By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – In Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, two-year-old trotting colts and geldings contested their fourth and final preliminary leg, racing for $177,378 and adding enough points to make their upcoming rich Championships (the Sire Stakes horses here on Friday, September 5 and the Stallion Series competitors on Monday, September 8 at Pocono).
The three Sire Stakes divisional winners were all sent away as the third choice – and that’s quite surprising in the case of Mr Big Spender, who made a break in his last race but had won four stakes in a row before that, including two Sire Stakes legs. On Sunday the Captain Corey – Reilly K colt made it three victories in the PaSS, making a move for driver Mike Wilder nearing the :28.2 quarter, getting the lead and a breather to the half in :57.3, and then just overpowering the competition from there, passing the three-quarters in 1:26 and drawing off to an easy 3 1/4 length win in 1:54.2 – just a tick off the divisional track record at Philly set last year by Father TJ, and equaling his mark.
Mr Big Spender now has five wins in seven lifetime starts (the other two stakes wins were in the Arden Downs and Pennsylvania All-Stars) for trainer Norm Parker and owners Bart and Todd Brice. Depending upon the draw, he surely will be among the favorites in his upcoming Championship races.
Opening the card was Minoan, a Bar Hopping – Regal Woman colt who now has a pair of SS prelim wins after a 1:55 triumph. Johnathan Ahle took the Noel Daley trainee straight to the engine, put up splits of :28.1, :58.3, and 1:26.2, then won by three lengths over favored Mr Penner, who attacked strongly first-over but then could not sustain. Minoan, who also had a second in a PaSS prelim, is owned by Patricia Stable, L A Express Stable, Sjoblom Racing, and the trainer.
After a “x6-5-x7” scorecard in the first three Sire Stakes, the International Moni - Legal Lady gelding Oversear put it all together in his third start hoppled, breaking his maiden in 1:55.1. Trainer-driver Charlie Norris sat third off early splits of :28.2 and :58, was on the move uncovered well before the 1:26.2 three-quarters, and did not falter to the line in overhauling favored Dublin Hanover for owners Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter. An unofficial quick calculation after the day’s races showed that the win would carry Oversear into eligibility for his Championship, but all parties should seek out the official totals from the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, Bureau of Standardbred Horse Racing.
Mr Big Spender’s sire Captain Corey also fathered the fastest (by far) of the three Stallion Series winners – Captain Jordan (dam Jordan Blue Chip), who took a new mark of 1:55.2 after controlling the pace under Jim Marohn Jr.’s handling. Captain Jordan won his purse debut in a PA All-Stars contest, then broke in his last two starts, with Scott Di Domenico adding trotting hopples at that point. With the new equipment, he has two StS wins as he beat a field which had four other series winners in it for the ownership of Joseph Faraldo and Triple D Stable Inc. (Rico Tubbs, the only horse to have won twice in the first three PaStS prelims, did not race Sunday.) This group’s pointstandings are even tighter than the Sire Stakes, and again the PA Commission should be contacted for final official totals.
Driver Mike Wilder and sire Bar Hopping notched a PaSS-PaStS “double” when the two combined with the gelding Glenlivet (dam Ireland), who broke his maiden in 1:59.3 in the only stake of the day won by less than a length. Glenlivet turned away Almost Free by three quarters of a length, utilizing the inside lane for success for trainer Bill Daugherty, a “trotting colt specialist” on the state’s fair circuit, and owner Susan Daugherty.
The other Stallion Series winner also broke his maiden, after four seconds in his first five career starts (including a pair of deuces in the StS) – the Cue Hall – Happy Everything gelding Bayside Cue, who marched to the lead on the first turn and finished out a 1:58.3 winner for driver Brandon Givens, trainer Les Givens, and J M B Ventures.
