play gelding Jack’s Shadow N went to the lead past the quarter then steamed hone in :55.2 - :27.3 for a 1:51.3 victory, three-quarters of a length ahead of pocketsitter Benhope Rulz N. Tim Tetrick was in charge of the winner of $250,041 for trainer Scott DiDomenico and the partnership of Triple D Stables Inc., Oompa’s Farm Inc., and Robert Mondillo.
 
The colors yellow and green figured in many of the winners mentioned above: Horses pulling drivers wearing those colors visited Victory Lane ten times today. Troy Beyer led the sulkysitters with four victories, while Corey Callahan and Tim Tetrick both notched three tallies.
 
“Trottin’ Thursday” will again gather together fast horses such as Amigo Volo and JL Cruze in a $22,500 handicap event. On Friday Jimmy Freight, rated #1 in the sport’s Top Ten poll for several weeks before taking some time off, will compete three days after qualifying here in 1:50.4 in his $22,500 pacing handicap event; there will also be a $22,500 pacing mares handicap feature, with Betsy Ross winner Majorca N at the riverside oval. Post time both days will be at 12:25 p.m.; program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The veteran Yankee Glide gelding Blenheim put it all together on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning the featured fast-class trot in a smart 1:53.
 
Anthony Napolitano, top driver on the day at Pocono with four Tuesday winners, kept the winner of $412,409 in reserve early as The Lionking AS and Magical Journey argued during fractions of :27 and :55.3, then made one solid brush down the backstretch right to the lead by the 1:24.2 third station. Blenheim then widened his lead with every stride he took, leaving a field with $1.8M in combined lifetime earnings ten lengths or more back at the finish. Lance Hudson trains the winner for owner William Hartt.
 
Among the younger trotting set, the Walner sophomore gelding Abruzzo won his second straight start, going to the lead past the quarter, setting a moderate pace, then sprinting home in :28 to complete a 1:55 mile 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Bill Bauer. Marcus Miller drove the promising three-year-old for trainer/father Erv and the partnership of Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and John Koliopoulos.
 
The next card at The Downs is the biggest of the year, the $2.2M Sun Stakes Saturday, featuring the top three-year-olds and free-for-allers among both trotters and pacers – half of the current Top Ten are racing at Pocono on Saturday. All of the top drivers are penciled in for many drives on the card as well – in fact, the drivers who won all six featured events last year will be back looking to record their second straight win in the respective contests (or in Åke Svanstedt’s case in the Earl Beal Memorial Trot, a third straight win in the stake). Program pages will be available at the PHHA website, https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html, on Wednesday.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WASHINGTON PA – The great Albatross got his early lessons and trained down for the races with trainer Harry Harvey at the Washington County Fairgrounds just down the road from The Meadows, so it seems appropriate that the highlight of two days of Pennsylvania Fair Circuit racing on Sunday and Monday at “Arden Downs,” as it was known when it was a Grand Circuit track, would be provided by a freshman.
 
The Stay Hungry – Sara Diamond pacing filly Stay Happy toured the half-mile oval at Washington in 2:01.3 for driver Mike Wilder, trainer Dan Altmeyer, and owner Ruth Altmeyer. The baby, who has already won at The Meadows in 1:56.2, thus broke a three-way tie for the divisional track record of 2:02.1 that began 26 years ago: Star On Broadway (1996), Bell On Wheels (2008), and TSM Maija Star (2013) were the former recordholders.
 
Bell On Wheels was owned, trained and driven by Roger Hammer, and the 76-years-young Hammer swept the two-year-old male trotting events on the same card, both with sons of Fordham Road he trains and owns: the colt Battin Athousand (dam The Yankees Win), whom he drove, and the gelding Drive To Deliver (dam Diamond Creek), who was guided by Shawn Johnston.
 
After the races for freshmen Sunday, the sophomores had their turn Monday, with the quickest clocking of the meeting turned in by the Betting Line gelding Aladdin Hanover, who won in 2:01.2 to run his fair record to four wins and a second in five starts for driver Jack Killeen, trainer Jason Shaw, and owner Mason Shaw.
 
Fastest trotter of the meet was the Winning Mister gelding Ice Breakers K, home in 2:03.4 for his second straight for driver Hugh O’Neil and trainer/owner Rich Gillock. The other division of the colt trot was taken by 2021 Fair Final champion Father Son, a Father Patrick gelding who had had four seconds in previous PaFSS races but made the winning breakthrough here for driver Brian Zendt, trainer Bill Daugherty Jr., and owners Susan and Dylan Daugherty.
 
The dash for the crowns for top driver and top trainer at the meet were very competitive affairs, and the winners combined quality and quantity – as all four have already been mentioned in this story. Shawn Johnston and Brian Zendt tied for the top among the sulkysitters with four wins apiece, while Rich Gillock and Jason Shaw each sent out three winners to have equal honors on their side.
 
