By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Master Swedish horseman Åke Svanstedt is the trainer of the powerhouse sophomore trotting filly Jiggy Jog S, winner of her Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Saturday evening. For an encore on Sunday afternoon, he came to Harrah’s Philadelphia and both trained and drove the two divisional winners of the $90,400 Elma, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for the same age, sex, and gait as Jiggy Jog S.
 
The first winner, the Father Patrick filly Virgin Mary, was expected to win and did so, with Svanstedt guiding into the pocket behind pacesetter Unleashed Kemp and fractions of :28.4, :58, and 1:26.3, then rallying with her up the inside to catch the pacesetter by a half length to equal her lifetime mark of 1:54.4. The winner is owned by Brochart Stable Inc.
 
The Svanstedt sweep concluded with 19-1 shot Ebbies Lady, who pulled from the pocket after the :27 quarter to take control in front of the stands. She put up midsplits of :56.3 and 1:24.4 while turning away first-over favorite Dreamonhigh, then held off the late-charging Palermo Hanover by a nose, with early leader Primadonna Deo just a head away from taking it all in the 1:54 mile, which yielded a new mark to the daughter of Southwind Frank. Åke Svanstedt Inc. shares ownership with Young Guns.
 
There were also two divisions of the $85,200 Hardie Hanover for three-year-old pacing fillies as the Simpson Memorial series wound up its 2022 stay at Philly. In the first division, Todd McCarthy sent the American Ideal filly Gotthegreenlight through quick fractions of :26.3, :55, and 1:22, seeing first-up favorite Captain Cowgirl back off after the latter station, and then open up enough of a lead to withstand the late charge of Valar Dohaeris (yet another Svanstedt, and on the pace no less) by 1½ lengths in 1:51.1. Gotthegreenlight raised her lifetime earnings to $513,997 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables LLC.
 
In the second Hardie Hanover cut, sire American Ideal completed a sweep as A Girl That Twirls lowered her mark to 1:50.4. Matt Kakaley sat third while Lyons Serenity posted the early splits of :26.4 and :55.1, moved uncovered down the backstretch to go by near the 1:23 three-quarters, and then turned the stake into a romp with a 7½ length winning margin for trainer Deborah Daguet and D Racing Stable Inc. A Girl That Twirls now has lifetime earnings of $296,748.
 
Five drivers had two wins each on the Sunday card: Todd McCarthy, Marcus Miller, Åke Svanstedt, meet leader Tim Tetrick, and Simon Allard. Allard continues his amazing streak of being Philly’s top driver or co-top driver of the day during 13 of the track’s last 15 cards, with 45 victories, an average of three a day, during that five-week period.
 
Racing is currently being conducted at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a Thursday – Friday – Sunday basis; when action gets back underway on “Trottin’ Thursday,” the $16,200 fast-class handicap feature will find the likes of Hayek and Storm Is Raging looking to extend their current form streaks. There will also be a $2289.58 carryover into the day’s Pick 4 on the first four races. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.                                                   

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Parmesan N proved himself the big cheese in the $17,500 fast-class pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs on Saturday afternoon, using the Pocono Pike from the pocket to get to the lead midstretch, then holding off favorite Bettor Memories to his left in 1:51.3.
 
An altered son of Betterthancheddar trained by Michael Deters and co-owned by Deters, Joel Warner, Lawrence Barnett, and John Spindler, Parmesan N left strongly, but Mark Witha K took full advantage of the rail and forced the early challenger behind, with Bettor Memories third past the :27 quarter and at the :55.4 half. Bettor Memories stayed in third, and the outside flow never really materialized, with these three the major dangers at the 1:23.2 three-quarters.
 
Anthony Napolitano moved Parmesan N to the inside of the pacesetter and caught him in midstretch, then sustained his speed late to beat the chalk by three-quarters of a length, with Mark Witha K another length back at the wire.
 
There were a pair of $17,000 events for developing horses, with the pacing division yielding perhaps the most impressive winner of the day in the Indiana shipper BB Lucky Boy, who took a new mark of 1:49.1. Starting for the first time for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Eric Provost, the sophomore gelding may have had an advantage in that he is sired by Luck Be Withyou, who took his seasonal mark from two to six at Pocono and won the Breeders Crown at two and the Franklin at four. 
 
