By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The time to distribute over $3 million to the best Pennsylvania-sired youngsters, by age, sex, and gait, will come this week after the last of the preliminary rounds, the fourth and final leg for three-year-old male trotters, raced in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which will host the three-year-old Sire Stakes Championships and consolations next Sunday, September 6. Stakes purses on the afternoon totaled $138,604.
 
These sophomores have been very competitive all season – not only did no one sweep all four preliminary legs, but no one even has three to their credit. After Sunday’s action, only one Sire Stakes horse and two Stallion Series competitors had recorded as many as two victories, ensuring exciting, spirited finals.
 
The only double Sires winner is the Bar Hopping gelding Minoan, who won his last two Sire Stakes contests, this one in 1:53. With his main rival Geologic offstride at the start, favored Minoan and driver Johnathan Ahle had a fairly easy time of it, cutting fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:25.2 before zipping home in :27.2 to win by 2½ lengths over Jim Bean, making him his division’s leading prelim pointwinner for trainer Noel Daley, also co-owner with Patricia Stable LLC, L. A. Express Stable LLC, and Sjoeblom Racing Inc.
 
The other Sires cut also went in 1:53, and it clinched entry to the Championship for the International Moni gelding Oversear, an 11-1 shot who set a lifetime mark with his wire-to-wire victory. Driver-trainer Charlie Norris was quickly on top, put up early splits of :28.1 and :58, then sharpened the speed to a 1:24.4 clocking into the far turn as favored Fineline Hanover trotted his own third quarter in :26 without cover to pressure the leader. But Oversear had something left in reserve to win by 1¼ lengths over the chalk for the ownership of Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter.
 
Sons of Captain Corey were winners in the two Stallion Series sections (all eight StS finales will be raced this Saturday at The Meadows). Captain Micah joined the absent Captain Jordan as a two-time StS winner while also emerging the top prelim pointwinner after reducing his mark to 1:54. Mike Wilder, who catch-drove Captain Micah for trainer Travis Alexander and owner Gino Toscani, raced in the two-hole, then came up the inside in the lane and bested the tough first-over (:26.2 in his own third quarter) challenger Emmett Hanover by a neck.
 
The first Stallion Series prelim had an unusual situation, as the two favorites were a winner in 2026 Sire Stakes competition and the 2025 Sire Stakes Champion. Captain Vodka appeared to have built up enough points in the Sires for his connections to give him a slightly-easier tuneup for next Sunday (he did qualify for the Sires, but not in this class), while Dublin Hanover started his 2026 campaign late and was far back in his only Sires start. But the two both raced very well in this event, with favored Captain Vodka angling wide off cover and just catching a tough pacesetting Dublin Hanover by a head in 1:55.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., the latter co-owner with J L Sadowsky LLC and Christine Baggitt.
 
On the overnight scene: going into July 19, the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Mardi Gras Man was a maiden, and the Captaintreacherous gelding Don’tmesswithles needed a photo to win in the “nw5000” class a couple of lines back. Driver Trae Porter is the common link between these two, along with both finding tremendous form: on Sunday, Mardi Gras Man won his sixth straight race  in 1:51.3, collecting earnings of $32,750 during that streak, while Don’tmesswithles has hit the board in seven straight starts during this period, on Sunday winning the $13,000 fast-class pace for the second straight week with a game 1:50.3 triumph, running his bankroll in this form cycle to $23,805.
 
Jonathan Ahle had three sulky scores Sunday, with doubles to Simon Allard, George Napolitano Jr., Mark Herschberger, and Trae Porter. On the raining side, two-baggers were rung up by Dean Eckley (with Napolitano winning both times) and Enrico Robinson (one handled by Ahle and one by Allard).
 
Racing resumes at Philly at 12:25 on “Trottin’ Thursday,” featuring high-quality diamondgaited horses of both the veteran and developing variety. Next Sunday (September 6), there will be $1.4M in purses as Philly hosts the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship for three-year-olds (the final prelims for trotting colts to earn qualifying points having been reported on above); consolation races will be held for those divisions with overflow entries. Those races will be drawn on Wednesday, September 3.
 