The most hectic week of the year on the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit continues on Wednesday and Thursday at Dayton, with post time at noon both days; at the Somerset County Fair, where the action starts on Thursday at 2 p.m. on Thursday and noon on Friday; and the Crawford County fair at Meadville on Saturday and Sunday at noon. We’ll post full reports at the conclusion of each meet.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Pacer Frazzleberry and trotter Hall It In both took the major honors in their respective $15,000 featured events on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Frazzleberry has now won four of his last six starts, and two of his three outings since being acquired by owner Eric Prevost and trainer Darren Taneyhill, with a 1:52 triumph. The son of Art Major made two early speed moves in fractions of :27.1, :56, and 1:24.3, then came home in :27.4 to be 5¼ lengths clear at the wire for driver Matt Kakaley.
 
Hall It In, a son of Cantab Hall, entered into the care of John Butenschoen upon shipping from The Meadows and promptly made every pole a winning one in a 1:57 mile. Marcus Miller, who topped the local colony with four victories on Monday, got easy fractions, then sprinted home in :28.2 to win by a half length over potential pocket rocket By A Hoff Hanover for the partnership of War Horse Stables and Bay Pond Racing Stable.
 
The racing week closes out on Tuesday with a 1:30 card; on Tuesday, they will also post the scratches and driver changes for this Saturday’s $2,242,500 Sun Stakes Saturday extravaganza. Tuesday’s program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html ; Saturday’s program for the Sun Stakes card will be posted, perhaps as early as mid-Tuesday afternoon, at the same spot.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The lure of $2,242,500 in purses has attracted many of harness racing’s stars to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon for its biggest card of the year, Sun Stakes Saturday. The 14-race program, starting at 1:30 p.m., is bringing to the mountain oval five of the Top Ten horses in the most recent polling, including the leading trotter, Bella Bellini, and Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell.
 
The major format of the day is as follows: each of the four divisions of three-year-olds, separated by sex and gait, are seeded by their moneyearnings in 2022, with a maximum of eight horses per field. The two races for males, the Earl Beal Memorial Trot and the Max C. Hempt Memorial Pace, will race for $300,000, $200,000, and $100,000 in three races for each respective group as sorted by seasonal moneywinnings. The James Lynch Memorial Pace, which has $250,000-$125,000-$75,000 sections, is for fillies, as is the Delmonica Hanover Trot, which drew enough entrants to fill only two divisions, going for $250,000-$125,000.
 
There will also be $100,000 Invitationals for the top older horses on both gaits: the Always B Miki Pace and the Sebastian K S Trot, named after the co-fastest pacer and fastest trotter ever at Pocono.
 
Here is a brief look at the top horses in the major contests on the Sun Stakes Saturday card, per event:
 
 
EARL BEAL MEMORIAL TROT ($300,000 division race twelve, $200,000 division race eight, $100,000 division race three):
 
It’s been an unusual year among the Hambletonian-caliber trotters, as a filly, Joviality S (entered in the Delmonica Hanover) has generally been regarded as the leader of this age and gait. It became even a bit more unusual after the Hambletonian itself on August 6 when Cool Papa Bell, who had exhibited steady but not championship form at both two and three, came from far back to win the classic and return $106.00 to his scattered backers. He drew the rail for the Beal Memorial, with Todd McCarthy scheduled to retain his Hambletonian perch behind the Chapter Seven gelding for trainer Jim Campbell, who had himself quite a day as he also won the Hambo Oaks with Fashion Schooner.
 
A horse who has impressed many people with his consistency is the Walner colt Temporal Hanover, starting from post six for driver Brian Sears and trainer Marcus Melander. Temporal Hanover was second by a head in his Hambo elimination and third, only three-quarters of a length behind after hard usage, in the Hambletonian, and his versatility may make his post less of a consideration than it might be for many horses.
 
 
MAX C. HEMPT MEMORIAL ($300,000 division race eleven, $200,000 division race seven, $100,000 division race four):
 
Certainly the “hot horse” in this group is the Downbytheseaside gelding Bythemissal, who begins from post three for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke. Bythemissal came to the Adios at the end of July undefeated in six career starts but largely unknown out of his immediate area in the Midwest, then was second in his elimination, soundly defeated favored Beach Glass in the Adios final, and has since impressively added the Milstein at Northfield Park to his credits.
 
Beach Glass has a very steady record of five wins and three seconds in eight seasonal starts, winning the Meadowlands Pace and Cane Pace while dancing in all the biggest dances. The son of Somebeachsomewhere will be looking to avenge his Adios defeat while starting from the rail for trainer Brent MacGrath and driver Yannick Gingras.
 