His son took an immediate liking to the Pocono oval, taking over before the :27 quarter and going on to splits of :54.1 and 1:21.2 en route to his fourth victory in his last five starts, five lengths clear at the finish with driver Matt Kakaley.
 
In the trotting-cofeature, the Southwind Frank four-year-old Delayed Hanover moved to the lead past the :27.4 quarter for driver George Napolitano Jr., put up midsplits of :56.3 and 1:25.3, then sprinted on home in :28 to be a length ahead of B A Superhero at the end of the 1:53.3 mile. Fourth in last year’s Hambletonian after winning an elimination, Delayed Hanover now has earnings of $483,428 for trainer Åke Svanstedt and the partnership of Melby Gard Inc. and Åke Svanstedt Inc.
 
Matt Kakaley won four races on Saturday afternoon while George Napolitano Jr. was victorious once, doubling Kakaley’s advantage to 236-230 in the seasonlong driving derby.
 
After Saturday there are only nine cards left in the 2022 Pocono season. There will be racing on Monday and Tuesday afternoon at 1:30, and then the track’s Saturday-Monday-Tuesday at 1:30 schedule for the two following weeks. Closing day for the year at the mountain oval will be Saturday, November 19. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Before he left Harrah’s Philadelphia after the fifth race to participate in Breeders Crown racing at Woodbine Mohawk on Friday and Saturday, the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, notched three victories, including both $46.900 divisions of the Ayres, a John Simpson Dr. memorial stake for three-year-old trotting males. 
 
The faster winner was the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship winner, Pour Mea Double, who went on to the lead at the :28 quarter, put up midrace splits of :56.4 and 1:24.3, then darted home in :27.2 to complete a 1:53.2 package that left him 6 ¼ lengths ahead of Saverio Hanover, who edged Dandy for second. Though this was only his second win of the campaign, the victorious son of Bar Hopping has 2022 earnings of $278,875 for trainer Lucas Wallin and the partnership of J&T Silva Stables LLC, Peter Kleinhans, Daniel Kraus, and Dreamlover AB.
 
Tetrtick’s other stakes success came with the Father Patrick gelding Emerald’s Legacy, who also used engine tactics in posting fractions of :28.3, :58.1, 1:27.1 and 1:55.2 for his eighth win of this campaign after being unraced at two. The fast three-year-old, 3½ lengths of Torrone at the wire, is trained by Scott Betts for Timothy Betts, Nicholas Catalano, Keith Pippi, and Shanamphilankilou Inc.
 
Fans of the sharp pacer Pat McGarry A got a nice 9-1 return if they backed the pacer as he won the $22,500 fast-class handicap pace in 1:50.4, with he and driver Corey Callahan posting splits of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:23.2 in withstanding a long first-over bid by Sonny Weaver N, a 25-1 proposition, by 1½ lengths. Ilikemebettor A, a recent import from Down Under who had been backed down to 1-5 off three strong North American starts, had the outside post eight, had too many leavers inside him, and couldn’t make much of an impact off cover.
 
Pat McGarry A won his fifth race in his last seven starts (in the other two he was uncovered while pacing his own third quarter in :26.2 and :25.4) for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno (winner of two of the last three UTR titles here) and M T Stables Ontario Inc.
 
Corey Callahan was the big winner among the drivers at Philly on Friday, getting home first five times.
 
The Sunday at 12:40 card at Harrah’s Philly will contain the last two of the Simpson stakes series for 2022, both for three-year-old fillies, and both raced in two divisions: the $90,400 Elma for trotters, and the $85,200 Hardie Hanover for pacers. In addition, there will be carryovers for two multi-race bets: the Pick 4 in races 1-4 will bring with it a carryover of $2756, while the Pick 5 (5-9) brings $1023 in carryover money with it. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.                  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA -- A rank outsider and a heavy favorite won the two divisions of the $86,800 Albatross, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for three-year-old pacing males, at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
The racing week opened with a 30-1 shot in the very first race both last Thursday and this: Rocknroll Gold, a gelded son of A Rocknroll Dance, was able to utilize the rail to sit in the pocket behind Bloodhound’s fractions of :26.2, :54.2, and 1:21.4, then came up the inside for driver Art Stafford Jr. and caught the pacesetter by 1¼ lengths in a new mark of 1:50.4; favored Pleaseletmeknow, the NYSS champion, never got going and finished fourth. Rocknroll Gold, a winner of $147,972, is trained by Ed Gannon Jr. for Zippett Racing Stable.
 
