By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill gelding Diplomacy, a $425,000 yearling who in his last seven starts showed two wins – but three breaks – evened that tally in his record now going eight starts back, taking the $13,500 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday afternoon.
 
Diplomacy, whose dam That’s All Moni was a $500,000+ winner and is a sister to champion Snow White, settled midpack early as favored Manoah put second choice Greenspan in behind him in a :28 quarter. Manoah got to the half in :57.2, then picked up the pace when driver Niko Karna gave Diplomacy the word to go up raw, and they reached the three-quarters in 1:26.
 
In the stretch, Dipolmacy, at 8-1, proved to be the strongest horse, winning by two lengths over the favorite for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Allister Stables LLC, L A Express & Sjoblom Inc., Frank Canzone, and Michael Dolan.
 
There was a pair of $13,000 fast-class events for established quality horses. One was for pacing distaffs, and it was taken with a big effort by the Always B Miki mare Miki In Luv, who had to go first-over against pacesetting Elegant A but still bested that one by 1¼ lengths in a 1:51.1 mile. The winner of three of her last four starts was driven by Ridge Warren for trainer Ron Coyne Jr. and the ownership of Ron Coyne Stables Inc., Blair Corbeil, and Richard and Farrell Carney.
 
The other subfeature, a trot, saw the three-year-old Greenshoe gelding Lefties Righties manhandle older rivals, going right to the lead and never being threatened through a mile in 1:53.4. Also a winner of three of his last four, including his Pennsylvania Stallion Series Championship, Lefties Righties was driven by Corey Callahan for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.
 
Drivers Simon Allard, Corey Callahan, George Napolitano Jr., and Ridge Warren, along with trainer Jeff Cullipher, had a pair of successes on the card.
 
The racing week at Harrah’s Philadelphia ends on Sunday with a 12:40 first post; there will be a carryover into the Pick 5 wager in race five. Next week, the track returns to its basic fall schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, with some exceptions like the holidays and Breeders Cup weekend. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Greenshoe sophomore gelding Sensational, coming to Pocono after stops at Plainridge and Lexington, combined his principal two traits as of late – extreme speed and going offstride – and managed to rally to a dramatic 1:56.4 victory in one of two $15,500 divisions of the featured trot Tuesday afternoon over “good” going in cool temperatures.
 
Matt Kakaley, driving for trainer George Ducharme, whose George Ducharme Stable LLC is co-owner with W J Donovan, had eased Sensational away from the gate and was looking to spot him fifth just past midway on the first turn when the three-year-old lost stride. Kalaley got Sensational back on gait by the bottom of the turn, then gave him the “go forward strongly” signal, and the youngster went from the back of the field to the lead before the half.
 
After that, no one posed a threat to the winner, who was three lengths to the good of Non Disclosure at the finish after coming his own last split in :28.4.
 
In the other feature, the Archangel gelding Stevie Ray did not have quite as adventurous a trip as Sensational, but driver Jim Pantaleano had to be alert to help the trotter find the winning journey in a 2:00 mile. Stevie Ray made the lead, yielded for the pocket, then had to back out into the two-wide flow as the outer tier threatened the pacesetter late on the backstretch. Swinging wide in the lane, Stevie Ray went on to win by  1½ lengths over Counter Spy for trainer David Hoover and owner Jaypaul Hoover.
 
George Napolitano Jr. led the drivers colony with three wins, including two for trainer Jill Roland; Matt Kakaley, Anthony Napolitano, and Jack Pelling had a driving double. David Hoover drove another of his trainees to victory as well as conditioning co-feature winner Stevie Ray, joining Roland as training doublers.
 
Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday with a 1 p.m. card; bettors will want to note that there will be a carryover into the first race Superfecta pool and the last race High 5 pool. Monday’s and Tuesday’s cards will feature a pair of John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes on each day. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Greenshoe gelding Lionheart Hanover became only the second Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes horse, and the first male and first trotter, to complete the “grand slam” (in announcer Jim Beviglia’s phrase), winning his regular-season points title and his Championship race at both two and three, with his victory in one of eight $25,000 Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championships over a “sloppy” track on a dank day at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
After Lionheart Hanover led all fair racers with thirteen victories over the Keystone twicearounds this summer, his owners Tony and Linda Schadel (the latter also his trainer) decided to call on Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter to drive the heavy favorite. As was the case with many of today’s champions, Lionheart Hanover raced close to the pace, then rallied (slipping inside stalled cover going to the far turn as the chalkplayers held their breath) to run down pacesetter Set The Bar by 1¾ lengths in 1:59 (three-fifths slower than his fastest fair mile, recorded at Bloomsburg).
 
