By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The pair of feature races at Harrah’s Chester on “Trottin’ Thursday” were both hard-fought affairs, with both headliners finding less than two lengths separating the winner from the last checkgetter.

In the $18,000 top-level event, the Crazed gelding Izoh ignored both a 23-1 dismissal by the crowd and a grueling first-over trip to catch favored sophomore Goes Down Smooth, whose last appearance was a checkgetting one in the Breeders Crown, by a nose in 1:55.1. There was a half-length between Goes Down Smooth and third-place Ooh Rah, who in turn captured third by a half-length over Sumatra, with Armagedon Seelster another neck back in fifth. Izoh, now with two wins and three seconds in his last five starts despite rising in class steadily, triumphed for trainer Frank Ingrassia and driver Jackie Ingrassia, who is a co-owner with Arden Homestead Stable, Donna Franchetti, and Thomas Doran.

The $14,500 co-feature saw the Muscle Mass gelding Cruising In Style come up the inside to outstep first-over favorite Crossfit by ¾ of a length in 1:55.4. Fashion Creditor was a half-length behind those two and Hill Of A Horse only a head behind the show horse and a half-length ahead of Sylvesteramericait. CruisingIn Style pushed his earnings over the quarter-million dollar mark, with the figure now at $250,819 for the Andrew Harris trainee, who is owned by Thestable Cruising Group.
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Cruising In Style was driven by George Napolitano Jr., who had four wins on the Thursday card; Marcus Miller was next in line with three sulky successes.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The betting favorites did not let the crowd down during the two $16,000 features on the Wednesday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

First up was the contest for pacing males, and the crowd naturally went to the American Ideal sophomore colt Artie’s Ideal, who had finished third, beaten only a neck, in his Little Brown Jug elimination, and was second in the New York Sire Stakes final to Hickfromfrenchlick. And Artie’s Ideal did not disappoint from the pole, going coast-to-coast in 1:52.2 with a 1¾ length margin over Smackitwithahammer at the wire. The father/son team of driver Marcus and trainer Erv Miller saw the three-year-old boost his bankroll to $345,078 lifetime for Bay Pond Racing Stable.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Despite a mercury reading dancing on the edge of 50o, the three winners of the $15,000 features on the Tuesday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono all posted lifetime marks.
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The Art Major gelding Benson Boys N perforce took a new best of 1:52 in a pace for males, as the race was his U.S. debut. Unraced at two and three but now 6-for-13 in his last two seasons, Benson Boys N swept wide off cover on the far turn, was kept out wide by the pocketsitting Boys Turn moving outside at headstretch, but still won the stretch battle of the “Boys” by ¾ of a length. Tyler Buter drove the promising import for trainer Chris Oakes and owners Northfork Racing Stable and Alan Johnston.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Big Jim sophomore colt Bronx Seelster, fresh off racing in his Breeders Crown final, went to the top against mostly older foes in the $17,500 feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs Saturday night, then responded gamely to post a 1:50.3 victory in 40-degree temperatures.
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Simon Allard, who had three victories on the night, hustled the sophomore to the top before the :26.2 initial split, then got him to the half in :55.1 and the three-quarters in 1:23.2 without too much pressure. In the stretch, though, Twin B Tuffenuff ducked in from the pocket to the Pocono Pike and menaced in midstretch, but Bronx Seelster dug in and held a neck advantage at the wire. The pacer is now campaigned by Allard Racing Inc., Bruce Soulsby, Alan Weisenberg, and Dr. Stephen Klunowski, who acquired him before his Breeders Crown elimination.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Jive Dancing A won her third straight race and her second straight in the $17,000 fillies and mares high-level pace on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, lowering her lifetime mile mark to 1:51.4 despite temperatures in the lower 50s. 
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The victorious daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven was the innermost of three competitors for the early lead, yielding the top to favored Sweet Lucy Lou near the :27.4 quarter; that one, who had been two-wide in the first turn, then gave way to Odds On St Lucie, who was limbed three-deep most of the quarter then two-wide further before getting the top. Odds On St Lucie was off to the races, hitting the half in :55.2 and leaving the chalk gapping in the two-hole, while Jive Dancing A started a first-over move.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Explosive Matter gelding Scirocco Rob, pressed to the max around the final turn by the first-over Max, got a big break when that one went offstride nearing headstretch, and “Rob” was able to go on to a 1:54.4 victory over a “good” track in the $17,500 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.

George Napolitano Jr., who had four driving wins on the dank day, sent the Mark Silva trainee right out to command, and when Armageddon Seelster could find no first turn hole in which to tuck, he went on past the :27.3 opener to get the lead, only to see Scirocco Rob immediately reclaim the top well before the :57.2. At that point Max started his first-over grind and was giving the winner all he could handle when he lost his gait late on the turn, allowing Scirocco Rob to stay in control and tally by 3 ½ lengths over late-closing Ooh Rah. The winner, owned by Kathleen Whitaker and Lewis Whitaker Jr., now shows career earnings of $397,723.
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Sumatra was handled patiently by driver David Miller through most of the $14,500 co-featured trot, then proved to have the most late in 1:55.3 victory, a neck to the good of Izoh. The Muscles Yankee gelding, trained by Tom Fanning, has amassed a lifetime bankroll of $790,172 for owner Joseph Smith.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Nutcracker Sweet, who has been in the harness racing headlines ever since he won his purse debut in 1:52 in June of his two-year-old year, won for the first time in 753 days – just over two years – as he took the pacing division of the $16,000 tri-features Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
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The four-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight showed good speed in making the lead before the :26.4 quarter, then was used further to keep Major March outside most of the way to a :55.3 half.  Cecil Casanova moved to challenge raw before the 1:23 three-quarters, but in the stretch driver Andrew McCarthy was able to find room up the inside and got past the tough first-over by 3/4 of a length – in 1:52.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – A rare Åke Svanstedt-trained pacer, the Rock N Roll Heaven mare Kimberlee, sat off of very hot fractions, then swept to victory late in the $17,500 distaff featured pace during the Tuesday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Shes Pukka N used the rail to gain the early advantage, keeping the favorite Eclipse Me N parked well past the :26 quarter to almost the 3/8; at that point Medusa, who had also left and was parked with cover, went on and gained command before the hot :54.1 half.