Chalkplayers were rewarded for their 1-5 support of the Captaintreacherous gelding Energetic Hanover, who had rewritten his mark to 1:50 in winning his last start, and then lowered it again by a tick here. Energetic Hanover laid off fractions of :26.3 and :55.1 set by Layton Hanover, moved uncovered to challenge that one by the 1:22.3 three-quarters, then continued on strongly in the lane to leave the pacesetter 3½ lengths in arrears at the wire. Todd McCarthy drove the winner, unraced at two but now an earner of $164,139 for trainer Brett Pelling and owner David Mc Duffee, Melvin Hartman, Steven Arnold, and Paul Bordogna.
 
The $22,500 fast-class handicap trot fell to Hillexotic, a Muscle Hill gelding who went to the top from the outside post six and rattled off fractions of :27.2, :56.1, and 1:24 before finishing an in-hand 1¼ lengths winner over Gangster Hanover in 1:53. The five-year-old is 16-for-47 lifetime with earnings of $606,295 for trainer Ron Burke; he is owned by the Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC partnership along with Phil Collura.
 
Hillexotic was driven by Simon Allard, who left it until rather late in the day to preserve an extraordinary Harrah’s Philly streak he is currently on. Through thirteen races, only Corey Callahan has won as many as two races, but Allard tied him with Hillexotic and then captured the fifteenth and last with $30.00 pocket rocket Ding Ding Ringer. Allard has now been the top driver or co-top driver of the day at Philly in an incredible twelve of the last thirteen cards here, in this roll racking up 42 victories in this period.
 
Simpson Stakes action continues Friday at Philly with the Ayres, an event for three-year-old trotting males carrying a purse of $93,800; there is also a highly-competitive $22,500 handicap event for the best of the fast-class pacers. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.        

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Driver Kasper Foget was determined to make the lead with the Chapter Seven sophomore colt Distance Learning in the $15,000 featured trot on a warm Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and his persistence paid off once the three-year-old got to the top then held on to win in 1:55.3.
 
Awsome Paul stepped around Street Smarts early then carried Distance Learning well past a :28 quarter before yielding the front. Foget backed off the half to :58.3, then braced for challenges from two outside rivals: the second choice Street Smarts coming back for more raw through and past a 1:26.3 three-quarters, with favored Hand Dover Dan right behind him, then going three-wide late on the far turn.
 
But neither rival proved the equal of Distance Learning late, with Street Smarts 1¼ lengths behind the winner and Hand Dover Dan an equal distance behind the second horse. Per Engblom trains the winner, who has won four of five races since adding trotting hopples, for JJ Racing Stable Inc.
 
Matt Kakaley had four winners on the Tuesday afternoon card and George Napolitano Jr. three as those two horsemen continued their battle for seasonal supremacy among the sulkysitters. Kakaley’s lead is now at 232-229.
 
Pocono is racing on a Saturday – Monday- Tuesday schedule, with post time for the three cards at 1:30 each racing program. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Åke Svanstedt, who spent his weekend in Toronto, winning two Breeders Crown elimination races and qualifying three others for this weekend’s $6M+ Championships, promptly came back to Harrah’s Philly on Sunday afternoon and won the two divisions of the $106,600 Davidia Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for two-year-old trotting fillies, both via the uncovered route.
 
First to parade back to the winners circle with trainer/driver Svanstedt was Wild Jiggy S, a daughter of International Moni – Hot Mess Hanover who broke her maiden with a 1:55.2 victory. There were three horses across at the finish, with Wild Jiggy S getting the decision by a neck over pacesetting Ruth Honig, with favorite and pocketsitter Park Slope coming up the inside only to be another head back at the finish. Wild Jiggy S, a half-sister to Breeders Crown elim winner Jiggy Jog S, is owned by Jorgen Sparradal Inc.
 
The road to the winners circle was not nearly as difficult for Svanstedt and Pure Hope S, a foreign-bred daughter of Brillantissime – Final Hope, blitzing right by going into the far turn when moving uncovered and drawing away to a 6 3/4 length triumph in 1:54.4. Perry Soderberg owns the winner of three out of seven in her brief career.
 
The track’s top two drivers, Tim Tetrick and Simon Allard, both had three winners on the Sunday card. Tetrick still has the sizable lead of 210-141, but Allard kept up the amazing streak of being the top driver or co-top driver during 11 of the last 12 Philly cards, and has come home first 39 times in those last four weeks at the riverside oval.
 
