By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The John Simpson Sr. stakes for three-year-old colts, the Ayres for trotters and the Albatross for pacers, were each conducted in three $33,067 divisions on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with driver David Miller continuing his hot hand from Breeders Crown elimination weekend by piloting two of the successful pacers, while trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt accounted for a pair of the trotting winners.
 
Miller’s first winner was the only favorite among the six stakes and started a Sweet Lou gelding double, as Tru Lou followed up on his recent Liberty Bell stakes success by coming home first Wednesday in 1:50.2. Tru Lou made the front past the quarter and withstood stablemate Warrawee Veloce by 1¾ lengths to take his earnings to $114,092 for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – They tried battling the pacesetter Crossfit at several stages of the $11,200 claiming handicap trot feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon, but the Donato Hanover four-year-old gelding is currently quite fit and turned back all challengers in a career-best-equaling 1:54.2. 
 
The victorious favorite went to the lead around Cash For Gold just past the :28 quarter, then got no respite as Pilgrims Tide moved early and pressured Crossfit, forcing midfractions of :56.2 and 1:25. When the parked horse faded, Cash For Gold came back out of the pocket, but could get no closer than 1 1/2 lengths at the wire.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – There were a trio of $12,000 featured events on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The male pacers and the trotters generated mid-range upsets in their respective cuts, while the winning female pacer came through for her chalkplaying backers.
 
The Heston Blue Chip filly Talk Show Chica, trained and driven by Tom Jackson for Braden Racing LLC, made a regaining move to the lead in front of the stands, opened a sizable lead on the far turn, then held off a stubborn first-over Peggy J by three-quarters of a length to win in 1:53.2. Having now won two in a row and three out of her last five starts against this level of competition, Talk Show Chica will now have to step up her game, as her victories and money boost her out of this class.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Rich And Miserable, the 2019 Trotter of the Year at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, zipped to the lead at the three-quarter pole in the $14,000 trotting feature at the mountain oval on Saturday afternoon, drawing off to a 5½ length victory in 1:53.
 
Tyler Buter was in his usual perch behind the Explosive Matter gelding, a career winner of 21 of 59 starts and $438,586 for trainer Todd Buter and the ownership of Buter Farm Inc., Lynette Buter, and William and Carol Fuhs. That same grouping won two races earlier with Two AM, a Muscle Massive gelding who win in 1:55 to raise his lifetime numbers to 32 of 94 and $486,905.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – It was “Miller time” during the John Simpson Sr. stakes action for freshman colts on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as driver Marcus Miller had a victory in both the trotting and pacing events (in the trot for trainer/aunt Julie), while David Miller took the other trot before heading off to Breeders Crown competition at Hoosier Park.
 
The events were the $111,600 Super Bowl, raced as noted in two divisions, and the $110,000 Bret Hanover, which went in three splits. The Millers’ sweep in the Super Bowl came with odds-on favorites; the first to succeed were David and the Cantab Hall – Jolie De Vie gelding Jack Fire, making the lead off turn one and going on to victory in taking a new mark of 1:56. The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes consolation winner defeated the Fair Sire Stakes champion Top Me Off by three-quarters of a length to make him a success in half of his ten starts and an earner of $127,359 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Pinske Stables and Curly Tall Curly Small.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Father Patrick sophomore gelding Solar charged to the lead past the quarter for driver Marcus Miller, then fronted his opposition the rest of the way to take the $12,800 featured trot on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:55.4.
 
Big Nudge, who had gone out for the early lead before turning it over to Solar, then sat pocketed behind the winner until mounting a stretch charge, but that move came up a half length short. The winner notched his fifth score of the year and pushed his seasonal bankroll over $50,000 for trainer Erv Miller, whose Ervin Miller Stable Inc. co-owns the three-year-old with Sara Miller and John Koliopoulos.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Andrew McCarthy guided all three winners in divisions of the $96,801 Hardie Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for three-year-old pacing fillies that was raced Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Two divisions of the $86,600 Elma, the companion Simpson stake for sophomore trotting fillies, were also contested.
 
Fastest among the three McCarthy winners, all of whom were heavy favorites, was the Captaintreacherous miss Marloe Hanover, who made the top at the ¼, then powered home in :27.2 to be 5¾ lengths ahead of the nearest opposition at the end of a 1:50.4 mile. Nifty Norman conditions the winner of $413,273 for the Let It Ride Stables Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA –Crossfit minded his manners, controlled the front end from an improved post, and easily won the $12,800 claiming handicap trotting feature on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Tyler Buter hustled the Donato Hanover gelding to the lead in front of the stands, rated the half, then got a 56.4 back half out of him to finish out the mile in 1:54.4, with pocketsitting Mr Houdini a non-threatening 1¾ lengths back at the wire. Crossfit can be a chancy proposition – he had run in two of his last three starts, but he won the two before that – and was on top behavior today for trainer Susan Marshall, also co-owner with John Marshall.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Roll With Joe sophomore gelding Scootnroll, unraced at two, is now 9 for 10 lifetime, and for the second straight week he took his revenge over the only horse to defeat him, Billy Lincoln N, by winning a $12,000 pacing contest on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in a lifetime best 1:50.2.
 
Scootnroll, leaving from the outside post in the field of seven, worked his way past Billy Lincoln N after a 27.1 quarter, with that foe, who was favored slightly over the winner, content to ride behind to the half in :55.2 and to the three-quarters in 1:23.1, with the leader being joined by first-over Diamond Head at the latter call.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Explosivebreakaway, the full brother to the stakes filly Phaetosive, got to the lead in the last 50 feet to edge Icanflylikeanangel and win the $17,200 trotting feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:53, within a fifth of his lifetime mark despite temperatures hovering in the low to mid 50s.
 
Tom Jackson worked out a second-over trip with the Explosive Matter gelding behind favored Scirocco Rob, who battled hard with pacesetting Icanflylikeanangel down the backstretch and through the far turn. When the uncovered horse tired, Jackson moved wide with Explosivebreakaway, and pocketsitter Warrior One took his shot up the Pocono Pike, but Explosivematter got the photo finish camera’s nod by       a nose, with Warrior One another neck back in third. Fred Grant trains the winner, 13 of 29 lifetime with earnings of $198,464, and he is co-owner along with Janice Rubin, Steve Katz, and Murray Brown.