And on a special Saturday card, September 12, at 6 P.M., HARRAH’S will be celebrating its 20TH ANNIVERSARY, with the return of the Colonial Trot (which originated at Liberty Bell about an hour north of our track), in addition to attractions for all manner of racing and entertainment fans!
 
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Aroda N, coming to Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania via Yonkers and Tioga, adapted immediately to Keystone state soil, coming off of cover to lower his mark to 1:51.1 in the $18,500 fast-class pacing feature on Saturday.
None Bettor A pushed Big Bang Bang before letting him go past the :26.3 opener. “Bang Bang” still had the lead by the :55.2 half, with Be Dazzled Lou A pulling from third to go first-over, with Goliath Hanover and Aroda N towing along up behind him.
Be Dazzled Lou A had cleared the pacesetter by the 1:23.2 three-quarters, and the first-over was not staying with him he opened up a sizable margin by headstretch. But Braxten Boyd swung the winning son of Art Major three-wide for the stretch drive and methodically cut into “Lou”’ s lead, going by him by a head  at the finish. Shane Tritton conditions the winner for Joshua Jay Graber.
In a $16,500 co-feature for the fast-class pacing set, the So Surreal gelding Splash Brother showed his win at 15-1 a level lower last out was no fluke, handling the class hike easily with a 1:49.3 triumph at 13-1. Braxten Boyd also had the drive behind this co-feature winner, now with $929,481 in lifetime earnings, who made two aggressive pacecontrolling moves in opening numbers of :26.3 and :54.3, opened up at the 1:21.3 three-quarters, and stayed clear for trainer Ray Schnittker, also co-owner with Nolamaura Racing LLC, Steven Arnold, and Tammy Flannery.
 
The Bar Hopping sophomore filly Ginger Tree Lex, the winner of her 2025 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship, showed herself ready to defend her title a week from Sunday at Philly by winning a $17,500 trot for younger performers. Matt Kakaley advanced with the filly uncovered down the backstretch, got to retuck in the pocket on the far turn, then kept coming up the inside and easily caught pacesetting favorite Night Phantom while matching her career mark of 1:53.4, which she posted in winning her PaSS Championship and established a Sires final divisional mark. Steve Cook trains the filly for Sam Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures, Knollview Stable 2, and Bob Reber Jr.
 
Braxten Boyd had four successful drivers to lead the horsepeople’s colony this afternoon; his fellow member of “Team BB” as the last two Rising Star Award winners, Brett Beckwith, triumphed twice, as did driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer Darren Taneyhill.
 
Racing resumes at Pocono on Monday at 1 p.m.; there will be two $27,500 featured races, one for trotters and one for pacing distaffs. A week from Monday, Pocono will host the $1.4M Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship card for two-year-olds. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Car Keys was on cruise control in the $14,000 featured 0pace for filllies and mares at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, rating the pace then sprinting home to be an easy winner in 1:52.3.
 
Driver Patrick Ryder got the favored Always B Miki sophomore around second choice Daisy Diana N while paying only a :27.3 price, then got a big breather to the :57.3 half. From there Ryder just put the pedal to the metal and Car Keys accelerated, getting to the three quarters in 1:25.3 and then throwing a :27 quarter at her foes coming home. The Kiwi mare in the pocket kept the winner honest and was beaten only three parts of a length, but the victorious Chris Ryder trainee, who showed Sangria Summer and Darlin’s Angel as the winner of her two previous starts, remained in control for owners Margaret Dey and Matthew Stolte.
 
There were three $12,000 events for horses at the “nw 3 races” level of competition. One was for distaff pacers, taken by the Captaintreacherous three-year-old filly Luckylady Hanover in 1:52.3 for trainer Stacy Chiodo and Timothy Tobias Stable LLC. Driver Trae Porter took full advantage of a rail draw and went away fast enough to cause a “post position lineup,” after which his filly controlled the tempo and threw successive back quarters of :28 en route to the easy 1¼ length triumph over two-holer Always B Our Star.
 