The only other Fair horse to do the “grand slam” was pacing filly Bettor Strait N Up, in 2021-2022. Her connections? Linda and Tony Schadel.
 
Team Tony, Linda, and Tyler also combined for a second finale winner with another Championship repeater, the Always B Miki filly Milagro, who this year had twelve wins, including a season-leading eight of them in 2:00 or less. Another well-supported chalk, Milagro and Buter pulled from the pocket mid-backstretch and went right to the lead, with Don’t Touch My T following her every step and coming within a length of the winning filly, who equaled her life mark of 1:54.2, set in her freshman Championship. Milagro was the point leader of her group this year but not 2024, but Championship-repeating is nonetheless an impressive task in itself.
 
Buter came back for a third Fair Championship victory with Compensate Me, teaming as he has many times this year with the track’s leading conditioner Ron Burke. Compensate Me went a big mile to win the 3YO pacing males title in 1:54.1 over a “+3” surface: working to a forward position, getting a pocket retuck on the far turn, then moving in the lane and staying three parts of a length clear of Sweet Parlay, who had a hard trip from well back trying to be a repeat Champion. Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC own the winner, an altered son of Sweet Lou who had won in 1:50.4 at Pocono earlier in the year.
 
Buter had never won a Fair Championship race before today, and then he added three in 40 minutes to his resume.
 
In the sophomore filly trot, the Cantab Hall filly Shalamar Hanover, second choice in the betting and second in the seasonal point totals, went first-over after favored Tally The Tab, the point leader and her stablemate, wore her down, then withstood Kind Of Likecash, who came all the way from last, in 2:00.1, just a tick off her fair season co-leader time and her career mark. Braxten Boyd guided Shalamar Hanover for trainer Todd Schadel, who is also co-owner Christine Schadel.
 
The freshman pacing colts were topped by the Papi Rob Hanover – Candlelight Dinner colt Papi Hour, who had paced a pair of sub-1:58 miles at the fairs in September and here lowered his mark to 1:56.2. Second choice Papi Hour looped favorite Ima Proud Captain out of the gate and forced him into the pocket, and that order didn’t change to the wire as the winner was brought home by driver Jim Pantaleano for trainer Neil Balcerak and owner George Prushnok.
 
The two-year-old pacing fillies were handled by the Always B Miki – J M Betting Hearts miss Dancin Sweet Heart, who didn’t look like a horse who got some luck after finishing twelfth in the standings and drew in because others did not declare. Dancin Sweet Heart moved authoritatively down the backstretch to the lead, and even when heavy favorite Vegas Queen came to challenge, the 12-1 shot stayed strong, lowering her mark over five seconds to 1:58 for driver Ridge Warren (also a first-time PaFSS Ch winner), trainer Gary Johnston, and owner Grace Wright.
 
Pa Patricia had all the credentials going into the freshman filly trot Championship: nine fair victories (co-leader among two-year-olds), including seven straight; the points leader; and the seasonal fair record of 2:01.2. The Father Patrick – Tymal Lux distaff, the big favorite, lowered that time, which was her mark, by a tick, brushing to the lead in front of the stands and retaining control to the finish over fast-charging Drinks On Olivia for driver Chris Shaw (tying him for tenth in the all-time drivers list for PaFSSCh victories with six), trainer Ashley Brown, and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw.
 
In the freshman colt and gelding trot, Matt Kakaley settled the Greenshoe – Fifty Shades colt Green Shades midpack behind a quick (for the conditions) tempo, gradually grinded to the lead from the five-eighths, then drew clear to win over 40-1 shot Mileys Mo Moni while reducing his mark to 2:01.4. Fifty Shades is trained by Steven Cook for Hutt Racing Stable.
 
In all, Tyler Buter had a quadruple on the day (consecutively at that), with Anthony Napolitano coming home first three times. Doubling trainers were Ron Burke and Linda Schadel – with all four of these horses driven by Buter.
 