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon at 12:25, with two divisions of the $86,800 Albatross, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for three-year-old pacing colts. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.   

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Casual Cool took care of business as the favorite in the $17,500 pacing feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon, while in the $17,500 trotting headliner,  Focus Pocus went the mile of his life to win a three-horse photo at 16-1.
 
Casual Cool, an altered son of American Ideal trained by Daniel Renaud for Dune Road Stables LLC, left the gate very quickly to grab the lead from post seven for driver Jim Pantaleano, getting to the quarter in :27.2 and the half in :55.1. Going past the half, however, Bettor Memories came with a big uncovered move, going his own third split in :26.2 to take a small advantage before the 1:22.2 three-quarters. But Casual Cool wouldn’t let his opponent cross over to the rail, and the two were at each other to the wire, with the chalk edging his tenacious rival by a neck to raise his lifetime bankroll to $583,810.
 
Focus Pocus also left with high speed in the trot headliner, reaching the quarter even faster than did the top pacers, :27.1, and kept going on under George Napolitano Jr.’s handling, discouraging the pocketsitting stakes mare Weslynn Quest from making a move to the top. Focus Pocus continued setting the pace through midsplits of :56 and 1:24.1, with heavy favorite Eurobond starting to move up uncovered, then getting the cover of Weslynn Quest as that one moved out into the far turn. 
 
They fanned out three-across through the stretch – and they were actually much wider than that as the pacesetter drifted out – with Focus Pocus winning the tightest of photos over Weslynn Quest and Eurobond. Trainer Jeff Cullipher, co-owner with Pollack Racing LLC, then had to sweat out an inquiry into the stretch racing, but no placement was made, and Focus Pocus reduced his mark, with the Muscle Massive gelding now with $191,258 on his card.
 
A second 1:50 mile came in a division of the $16,500 top claiming handicap pace, as the Shadow Play gelding The Dark Shadow powered by uncovered late on the backstretch and went on to an overwhelming victory while equaling his 1:50 lifetime mark for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Jennifer Bongiorno, and owner Robert Weinstein. 
 
George Napolitano Jr. captured four races on the Saturday program, narrowing double winner Matt Kakaley’s lead at the top of the Pocono standings to 228-226.
 
Racing resumes at the mountain oval on Monday at 1:30 p.m., with a $17,000 pace for developing females the top attraction. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – It was an unusual Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as most of the feature races, including the two divisions of the $93,200 Razzle Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for two-year-old pacing fillies, were taken by horses coming from well off the pace on the normally speed-favoring track.
 
The Always B Miki – Emily Car filly Extreme Z Tam was reserved along the inside in the first Razzle Hanover/Simpson division by trainer/driver Pat Lachance, then came closing strongly up the open stretch, pacing her own last quarter in :27 to catch the pacesetter favorite Ginger Tree Coco by a neck. The winning time of 1:53.3 was perforce a lifetime race mark since it was the first purse victory for Extreme Z Tam, who is owned by Lachance, M & M Harness Racing LLC, and Royal Flush Stable LLC. 
 
Also winning a purse race for the first time in her career was the Sweet Lou – Luvthebeachlife miss IIluvloucy, who was still last at headstretch, but who made up four lengths in the stretch for driver Corey Callahan to catch the first-over favorite Falana Hanover by half a length in 1:54.1. Travis Alexander conditions the filly for M Spacc Stables, Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC, D’Elegance Stable IX and T L P Stable.
 
The closer theme also held up in the $22,500 handicap pace for fast-class distaffs, as the McArdle mare McMarkle Sparkle, winner of three of her last four at the difficult-to-rally Yonkers venue, sat last to the stretch call after being assigned the outermost slot. Troy Beyer got the tough mare rolling late and came on to catch the pacesetting West Beach by a length in 1:52.3, pacing her own back fractions in :54.2 - :27. McMarkle Sparkle now has 10 victories and $221,390 on the year and $549,307 lifetime for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owner Laura Baker.
 
The one feature winner who took his event on the engine is the one you could have predicted beforehand –the well-named early flyer Ruthless Hanover.  George Napolitano Jr. had the gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere buzzing away quickly, but met early resistance from Ilikemebettor A, impressive in his first two Stateside starts, and needed to unleash a :25.4 opener to clear. Nobody wanted to challenge “Ruthless” in quarter two, thus the half in :54.4, and the pacesetter tacked on a further fractional of 1:21.4 before holding off the late surge of Ilikemebettor A by a half-length in 1:49. (Excluding the second quarter, that’s 1:20 for the other three quarters.)  Ruthless Hanover has now won four in a row for Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner John.
 