In the event for pacing males, the Captain Crunch gelding Captain Flirt posted a second straight victory, but that 1:53 tally, while a mark, was nowhere near as easy as his  10 ¼ length verdict in his previous start. Mark Herschberger got the pacer underway first-over at the half, and the Deborah Daguet trainee paced his own last half in :55.4 to hold off second-over Mick Steamy by a neck for owner John Darrah.
 
The trotting contest saw the Captain Corey sophomore gelding Captain Code come with a rush in front of the stands to take over command, then powered off to victory in 1:55. Brad Chisholm guided the three-year-old to the win for trainer Joe Bongiorno, who moved into a tie for the lead in the Philly training standings, and El Dorado Stables as he won his second race in three starts for these connections.
 
Driving doubles were rung up by Brad Chisholm, Mark Herschberger, Patrick Ryder, and Corey Callahan, the last-named guided the winners of the only trainer to have more than one win, Jamie Sullivan.
 
Sunday’s 12:40 card at Philly will feature the fourth and final preliminary leg of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old trotting males, with these wide-open groups looking to clinch places in their rich Championship races over the Labor Day Monday weekend (the sophomore Sire Stakes horses will race right here at Philly for a combined $1.4 within their four groupings by gait and sex on Sunday, September 6). Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA— On Tuesday afternoon Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania featured a pair of $16,000 for two-year-olds pacer, one on each gait, with both winners breaking their maiden with a 1:54 tally.
 
Papi’s Bride, a daughter of Papi Rob Hanover – Native Bride trained by Hunter Oakes,, was hustled away from the gate by Brian Sears, co-owner with Kim Chiaramonte Sears, got to the front mid-first turn, then yielded to sit the pocket behind another daughter of Papi Rob Hanover, Happy Papi, by the :28.2 quarter. Those two continued as pacesetter and pocketsitter through midfractions of :57.2 and 1:25.3, then Sears tipped Papi’s Bride out nearing headstretch and paced to the front by 1¾ lengths under the wire, with Happy Papi saving the place by a neck over Missneverdonowrong.
 
Harbaugh, a colt by Downbytheseaside – Hometown Blues, had missed 30 days since his last race, but trainer Travis Alexander had him primed for victory. Matt Kakaley gradually worked the baby to the front by a :27.4 quarter, got a breather to a :57.4 half, then kept increasing the speed, coming his third quarter in :28.2 to keep outside challenges at bay, then still kicking home in :27.2 to hold off potential pocket rocket The Tile Guy by a half length for Fiddler’s Creek Stable.
 
There was a $15,500 trot for up-and-coming horses, and the Tactical Landing sophomore colt Pine Bush Landau, despite 2-3-2 finishes since coming to this company, was allowed to reward his backers at 24-1 while lowering his mark to 1:54.2. Pine Bush Landing, trained by Agostino Abbatiello for Durazzano Stable, took charge early and made every pole a winning one in completing the upset.
 
Pine Bush Landau was driven by Anthony Napolitano, second in the Pocono meet standings, and joint-first in number of $50+ winners produced during the meet. In this category he is tied with the only sulkysitter ahead of him in the dash standings, Tyler Buter – how often do you see the top two drivers at a meet also being the top pair in terms of longshot production? Buter and Napolitano were joined by Matt Kakaley in notching a Tuesday driving double.
 
Racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday at 1 p.m., with an $18,500 pace for the fast-class brigade and a $17,500 trot for developing horses. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Blackhawk Zette grabbed the early lead in Monday’s $21,000 featured fast-class trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, yielded to onrushing favorite Air Ferrari J in front of the stands to sit in the two-hole behind him, then rallied in the Pocono Pike to catch him by the smallest possible margin in a 1:54 mile.
 