The racing week at Pocono Downs concludes with a 1 p.m. card on Tuesday; next week’s racing will feature opening sections of the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Beal Memorial Pace winner Dandy Ideal came back to Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, where he was installed the favorite in the $27,500 fast-class pace despite five older foes with career earnings of $4 million. In the end, a three-year-old did win the race, but it was the Cattlewash colt Manolete who got the nod, pacing in 1:49.3 for three straight wins at the mountain track.
 
Manolete was named after a famous bullfighter, and in the early going driver Brett Beckwith was not afraid to take the bull by the horns, riding outside past a :26.2 quarter to make the top. Dandy Ideal got away third, and as the outer tier formed near the :55 half, the pacer who hadn’t had a race in 22 days after eight straight victories was kept to the inside.
 
Manolete handled the first-over challenge of Voukefalas to and past the 1:21.3 three-quarters, then braced for the closers. El Rey, who was in the pocket, went to the Pocono Pike and came within a neck of being the king of the day. Dandy Ideal tried to get through down on the cones, but he may have been in tight quarters and lost third to the closer I Did It Myway; that pair was just a length off at the finish. But nobody had the right answer today for Manolete, who himself has earned $474,675 for trainer Bruce Saunders and the ownership of M&L of Delaware LLC and M&M Harness Racing LLC.
 
$17,500 was on the line in two events for classclimbing events, one on each gait. The pacers were topped by the horses who sat 1-2 all the way around, as the Huntsville gelding Gretzky The Great defended the pocket behind sharp-leaving polesitter Jabbar and waited until the stretch. Then, in a clash of horses with sports names, the hockey player caught the basketball player in 1:50.4, making up ground in a :27.3 final quarter while winning by a neck. Simon Allard drove the winner, now two-for-two for trainer Darren Taneyhill and P T Stable.
 
The trotting division of the subfeature resulted in a victory for the Bar Hopping sophomore gelding Honolulu Hanover, a winner in 1:56.3. The meet’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, waited just off the pace then sprang a big move on the far turn, causing favored pacesetter Camera Man to break, and thus gifted with the lead Honolulu Hanover defeated the horse caught behind the breaker, Te Amo Lindy, by 1¾ lengths; Scudo Hanover lost the photo for second. Pocono’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, conditions the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala, and James Martin.
 
The $16,000 handicap pace for the top claiming pacers saw Spring Break rally from way off the pace, holding off another late charger, Justasec N, by a neck in 1:52.4 for his third win in his last four trips behind the gate. Team Buter/Burke, the Pocono stats leaders, combined for another win, here for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phil Collura.
 
George Napolitano Jr. won the day’s last race to capture honors on the card with three wins; doublers included drivers Simon Allard, Brett Beckwith, Matt Kakaley, Anthony Napolitano, and Tyler Buter and the sole two-time winning trainer, Ron Burke (we have noted that Buter and Burke, the meet’s leaders, combined for their pair).
 
Monday’s 1 p.m. card will find the eight divisions of PA Fair Sire Stakes Championships going for an aggregate $200,000; the horse in the spotlight will be Lionheart Hanover, a trotter who would become only the second Standardbred to win his points title (from the summerlong races) and his Championship at both two and three. There will also be a 1 p.m. card on Tuesday. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Greenshoe gelding Greenma, second by a nose to divisional leader Emoticon Legacy in his Hambletonian elimination, found the company in the $13,500 featured trot for “nw 5 races” much more to his liking, as he won as trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer pleased in 1:54.4.
 
Smedshammer kept the sophomore steady into the first turn then sent him up quickly, gaining the lead and putting up early numbers of :29.1 and :58.2. The competition began to melt one by one as Greenma went to the three-quarters in 1:26.3, and as he cut the corner for home he had a 3½ length lead which remained intact to the wire. Greenma has five wins and five seconds in fifteen seasonal starts with earnings of $140,406 for Purple Haze Stable LLC.
 
The $13,000 trot for fast-class performers saw the Walner three-year-old filly Walspea, second in the Hambletonian Oaks, exceed the specifications of the developmental trot and thus have to race against more seasoned performers. And she defeated them, too, in 1:53.4, giving Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze a feature double (this one is co-owned by M3 Racing Stable).
 