Philly racing will resume on Thursday with a 12:25 starting time, with the “Trottin’ Thursday” usual mix of developing horses and fast-class horses in the feature spotlight. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – In Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, two-year-old trotting colts and geldings contested their fourth and final preliminary leg, racing for $177,378 and adding enough points to make their upcoming rich Championships (the Sire Stakes horses here on Friday, September 5 and the Stallion Series competitors on Monday, September 8 at Pocono).
The three Sire Stakes divisional winners were all sent away as the third choice – and that’s quite surprising in the case of Mr Big Spender, who made a break in his last race but had won four stakes in a row before that, including two Sire Stakes legs. On Sunday the Captain Corey – Reilly K colt made it three victories in the PaSS, making a move for driver Mike Wilder nearing the :28.2 quarter, getting the lead and a breather to the half in :57.3, and then just overpowering the competition from there, passing the three-quarters in 1:26 and drawing off to an easy 3 1/4 length win in 1:54.2 – just a tick off the divisional track record at Philly set last year by Father TJ, and equaling his mark.
Mr Big Spender now has five wins in seven lifetime starts (the other two stakes wins were in the Arden Downs and Pennsylvania All-Stars) for trainer Norm Parker and owners Bart and Todd Brice. Depending upon the draw, he surely will be among the favorites in his upcoming Championship races.
Opening the card was Minoan, a Bar Hopping – Regal Woman colt who now has a pair of SS prelim wins after a 1:55 triumph. Johnathan Ahle took the Noel Daley trainee straight to the engine, put up splits of :28.1, :58.3, and 1:26.2, then won by three lengths over favored Mr Penner, who attacked strongly first-over but then could not sustain. Minoan, who also had a second in a PaSS prelim, is owned by Patricia Stable, L A Express Stable, Sjoblom Racing, and the trainer.
After a “x6-5-x7” scorecard in the first three Sire Stakes, the International Moni - Legal Lady gelding Oversear put it all together in his third start hoppled, breaking his maiden in 1:55.1. Trainer-driver Charlie Norris sat third off early splits of :28.2 and :58, was on the move uncovered well before the 1:26.2 three-quarters, and did not falter to the line in overhauling favored Dublin Hanover for owners Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter. An unofficial quick calculation after the day’s races showed that the win would carry Oversear into eligibility for his Championship, but all parties should seek out the official totals from the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, Bureau of Standardbred Horse Racing.
Mr Big Spender’s sire Captain Corey also fathered the fastest (by far) of the three Stallion Series winners – Captain Jordan (dam Jordan Blue Chip), who took a new mark of 1:55.2 after controlling the pace under Jim Marohn Jr.’s handling. Captain Jordan won his purse debut in a PA All-Stars contest, then broke in his last two starts, with Scott Di Domenico adding trotting hopples at that point. With the new equipment, he has two StS wins as he beat a field which had four other series winners in it for the ownership of Joseph Faraldo and Triple D Stable Inc. (Rico Tubbs, the only horse to have won twice in the first three PaStS prelims, did not race Sunday.) This group’s pointstandings are even tighter than the Sire Stakes, and again the PA Commission should be contacted for final official totals.
Driver Mike Wilder and sire Bar Hopping notched a PaSS-PaStS “double” when the two combined with the gelding Glenlivet (dam Ireland), who broke his maiden in 1:59.3 in the only stake of the day won by less than a length. Glenlivet turned away Almost Free by three quarters of a length, utilizing the inside lane for success for trainer Bill Daugherty, a “trotting colt specialist” on the state’s fair circuit, and owner Susan Daugherty.
The other Stallion Series winner also broke his maiden, after four seconds in his first five career starts (including a pair of deuces in the StS) – the Cue Hall – Happy Everything gelding Bayside Cue, who marched to the lead on the first turn and finished out a 1:58.3 winner for driver Brandon Givens, trainer Les Givens, and J M B Ventures.
Philly racing will resume on Thursday with a 12:25 starting time, with the “Trottin’ Thursday” usual mix of developing horses and fast-class horses in the feature spotlight. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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