By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Despite the fact that it was cool and rainy in the greater Philadelphia area on Friday afternoon, and that two-year-old fillies were featured in the 2020 debut of the John Simpson Sr. stakes series, form held up very well, with almost all the young misses who figured to be close either winning or in the hunt at the wire.
 
Hall of Fame trainer Linda Toscano won two of the three divisions of the $93,602 Razzle Hanover (all Simpson stakes are named after top horses connected with Simpson and/or Hanover) for the pacing set. In one cut, High Minded, the program choice, was let go at 7-2, and she proved her talent to her disbelievers, sitting the pocket behind favored Mackie Hanover and then rallying sharply in taking a 1:53.4 mark while 1½ lengths clear of the pacesetter. Dexter Dunn drove the victorious daughter of Captaintreacherous - Auniqueaquistion for Camelot Stable Inc., Fred Wallace, The Bay’s Stable LLC, and Steve Stewart.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Both Hillexotic and Pat Matters were very impressive in taking the two top trots conducted on the Thursday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
In the $12,800 feature for classclimbing youngsters, the Muscle Hill sophomore gelding Hillexotic moved raw at the half and trotted his last half in :56.2 despite 39 days away from the races to win by 4¾ lengths in 1:55. Hillexotic, unraced at two, now has four wins in his last six outings and a $161,540 bankroll for trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze Stables LLC.
 
In the $11,600 contest for fast-class trotters, the Explosive Matter mare Pat Matters also roared uncovered to the backstretch lead and won by 10½ lengths, with her time of 1:52.3 only three-fifths of a second off the Philly divisional track record co-held by Hannelore Hanover and Arabella’s Cadet. Dexter Dunn was in the sulky for trainer Nifty Norman as the fast distaff raised her earnings to $284,472 for the Patricia Stable.
 
Dexter Dunn and Tim Tetrick, 1-2 in the 2020 moneywinning drivers standings, each had a triple on the Thursday Philly card.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of Hall of Fame drivers divided up the Liberty Bell stakes series action for three-year-old males on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia – David Miller took both $31,300 sections of the pacing event, while Tim Tetrick won in both $37,300 trotting sections. Both of them raced their charges just off the pace, and both of them defeated the race favorite late.
 
Miller started things off by guiding the Sweet Lou gelding Tru Lou to a 1:49.1 mark. The sophomore was able to race in the pocket behind pacesetting Manticore – certainly a better journey than he had having to pace his middle half in :52.3 to get the lead before tiring at Lexington in his last start. He went inside the leader in the lane, then held off the late burst of heavy favorite Allywag Hanover, coming from second-over, by a neck, with Manticore another length back in third. Ron Burke trains the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – With a strong uncovered move down the backstretch, the Prayer I Am mare Mighty Surf went to the lead at the ¾ pole and went on to an easy 1:56.2 victory in the $11,200 claiming trotting feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The favored winner came home in :28.4 over a “good” track on a day with the temperature in the mid-50s. Mighty Surf is now two for four since being claimed by trainer Jake Huff and the Beauty Bridle Racing Stable Inc.; Pocono’s “Trot Man,” diagonally-gaited sulky specialist Mike Simons, drove the winner.
 
The well-respected trainer Jenny Melander scored his first career sulky success with the Lionhunter sophomore gelding Hunting AS in a $10,400 contest, rallying from far back to nose out S Class in 1:58. Melander, who has trained the winners of over $5 million, had achieved victories in Racing Under Saddle competition, but this is her first winner to sulky in infrequent career outings. Melander Racing Inc. co-owns the winner with Robert Bernaski.
 
The Napolitano brothers, George Jr. (the track’s leading driver) and Anthony, accounted for half of the fourteen winners on the Tuesday card, with George first four times and Anthony three. The triple gave Anthony 13 winners for the second straight three-card Pocono racing week. And on a day where eight of fourteen favorites were successful, both brothers brought home two of the non-chalk, with winners for George including $7.20 and $37.60 successes, and Anthony piloting horses who paid $12.20 and $35.80.

​WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Anthony Napolitano remains the hottest pilot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – in fact, on the Sunday twilight card at The Downs he dialed up his dominance with six victories, giving him 23 wins in the last five local cards.
 
“Anthony Nap” captured the trotting division of the $12,000 tri-features on the card with the E L Titan trotting colt I Got The Looks, the even-money favorite who came with a big late rally to overhaul 47-1 shot Lazer Jet in the shadow of the wire to take a head decision. The final time of 1:54.2 was a lifetime best for the sophomore Steve Brabrook trainee, who is owned by Wish Me Luck Stables LLC and Jonathan Lapp Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA – Drivers Simon Allard and Anthony Napolitano had the hot hands at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon, with Simon bringing in five winners and Anthony just behind him with four. Surprisingly, the crowd did not catch on to the successful drivers, as each only numbered one favorite among their victories.
 
Simon Allard finished just ahead of Anthony Napolitano three times and his brother George once, with Anthony was first in races where George was second three times and another where Simon was second. George did get a winner in the last race on the card and as usual has far and away the highest seasonal total at The Downs.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Drivers George Napolitano Jr. and Marcus Miller dominated the Liberty Bell series stakes action on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, capturing five of the six $30,000 divisions for two-year-old colts, three on each gait.
 
Napolitano deputized for trainer Åke Svanstedt (who was in Lexington establishing a new world record for freshman trotters with Southwind Tyrion), guiding two of Svanstedt’s babies – who had a total of six lifetime starts between them -- to victory. First up was the Southwind Frank – Culmination colt Capstone, who never let anyone get past him and broke his maiden by three lengths in 1:55.3, just three ticks shy of the track record co-held by Rome Pays Off and Captain Corey, for the ownership of Åke Svanstedt Inc. and Stable Why Not.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Explosive Matter gelding Innisfallen won for the third time in his last four starts, continuing to climb the class ladder with a 1:55 triumph in the $13,600 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
Driver Vinny Ginsburg hustled the improving trotter right down the road, passing Macmorris Hanover early and stringing the field out behind splits of :29.1, :57.4, and 1:25.3. Favored Molto Bene came on late, but Innisfallen was still strong and crossed the wire a half-length to the good of the chalk for trainer Paul Fusco, who is also co-owner of the newest member of the Six-Figure Earnings Club with Brandeo Singh. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – After getting a rude parked-the-mile reception in New York, the Mach Three mare Machnhope returned to Harrah’s Philadelphia, a track where she had been doing well, and promptly won the $14,000 feature distaff handicap pace in 1:50.2.
 
Andrew McCarthy got an early tuck with the winner of $296,301 as Caviart Cherie and Imprincessgemma A argued the :26.3 first quarter, then was underway in front of the stands, claiming the lead after some hard work to the :55 half. But Machnhope called the tune from there, passing the three-quarters in 1:22.1 and then drawing off to have a five length margin at the wire for driver Pat Berry and trainer Noel Daley, the latter co-owner with Deo Volente Farms LLC, Thomas Pontone, and L A Express Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Pilgrims Tide, who had been first and second in his last two starts at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono but not faring as well in excursions to Yonkers, returned to the mountain oval on Tuesday afternoon and during the last half left his foes in the red dust, going on to a new mark of 1:54.1 in the $12,800 claiming handicap trotting feature.
 
Several horses took a shot at the victorious Muscle Massive gelding during early fractions of :27.2 and :56.3, but none succeeded; from there, Pilgrims Tide was all alone on the lead (except for driver Simon Allard), passing the three-quarters in 1:24.2 and coasting home to a 7½ length victory. Shane Tritton trains the winner of $175,657 for owner Nicholas Catalano.