Mr Bluebird, in search of his fifth straight win, flew to the early lead, made the quarter in :27.3 then backed the half off to :57.1. Favored Usain Hanover made a big move in early backstretch but then jumped it off, giving Smedshammer a chance to move his filly outside before the 1:25.4 third pole. Though Mr Bluebird held strongly in the :28 last quarter, Walspea earned a 1½ length decision to raise her lifetime earnings to $275,852.
 
There were three $12,000 races for the “nw 3 races” class, two on the trot and one for pacing fillies. In the faster of the trots, the freshman Tactical Landing – Amber Ella colt Southwind Alamo took on older foes and made it look easy, grinding to the lead and then drawing off to a clear 1:56 victory. Johnathan Ahle had the sulky duty for trainer Ron Coyne Jr. and the ownership of Coyne and Pachuta Stable, Blair Corbeil, Richard Carney, and Mike McAllister.
 
In the other division of the subfeature trot for developing horses, the Bar Hopping sophomore filly Demarara Hanover kept grinding uncovered, made the lead in the stretch, then held off the late-charging Berry Good News to win by a half length in 1:59. Corey Callahan was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., FAC Racing LLC, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
 
In the section of this class for pacing distaffs, another two-year-old proved victorious: JK Fierce Lady, a daughter of Captaintreacherous – JK First Lady (who’s a daughter of Horse of the Year JK Shesalady). Her pedigree came through in her race, in which she was put on the lead just past the quarter by George Napolitano Jr. and had more than enough to keep pocketsitting Make It Right a length at bay under the wire in 1:54.4. JK Fierce Lady is trained by Nancy Takter for 3 Brothers Stable.
 
Corey Callahan took sulky honors on the day with three successful steers; two-time driving winners were Tony Morgan, Trond Smedshammer, and Åke Svanstedt. The two Scandinavians both sent out a pair of winners from their barns.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia will be back racing on Sunday at 12:40; it will race live on a Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 schedule next week, and then Thursday at 12:25 will be readded to the mix. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA -- $200,000 will be on the line when the best of the performers who raced on the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes circuit this summer clash for “bragging rights” in eight $25,000 divisional Championships on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Three of last year’s four Fair Champions as two-year-olds are back to attempt to double up on their titles. Two of them, both from the Tony and Linda Schadel barn, have been the top performers of the whole fair circuit on their respective gaits, while the third had not won a fair race until two weeks ago, but stamped himself ready with a pair of powerhouse miles.
 
One of the Schadels’ defending champions is the Greenshoe trotting gelding Lionheart Hanover, who posted the most wins of any fair horse in 2025, thirteen, and also recorded the fastest fair mile on the trot, 1:58.2. He will be starting from the rail in race twelve and the Schadels have engaged Pocono’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, to handle “Lionheart” and other Championship horses from their barn.
 
A win by Lionheart Hanover would have special meeting, as Lionheart Hanover was the seasonal pointsleader (based on finishes throughout the summer season) and the Championship winner at two, and he also led his group (in fact, every other fair horse) in points at three; should he pull off the “double double,” Lionheart Hanover would be the first trotter and only second horse in the history of the fair program to do so. The other was pacing filly Bettor Strait N Up in 2021-2022, and “Lionheart” couldn’t be in better hands approaching this possibility – for it was Tony and Linda who campaigned Bettor Strait N Up.
 
The Schadels will join again with Buter to try to take the pacing filly title for a second straight year. Milagro, a daughter of Always B Miki, notched twelve successes over the summer, and eight of them were in 2:00 or less, by far the best total recorded in this speed category (she also set the speed record for her baby Championship last year). The leading pacer of any stripe as a pointwinner, Milagro will begin from post six in the eleventh race.
 
Sweet Parlay was last year’s pacing colt champion, but this year he had not even won in limited fair campaigning – until two weeks ago. Then he exploded: the Sweet Lou gelding won at Meadville in 1:57.4, the fastest mile ever at that track, and then last week he tied the Dayton track record at 1:57.2. Chris Shaw has the driving assignment from post seven in the tenth race for trainer Richard Dunn, co-owner with MBC Stables LLC.
 
This division, the traditional “glamour division,” also contains the points champion, Bettor Not (post one, driver Cody Schadel), and the author of the fastest mile at the fairs this year, 1:54.4, Fasting (post eight, driver Jeremy Indof).
 