 
JAMES LYNCH MEMORIAL PACE ($250,000 division race ten, $125,000 division race six, $75,000 division race two):
 
Treacherous Dragon started the season with six straight victories, including winning at Pocono and taking the important Fan Hanover Stake in Canada for trainer Nancy Takter, who took over her care at the end of June, and driver Tim Tetrick. And from post six and with three straight board finishes, the daughter of Captaintreacherous is a major consideration in this event.
 
However, the filly who has usurped her as the poster girl for this division is starting just to her right – the Huntsville filly Max Contract, who comes to the Lynch off a four-race win streak. Included in that string for driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie were stakes victories at The Meadowlands in the Mistletoe Shalee, Geers, and Shady Daisy – the switch to post seven over the smaller Pocono oval is the biggest question mark for the fast-closing filly now, although she did show gate jet in her last start.
 
 
DELMONICA HANOVER TROT ($250,000 division race nine, $125,000 division race five):
 
As if she needed it, Joviality S, a daughter of Chapter Seven, has drawn the rail for trainer Marcus Melander and driver Brian Sears. The filly won her first six seasonal starts, including the Yonkers Trot against “the boys,” and she did very well in the Hambletonian against mostly male opposition, missing by a neck while third in her elim and then second by three-quarters of a length in the Final. The highest-ranked of all three-year-olds at number five in the Top Ten, Joviality S is also the only millionaire in the four big sophomore stakes, having already earned $1,491,818.
 
Her fellow Swedish-bred, Jiggy Jog S (you can tell by the “S”), won a Hambletonian elimination, and then missed only 1½ lengths while fourth in the Hambo Final. With four wins and two seconds (and that close fourth) in seven starts this year, this daughter of Walner, starting from post three for trainer Åke Svanstedt and driver Dexter Dunn, certainly rates as the major danger to Joviality S on paper.
 
 
(Some of last year’s top two-year-olds who have not quite regained top form at three to date are in the consolation races, among them champion colt trotter King Of The North, along with these 2021 $200G+ winners: pacing filly Lyons Sentinel, trotting filly Misswalner Fashion, and pacing colt Early Action.)
 
 
ALWAYS B MIKI PACE ($100,000; race fourteen)
 
Obviously in the three-year-old races you cannot have a defending champion returning, but the defending champion from last year’s inaugural Always B Miki Pace is here – the Captaintreacherous gelding Allywag Hanover, starting from post four for trainer Brett Pelling and driver Todd McCarthy. Last year Allywag Hanover won in a world-record-equaling 1:47.2, and became one of the very few horses anywhere, anytime to pace three sub-27 quarters in one race. Allywag Hanover has won his last two starts at Harrah’s Philly, and he shows two seconds to this year’s #1 horse, Bulldog Hanover, who is taking this week off to prepare for important races in his native Canada.
 
The season’s record at Pocono is 1:47.4, set by three horses, two of whom are in the Always B Miki: Ruthless Hanover (post eight, trainer Tom Cancelliere, driver George Napolitano Jr.) and American Courage (post five, trainer Travis Alexander, driver Matt Kakaley). American Courage rates an extra note because the start after he won here in 1:47.4, he again paced in 1:47.4 – finishing eleventh, ten lengths behind Bulldog Hanover’s all-time 1:45.4 record mile.
 
 
SEBASTIAN K S TROT ($100,000; race thirteen)
 
Last year’s inaugural winner of this event was the great mare Atlanta, and a female may wind up as the favorite in this open event – the Bar Hopping distaff Bella Bellini, the highest-rated trotter this year at #2, behind only “the Bulldog.” Bella Bellini wasn’t entered in the inaugural Delmonica Hanover last year, but she did win a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship here a couple of weeks afterwards, and in the last twelve months she has won the Hambo Oaks and Breeders Crown at three and at four the Hambletonian Maturity and the Steele Memorial in her last start, where she lowered her mark to 1:49.4. She has a difficult starting spot in post seven for trainer Nifty Norman and driver Dexter Dunn.
 
Along the inside is another millionaire mare, When Dovescry (trainer Brett Pelling, driver David Miller), who has plenty of Pocono experience and who has been 1-2 39 times in 55 career starts; along the outside is Lovedbythemasses (trainer Jeff Cullipher, driver Tim Tetrick), who posted the fastest trotting mile of the year in eastern Pennsylvania when he won Philly’s Maxie Lee Trot in 1:51 in May.
 
 
The final scratches and driver changes will be posted early Tuesday afternoon on the U.S. Trotting Association website. Program pages will be available at some point afterward at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – At a track where he set world records for two-year-old and three-year-old trotting colts that still stand nine and eight years later, it seems appropriate that sons of Father Patrick would win four stakes events on a card where driver Tim Tetrick guided both $75,061 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winners, both sons of by Father Patrick.
 