Ridge Warren got the victorious son of Cantab Hall to the lead well before the :28.2 quarter, then let the chalk take over the racetrack by a :57.2 half. Hey Porter had to assume first-over duties, and he tussled with the leader past the 1:25.4 three-quarters and into the stretch. When Blackhawk Zette got inside room, the two-horse battle quickly became a three-way tussle, and while Hey Porter battled on after his first-up effort to be just a half-length back at the finish, the innermost two were separable at the finish only via the photo finish camera. Blackhawk Zette, now a winner of $451,374, proved the more photogenic for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr. and owner J L Sadowsky LLC.
 
There were a pair of $16,500 contests, one on each gait, for horses just a rung on the classladder below the featured event. The companion trot was won by the Walner gelding Abruzzo, who enjoyed class relief and engined his field in 1:53.3, last half :56.1. George Napolitano had the sulky seat behind the Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, who is owned by John Whitig, Michael Rich, Jeffrey Haas, and Pint Size Racing LLC.
 
The pace, restricted to mares, saw the Tall Dark Stranger mare Ballast coming off of a victory in his last start – which was on June 22. But the two months and two days away had no effect on Ballast’s fitness to succeed, as Anthony Napolitano and the winner made every pole a winning one in 1:51.3, last quarter :27.3. Trainer Travis Alexander had Ballast ready for a big mile, and she delivered it for EVM Racing LLC.
 
The headline trot winners, George Napolitano Jr. and Ridge Warren, were at the top of the sulky standings for the day with four victories apiece; two of Warren’s wins came for the only trainer with two triumphs, Dirk Simpson. Braxten Boyd and Tyler Buter each brought home a pair of winners.
 
The Pocono racing week concludes on Tuesday at 1 p.m.; featured will be $16,000 races for two-year-old pacers, one for each gait, and a $15,500 trot for developing diagonalgaiters. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Tick A Loch A backed off (relatively) early and had a good seat behind sulky pyrotechnics that blazed for three eighths of a mile, then came on first-over and won the $13,000 fast-class distaff handicap pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon.
 
Handicapped with the outside slot in the field of seven, Tick A Loch A went away from the gate a bit before electing a midpack tuck late on the first bend, which proved a good tactic – for Blood Moon A (inside), Hers Hungry (between horses) and Bath Bomb (widest) waged front-end three-across war past a :26.3 quarter and still fought past the three eighths, until Bath Bomb emerged on top and Hers Hungry finally got into the pocket in front of Blood Moon A, with the half in a sizzling :54.2.
 
George Napolitano Jr., driving the favored victorious daughter of Always B Miki, commenced a second move frontward by the half, and had gotten to within a length of Bath Bomb by the 1:21.4 three-quarters. Tick A Loch A, a recent Invitational winner at Yonkers, continued on to stretch command and then could summon enough to hold off 62-1 shot Promising Moment by a neck in 1:51, equaling the mark of the winner, with Bath Bomb lasting for third. Chris Height trains the winner of the exciting mile for owner Michael Casalino Jr.
 
There was a trio of $12,000 contests for up-and-coming pacers. The Sweet Lou sophomore colt Talbot Andretti won the fastest event, restricted to males, in 1:50.4, yielding the lead to a brushing Enter Sandman near the half and then still able to catch him by a length for driver Patrick Ryder, trainer Jake Leamon, and owner Melvin Rounick. The other division for colts and geldings went to Drive For Show, a three-year-old Luck Be Withyou gelding, who came home in :55.3 for a victory in 1:53, his second straight, for driver Mark Herschberger, trainer Lou Pena, and owner Jose Cervantes.
 
Herschberger also guided the winner of the only cut of the subfeature for females, with the Perfect Sting sophomore Napalm coming her back half in :55 to lower her mark to 1:51.4 trainer Nik Drennan, and owners Joseph Davino, Patrick O’Brien, and Brad Shackman.
 