The other three-year-old Championship, for filly trotters in race five, sees another 12-time winner and pointleader in the International Moni filly Tally The Tab, who has won her last ten starts on the twicearound circuit. Trained and driven by the 2025 fair leader in both categories, Todd Schadel (Tony’s brother), and co-owned by him with his wife Christine, Tally The Tab faces a challenge, though, in solving the difficult outside post eight starting assignment.
 
The two winningest two-year-olds at the fairs this year, a pair of trotters, both had nine victories, and both enter their Championships on long winning streaks as well. Pa Patricia goes into the filly trot having won seven races in a row and leading her group; she starts from post three in the seventh race for driver Chris Shaw, trainer Ashley Brown, and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw.
 
The other nine-time trotting freshman winner, the International Moni gelding Nose Jammer, has an even longer winner streak, eight (which unfortunately is also his post number), but he wasn’t even his divisional points champion: that would be the Fordham Road gelding RT Wonder Colt, a consistent 16-6-8-2 over the summer and beginning from slot two for driver Eric Neal, trainer Tom Loughry Jr. and Brocious Racing Stable Inc.
 
The pacing fillies’ point title went to the last card of the year before Vegas Queen (by Sweet Lou and to be driven from post five by Jim Pantaleano for trainer Neil Balcerak and owner George Prushnok) clinched the coveted cooler in stable colors over Beachy’s Mistress (post four, driver Brady Brown). The freshman pacing colts were an unsettled bunch much of the year; the point champion Party Rock Hanover (post one for Team Tony Schadel) had only two victories, but one was the fastest mile of the year by a two-year-old, 1:57.
 
Pocono is racing on a Saturday-Monday-Tuesday schedule during the fall, all cards beginning at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Bar Hopping three-year-old filly Bay Breeze Hanover turned in the race of her life in the $15,500 Tuesday afternoon featured trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, overcoming a hard trip while posting a lifetime best of 1:54.3.
 
Favored Bay Breeze Hanover looked to have her task simplified a bit when her next two mutuel rivals, Craigieburn and Rothko, both made early miscues. But two other rivals, Checkmate Hall and Vanguard, made life difficult for the filly in the first half, as Checkmate Hall (post three) kept Bay Breeze Hanover (post four) two-wide and Vanguard (post five) three-wide well past a :27 opening quarter. The chalk finally cleared to the lead in front of the stands, with Checkmate Hall then behind her and Vanguard left out in the air, and he retreated from the battle past a :55.4 half.
 
Ballroom Bash had stayed connected behind the early duel and moved outside towards a 1:25 three-quarters, but by that point Bay Breeze Hanover had started to leave the field far in her wake – the final win margin was ten lengths over Ballroom Bash, who in turn finished three lengths of ahead of Checkmate Hall.
 
Bay Breeze Hanover went over the six-figure mark in lifetime earnings despite this being only her fourth career win, as she has been a checkgetter in higher company. Michael Seddon, who became the winner’s new trainer in her previous start, joined with driver Tyler Buter and owner Nick Shaw in the success.
 
The parade of Pocono longshots continued on Tuesday, as Braxten Boyd brought home River Of Denile at a $65.60 mutuel, running that count to ten in the last month. If you like to bet longshots, “the form” says do so on a Pocono race numbering in the double digits (the track usually has fourteen or fifteen races): 16 of the 44 $50+ winners this year have been in the later races, including four of the last seven.
 
Driving triples were recorded by Boyd, Buter, and Anthony Napolitano, who tripled for the second consecutive card. Two of the wins for Buter, the track’s leading driver, came for the meet’s leading trainer, Ron Burke.
 
Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m., with a $27,500 pace for top fast-class horses who can threaten 1:50 under good conditions will be spotlighted. Monday at 1 p.m., there will be $200,000 at stake in the eight Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championships; the racing week will then close out with a 1 p.m. program Tuesday. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Younger horses on their way to bigger purses (and tougher competition) met for $15,500 in a pair of features on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. One of the headliners was a pace for distaffs, the other a trot.
 