In the one Sire Stakes section, “Team Oaks” (Fashion Schooner) of Tetrick and trainer Jim Campbell reunited behind Once In A Lifetime as the colt out of Sherry’s Lady took a new mark of 1:55.4. Crantini, the favorite after opening his career with three wins including two Sire Stakes, moved to the lead past a :28.4 quarter and put up midsplits of :58.1 and 1:27.2. Once In A Lifetime had begun a raw move in the middle of the backstretch, really turned up the heat on the far turn, and then was able to win by 1¼ lengths over Crantini, who had not raced in 24 days. The Sad Frog Stable should be much happier after the win of Once In A Lifetime, who in prior PaSS races had made a break and was second behind Crantini, beaten only three parts of a length.
 
The other Sires division also went in 1:55.4 and also yielded a new mark (the four Stallion Series cuts would also produce four lifetime records). Southwind Distilld (dam Dolce Delight), who like Once In A Lifetime had a break and a second to Crantini in previous Sires action, was in control of his mile by setting fractions of :28.3, :58.4, and 1:27.2, then powering off to a 4¼ length triumph over Spitfire Overseas. Per Engblom conditions the talented baby for owner Mark Dumain.
 
Father Patrick, Tetrick, and Engblom would also combine in one of the four $20,000 Stallion Series sections, with the colt Alonso (dam Prettiestgalaround) adding a second win in the Stallion Series prelims in 1:58 for the ownership of Engblom Stables LLC, Wiesman Farms LLC, and R A W Equine Inc. The fourth Father Patrick winner was the gelding Lookintogetlucky (dam Lookin Sharp), who broke his maiden in 1:58.3 for driver Corey Callahan, trainer John Butenschoen, and owners Andray Farm and James Crawford IV.
 
The other two Stallion Series events were won “Thestable” horses driven by Anthony MacDonald and trained by Tim Twaddle; they tied at 1:57 for the fastest PaStS winner. The Bar Hopping – Twin B Alibi gelding Tailgate Buzz now is the only freshman trotting male to have three wins in the state stakes series with his victory for Thestable Tailgate Buzz. His barnmate Austral Hanover is undefeated in two StS starts, trying the Sire Stakes “in between” those wins; he’s an International Moni – Aspidistra Hanover gelding owned by Thestable Austral Hanover.
 
Pocono concludes its racing week with 1:30 cards on Monday and Tuesday; program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.  Monday will also be the day of drawing the races for the biggest card of the year at Pocono, the $2M Sun Stakes Saturday at the end of this week (the 20th), with major events for all classes of three-year-olds and an Invitational on each gait. There will be a feature story previewing these top events late tomorrow afternoon.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The high-level claiming pacers took a rare turn in the spotlight on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with Rickybobbynthehaus and Ship Wreck Beach K each victorious in their $12,000 divisions.
 
Rickybobbynthehaus, a winner in 1:50.2 here on July 17, has seen a lot of racetrack (limestone, not asphalt) in his three starts since, with seven “bubbles” in his nine calls at the first three spots. Today he was first-over before the half and had to go on the grind, but he made his way to the lead in the stretch and then held off inside-shooting Yankee Osborne by a half-length in 1:52.1. The American Ideal gelding won for driver Trae Porter and owner/trainer Ronald Malone, but he’ll be headed now to another “garage” after being claimed.
 
After securing pocket positioning with the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Ship Wreck Beach K, driver Troy Beyer looked like he was about to face a positional shipwreck, as down the backstretch Doubleagentman was able to clear pacesetter Windsong Jack with ease, with cover following the new leader. But Beyer was able to squeeze outside and then ducked in behind the new leader, then caught him along the inside by a nose in 1:52.3. It was the second winning combination of the day for Beyer, trainer Izzy Estrada, and Estrada Racing LLC; Beyer was the day’s top horseman with three wins in all.
 
In the American Harness Drivers Club amateur horsemen’s races, victorious on the pace were drivers Frank Tsipouras, Juan Cano, and Yogi Sheridan, with Johnathan Ahle successful on the trot. The local crowd needs to catch on to Tsipouras – this is the third straight week he’s won an amateur event here, and after paying $27.60 and $63.60 in his last two wins, he still today returned $24.60! In fairness, it was a tough day all around for favorites here, as only two chalks got home in the fourteen races. Also, with many claiming horses AE for the AHDC and two divisions of the “big” claimers, business at the claiming box was active, with eight horses changing hands for a total of $136,750. 
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia continues its summer schedule of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday racing at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday competition at 12:40 p.m.; Wednesday’s card will have a carryover in the Pick-4 wagering in the very first race, that number being a patriotic-sounding $1777.76 at the track near the City of Brotherly Love. Program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.