And for Pennsylvania owners who don’t yet have a Captain Corey youngster in the barn, the news got slightly more ominous – because a Captain Corey filly pacer, the freshman Whimsy Hanover (dam Wishful Me), fought gamely in the stretch to take a 1:54.4 maiden mark in her third start for driver Tyler Miller, trainer-mother Julie Miller, and the ownership of Andy Stable Stable Inc., Michael Anderson, and Louis Willinger. (From his first crop Captain Corey had one foal who tried to qualify on the pace once. What happened to her? Well, P A Nutmeg was converted to the trot between seasons and won at Philly Thursday in 1:57!)
 
Mark Herschberger piloted four winners at Philly to take daily honors and run his total to ten in two days. Bradley Chisholm had a triple, and George Napolitano Jr. doubled. And a tip of the cap to trainer Elizabeth Murphy, who harnessed her first-ever winner – but this was not her first “horseperson’s” visit to the winners circle, as she had driven a winner at Washington Court House (OH) in 2019!
 
Philly’s racing week closes out on Sunday at 12:40, with Pennsylvania-sired two-year-old male trotters going in their last preliminaries in the Sire Stakes and Stallion Series, trying to earn enough points to qualify for their rich Championships in early September. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania featured four $16,000 events for two-year-olds as its Tuesday afternoon features, one for each sex-gait combination. While these horses are coming along a little late to race in Pocono’s $1.4M Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for freshmen on Labor Day Monday (September 7) afternoon, they have shown the potential to climb quite high in their development, and the best state-sired performers may just be able to earn spots in the 2027 sophomore Sire Stakes finales.
 
On the pacing side, the “ladies” outsped the “gentlemen,” as the Perfect Sting – Philly Hanover filly Philly’s Sting reduced her mark to 1:53.3 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Juan Cano, and Hot Lead Farm. Philly’s Sting took charge of the racetrack in the vicinity of the quarter, yielded to favored Ana Carolina to sit the golden two-hole trip, then rallied up the inside to defeat the chalk by three-quarters of a length.
 
Warren also had the seat behind the pacing male winner, the Papi Rob Hanover - Barefoot’npregnant gelding Barefoot Papi, who scratched in off the AE list then proceeded to break his maiden at 12-1 with a 1:54.1 success for trainer Richard Dunn, also co-owner with MBC Stables LLC. The winning tactics in this race proved to be the same as in the filly race – Barefoot Papi got to sit in the two-hole behind favored The Tile Guy, then produced an individual last quarter of :27.2 to finish a half length ahead of the crowd’s choice.
 
The favorite not only held the lead from beginning to end in the trot for males: the International Moni – CR Calendar Girl gelding Ceasarmoni Hanover extended his margin to five lengths going under the wire in 1:57, which reduced his mark. Brad Chisholm drove the Aaron Lambert trainee for owner Vince Ferriero Jr.
 
Chisholm also was in the sulky behind the freshman filly trot winner Seven Seagrams, who lowered her record over three seconds in the 1:58.4 mile which saw the first four finishers separated by a neck at the finish. The Six Pack – Seven Eleven distaff is trained by Rob Harmon for Go For Glory Stable LLC and Matthew Lamont.
 
Ridge Warren led the driving colonies with three sulky successes; joining Brad Chisholm at two triumphs were meet leader Tyler Buter, James Kennedy, Anthony Napolitano, and Jim Pantaleano. Fourteen different trainers harnessed a winner on Tuesday.
 
The big $2.3M SUN STAKES SATURDAY card will proudly be presented by Pocono this coming Saturday (the 22nd), with a special post time of 2:30 p.m. Some of the age-sex-gait divisions have not yet produced a clear leader, but Saturday’s action, bringing together many of North America’s top three-year-olds and free-for-allers on both gaits, could go a long way in at least setting up “bragging rights” at this stage of the season. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org, and of course you can watch and wager on all the top-notch action via watching and wagering at home or through the usual betting outlets.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WASHINGTON PA – The Pennsylvania fair circuit commenced a very busy week with Fair Sire Stakes action on Sunday and Monday at the Washington County Fairgrounds, known as Arden Downs during its Grand Circuit heyday, in southwestern Pennsylvania, not far down the road from The Meadows.
 