In the trotting feature, the striking gray Bar Hopping sophomore gelding Messenger Hanover, second in his Stallion Series Championship, won for the second consecutive time, here taking a new mark of 1:54 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jim Simpson, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. Messenger Hanover set fractions of :27.4, :57.1, and 1:24.4 en route to victory.
 
Giving good chase from the two-hole and only three parts of a length back at the wire was Lionheart Hanover, the winningest (13) and fastest (1:58.2) trotter at the Pennsylvania fairs this summer, in a good tuneup for his $25,000 divisional PA Fair Sire Stakes Championship next Monday. That card, with $200,000 in purses for the eight PaFSS sections overall, will be drawn Tuesday, October 7, when Pocono closes out its racing week with a 1 p.m. start.
 
The pacing females were headed by the Lazarus N three-year-old filly Shesgotthejack, who stayed connected with the front group behind pacesetter Bequeath (:27.3, :55.3, 1:23.1) as the field raced in two packs of four from before the half. Shesgotthejack tipped wide in the stretch and caught favored Lily White Hanover, who had come out of the pocket to get the stretch lead,  while stopping the clock in 1:52.1. Ridge Warren drove the winner, third in the recent NJ Classic, for trainer Jacob Hartline and Anatolia Racing LLC.
 
The $12,500 fast-class feature for pacing fillies and mares provided a showcase for the Captaintreacherous mare Stonecoldtreachery, who did not look back while posting fractions of :26.2, :54, and 1:21 en route to success in 1:49.4 for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Juan Cano, and owner Hot Lead Farm. The four-year-old boosted her career earnings into six figures with this victory, but she had previously shown her high-level ability getting a check in the Lady Liberty against Sylvia Hanover and Twin B Joe Fresh.
 
The Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr., joined Ridge Warren in driving three winners on the Monday Pocono card.
 
There will be a carryover into the last race High 5 wager on the Tuesday 1 p.m. card. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
DAYTON PA – The Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Circuit made its last stop of 2025 this past weekend at the Dayton Fairgrounds, about 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, where the final pointstandings champions were settled, and more importantly for many, which eight horses per division are in control of their own points destiny for their $25,000 divisional Championship, to be held Monday, October 13 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Some of those already assured of a Championship spot “dropped down” at Dayton to “B” level action (for which no points are given) to maintain sharpness. All pointstandings are under the control of the Harness Bureau of the State Horse Racing Commission, so check with them if any eligibility is in question.
 
Most of the season among the PA Fairs’ three-year-olds, the attention has been on 2024 Championship winners Lionheart Hanover, a trotting gelding, and Milagro, a pacing filly, and indeed they were the leaders in fair victories with 13 and 12, respectively, as well as points champions. But another 2024 Fair Champion has stepped up in a really big way at the end of the campaign – the pacing gelding Sweet Parlay, a son of Sweet Lou trained by Richard Dunn and co-owned by him with MBC Stables LLC.
 
Before last week’s fair stop at Meadville, Sweet Parlay had started only four times all year at the fairs, and had won none of them. But guided by Chris Shaw the last two weeks, Sweet Parlay first rewrote the all-age track record at Meadville to 1:57.4, and then here at Dayton on Sunday he came back to post a 1:57.2 triumph, which equaled Nome Hanover’s 2020 all-time local mark. He now has the required points and starts, and appears one of the horses to beat in his division, though Bettor Up had long clinched the group’s point crown.
 
Another sub-2:00 Dayton winner, Happy Hours Blues (by Heston Blue Chip, trainer-driver Aaron Johnston, 1:59.4), is sitting very near the “A” points cutoff line (even though his Dayton triumph was in a “B” event), so he and his connections may be very interested to see the entries when the Fair Championships are drawn at Pocono this coming Tuesday (October 7).
 
Lionheart Hanover (who by the way could be only the second horse in Fair history to do the “double-double,” points and Championship at two and three) and Milagro are both in at Pocono early this coming week, prepping for the Championships, which gave other horses a better chance to grab some limelight.
 
In Milagro’s group, the Heston Blue Chip filly Shesinqredible Deo got herself on firmer finale footing with a 2:00 win for driver Eric Neal and trainer Mitchell York, co-owner with Erin York. The fastest trotter at Dayton (for the year, it was Lionheart Hanover) was another female, the International Moni miss Kind Of Likecash, who came up raw to win in 2:02.1 for driver Chris Shaw, trainer Ashley Brown, and the partnership of Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw. (The latter filly’s points group leader, 11-time winner Tally The Tab, sat out this week.)
 