After a day away from the top of the standings at Philly, Simon Allard joined George Napolitano Jr. with four wins on Friday – making it ten times in the last 11 local cards that Allard has been top or co-top driver. During the 11-card stretch, Allard has won 36 times.
 
The Simpson stakes continues on Sunday at Philly with two divisions of the $106.200 Davidia Hanover for two-year-old trotting fillies. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.             

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Trainer Noel Daley and driver Andrew McCarthy combined to win two of three divisions of the $104,100 Super Bowl, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for two-year-old trotting colts on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
One of their winners was the Chapter Seven – Lass A Rope colt Volume Eight, who missed the divisional Philly record by only a tick with his 1:54.3 front-end effort. The big favorite, coming off a Lexington Grand Circuit win and four of six lifetime, was extended by pocketsitter Father Stosh, but he remained a half length to the good at the wire for the partnership of Daley, Joe Sbrocco, LA Express & JAF Racing, and Mario Mazza while just missing the standard put in by Once In A Lifetime in winning his Sire Stakes championship on September 4.
 
McCarthy/Daley also clicked in the Super Bowl/Simpson with Squared Away, the Cantab Hall – K Squared Hanover colt who sat in the pocket most of the way, pulled out going to the far turn, and went on to be a handy 2¾ length winner while reducing his mark to 1:55.3. Squared Away has now won three straight starts for Morrison Racing Stables.
 
The other Simpson section produced a “toteboard bomber” as Met Your Request, a gelding by Met’s Hall – Quest Blue Chip, tailed the cover of 2-5 favorite Kimmeridgian through the last half, then went wide and just caught that rival by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:56 and paying $67.40 to win. Tyler Miller drove the three-time winner for trainer/mother Julie and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Mr. Caroll Hoffman.
 
The talented veteran Crystal Fashion, second after a hard-luck journey last week, had fortune more on his side this time around, and won the $22,500 fast-class handicap trot in 1:54.1. Tim Tetrick sent him to command early then let the favorite sit behind close second-choice Ghostintheshell S as that one cut the mile. The victorious Cantab Hall gelding moved out at the three-quarters and circled right to the lead, then held off a strong late bid by 26-1 shot Secret Bro to record a three-quarter length triumph, raising his earnings to $2,191.749 in winning for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and EVM Racing LLC.
 
Tetrick padded his meet-leading win total with seven visits to Victory Lane on the Thursday card.
 
Simpson series stakes action continues Friday with the $93,200 Razzle Hanover contest for two-year-old trotting fillies; they will be joined by $22,500 fast-class handicap paces separated by sex. The Simpson stakes will be featured the rest of this week and all of next week at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.   

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The star-crossed racehorse and prolific stallion Walner sired both three-year-old trotting colts who won the $15,000 featured events on Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
The faster of the two features fell to Ken’s Walner, coming to Pocono off a recent win at The Meadowlands and success in Kentucky stakes. Tyler Buter, who with Marcus Miller topped the Tuesday drivers colony with four sulky successes, guided the chalk to controlling position before a :28.1 opener, rated the half to :58, then got an extended challenge from close second choice Hand Dover Dan through and past a 1:26.2 three-quarters. Try as he might, Hand Dover Dan could not catch Ken’s Walner, and in midstretch he went to a break, and was placed from second to third as 60-1 shot TNT Blue Chip was lapped on him at the wire. Noel Daley trains the winner for owner Ken Jacobs.
 
In the other division, favored Street Smarts kept his early lead to the wire in a 1:57.4 success. Matt Kakaley, the meet’s top driver, guided the sophomore to the point nearing the :29.2 quarter, got soft middle splits of :59.1 and 1:28.1, then held off late challengers to both sides, with Awsome Paul to his right a half-length behind at the finish and Pocono Pike-shooting Heart Matters a nose behind the second horse. Street Smarts races for the brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere.
 
Five different trainers sent out two winners Tuesday: Tom Cancelliere, Bruce Clarke, Noel Daley, Nifty Norman, and Darren Taneyhill. 
 
Racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., with a $17,500 contest on each gait topping a highly-competitive card. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.