Rain came before the Sunday morning session for two-year-olds, but the moisture did not dampen the standout performance on the card – a 2:04.2 victory by the Father Patrick – Wind Of The West trotting filly Western Twister. Not only was the time the fastest of the day, bar neither colt nor pacer, but it was only a fifth of a second off the divisional standard at Washington, which had been set ten years to the day earlier by Lovebeinglucky. Western Terror is also the first fair horse to get to six Fair Circuit victories in 2026, in an undefeated campaign for driver Eric Neal, trainer Tom Loughry Jr., and owner Brocious Racing Stable Inc. (aka Lefty’s Mountain Top stable).
 
Winning for the fourth straight time in an unbeaten summer at the twicearounds was the Always B Miki – Cheyenne Deo pacing colt Kurt, who also has a pari-mutuel Stallion Series to his credit. Aaron Johnston handled the driving from the second tier for owner Stephan Brochu and trainer Bill Daugherty Jr.
 
Daugherty has a reputation for being more a colt trotting man than on the pacing side, and he showed he hasn’t lost those talents with an “A” win with Bright Blue Chip and a “B” triumph with Lindy Mischief in races for the diamondgaited boys. This “A” section at Washington also saw another Stallion Series winner triumph, the Bar Hopping – Finnary Hanover gelding SA’s Tiki Bar (driver Shawn Johnston and trainer Gary Johnson, the latter co-owner with Darren Zielinski), who also has a third and a fourth in the pari-mutuel Sire Stakes as well.
 
Monday saw the three-year-olds take the track over the historical oval, and though a filly trotter led the way the day before, it was the “glamour division,” the three-year-old male pacers, who grabbed the headlines here, led by a terrific 1:57.4 mile by the Stay Hungry gelding Thai Hanover. That clocking was almost three seconds faster than any other mile recorded at Washington 2026, and only two ticks of the clock behind Washington’s all-age track record of 1:57.2 delivered sixteen years to the day ago by Straight Character. Thai Hanover, who had won in 1:51 at The Meadows two starts back, was driven by Eric Neal for trainer Mitchell York, co-owner with Erin York.
 
This group’s other “A” section saw the Captain Crunch gelding Commander Crunch, who won twice in 1:55.2 at Bedford, needing only 2:00.3 to succeed here.
 
The Always B Miki filly Dancin Sweet Heart, the 2025 Fair Championship winner, came through with a 2:01.4 victory for trainer Abigail Wright and owner Grace Wright, allowing driver Shawn Johnston to be perfect with three-year-old pacing fillies, as he also guided both the other “A” winner and the “B” success story.
 
The Steve Schoeffel barn, on a very good roll in the first half of the year, had wins in both “A” sections of the sophomore male trot, with Family Guy (in 2:04.1, just edging out the remarkable time posted by the filly Western Twister for the quickest diagonally-gaited mile of the meet) and Clark (2:04.3).
 
Aaron Johnston sulkysat behind the two “A” winners among Monday’s trotting fillies: Patricks Belle (2:04.4) and Hot For Her (2:05.3).
 
There was a three-way tie for Washington’s leading driver status: Eric Neal had five sulky successes, joint-top with brothers Aaron (who had four Monday) and Shawn Johnston (who had four Sunday). On the trainers side, Tom Loughery Jr. edged out Bill Daugherty Jr. 4-3 (those two have a personal bond since Loughry, along with “Muck” McMullen, helped save Daugherty’s life in the paddock at Belle Vernon in 2011 after a cardiac incident).
 
The next stop on the Pennsylvania Fair Circuit is at Dayton Fair, which races at 11 a.m. Wednesday the 19th and noon on Thursday the 20th, and for which entries have been already drawn. There is also action this Friday and Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville, the only overlap on the PA Fair Circuit this year (PA rules dictate that a colt or a filly can race at the fairs only once every three days); entries for Meadville will be drawn Wednesday.