The two-year-olds got the Dayton action started Saturday, with both groups of fillies the only ones who had not yet determined their leading pointwinner. Among the pacers, the Sweet Lou – Takana Rose filly Vegas Queen clinched receiving the special cooler “done up” in the stable colors when she defeated the only horse who could catch her, second finisher Beachy’s Mistress, for driver David Brickell, trainer Neil Balcerak, and owner George Prushnok. Both fillies led all pacing freshmen with eight “A” PA stakes wins.
 
Both trotting groups had nine-time “A” winners. Reaching nine, the last seven in succession, was the Father Patrick – Tymal Lux filly PA Patricia, who clinched her title before she won at Dayton because her only mathematical rival did not declare in. Pa Patricia was driven by Chris Shaw for Team Kind Of Likecash, mentioned earlier, trainer Ashley Brown and owners Sandy Petersen and Alexa Shaw.
 
The male counterpart of Pa Patricia, who set a Dayton track record, wasn’t the one who won that blanket chase. Nose Jammer (an International Moni – By A Nose Hanover gelding) won his ninth “A” start, the last eight in a row, and lowered Gee Whiz George’s 2016 local mark by two ticks with a 2:04 score for trainer-driver Todd Schadel, co-owner with Christine Schadel. But the ultra-consistent Fordham Road – Keystone Wonder gelding RT Wonder Colt, who won the race after Nose Jammer’s, was top of that division with a 16-6-8-2 scorecard.
 
The pacing colt freshman blanket was won by Party Rock Hanover, the season’s fastest freshman at 1:57, who did not race at Dayton. The single freshman “A” pacing colt heat at Dayton was the fastest two-year-old mile, 2:03.1, by the Captain Crunch – Pretty Proud gelding Ima Proud Captain, driven by Todd Schadel for trainer Norm Parker and owners Barbara Richardson and Rich Gillock.
 
Eric Neal and Chris Shaw tied for Dayton driving honors with five victories, one more than Aaron Johnston and Todd Schadel. Aaron sent out four winners to head the trainers category, one more than Joyce Lineweaver and Todd Schadel.
 
Remarkably, there was only one card missed due to bad weather in the forty racing days on the 2025 PA Fair Circuit: the two-year-olds at Bedford. Now the fair horsemen of Pennsylvania hope that the metaphorical sun shines on them for one more day – Monday, October 13, the PA Fair Championships day, with $200,000 in purses on the line.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Horses on their way up the classladder via the “nw 7 races” rung were in the spotlight during on the Saturday afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with one $17,500 event at each gait.
 
Kierkegaard K, who had been battling tough company most of his career and had amassed $413,294, had won only six races and so was eligible for this race, and the son of Chapter Seven put his “class” edge to good use with an overwhelming 1:52.1 victory to start off the day’s racing. Johnathan Ahle scooted him away to command long before the :26.2 quarter, rated the half in :56.1, then picked up the pace, reaching the three-quarters in 1:24.3 before tacking on a :27.3 last panel for trainer Åke Svanstedt and owner Knutsson Trotting Inc.
 
The Soho Lanakai gelding Captain Moore A clocked his fastest victory since coming to North America when he won the pacing division of the feature class, restricted to males, in 1:50.3. Brett Beckwith had to get the horse to work until just past the finish line the first time to make the lead, but after fractions of :27, :55.1, and 1:23.1 the Aussie had enough spring in his step to ward off several late challenges for trainer Scott Blackler and owner Chad Kowal. Captain Moore A does like to win – he’s now captured half of his 24 career starts (he fit this condition because of the AE money limit).
 
In a $15,500 subfeature for developing male pacers, the Captaintreacherous sophomore colt Captain Fear followed the good cover of heavily favored Go Grasshopper, then eased wide of that one and was able to get by the chalk by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:51.1. George Napolitano Jr. guided four winners on the day including this one, who has all three of his career victories at Pocono, for trainer Tom Fanning and the ownership of Howard Taylor and Falcon Racing LLC.
 
Racing at Pocono continues with Monday and Tuesday programs set for a 1 p.m. start, with developing trotters contesting a feature race on each day. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.