By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – The time to distribute over $3 million to the best Pennsylvania-sired youngsters, by age, sex, and gait, will come this week after the last of the preliminary rounds, the fourth and final leg for three-year-old male trotters, raced in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which will host the three-year-old Sire Stakes Championships and consolations next Sunday, September 6. Stakes purses on the afternoon totaled $138,604.
These sophomores have been very competitive all season – not only did no one sweep all four preliminary legs, but no one even has three to their credit. After Sunday’s action, only one Sire Stakes horse and two Stallion Series competitors had recorded as many as two victories, ensuring exciting, spirited finals.
The only double Sires winner is the Bar Hopping gelding Minoan, who won his last two Sire Stakes contests, this one in 1:53. With his main rival Geologic offstride at the start, favored Minoan and driver Johnathan Ahle had a fairly easy time of it, cutting fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:25.2 before zipping home in :27.2 to win by 2½ lengths over Jim Bean, making him his division’s leading prelim pointwinner for trainer Noel Daley, also co-owner with Patricia Stable LLC, L. A. Express Stable LLC, and Sjoeblom Racing Inc.
The other Sires cut also went in 1:53, and it clinched entry to the Championship for the International Moni gelding Oversear, an 11-1 shot who set a lifetime mark with his wire-to-wire victory. Driver-trainer Charlie Norris was quickly on top, put up early splits of :28.1 and :58, then sharpened the speed to a 1:24.4 clocking into the far turn as favored Fineline Hanover trotted his own third quarter in :26 without cover to pressure the leader. But Oversear had something left in reserve to win by 1¼ lengths over the chalk for the ownership of Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter.
Sons of Captain Corey were winners in the two Stallion Series sections (all eight StS finales will be raced this Saturday at The Meadows). Captain Micah joined the absent Captain Jordan as a two-time StS winner while also emerging the top prelim pointwinner after reducing his mark to 1:54. Mike Wilder, who catch-drove Captain Micah for trainer Travis Alexander and owner Gino Toscani, raced in the two-hole, then came up the inside in the lane and bested the tough first-over (:26.2 in his own third quarter) challenger Emmett Hanover by a neck.
The first Stallion Series prelim had an unusual situation, as the two favorites were a winner in 2026 Sire Stakes competition and the 2025 Sire Stakes Champion. Captain Vodka appeared to have built up enough points in the Sires for his connections to give him a slightly-easier tuneup for next Sunday (he did qualify for the Sires, but not in this class), while Dublin Hanover started his 2026 campaign late and was far back in his only Sires start. But the two both raced very well in this event, with favored Captain Vodka angling wide off cover and just catching a tough pacesetting Dublin Hanover by a head in 1:55.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., the latter co-owner with J L Sadowsky LLC and Christine Baggitt.
On the overnight scene: going into July 19, the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Mardi Gras Man was a maiden, and the Captaintreacherous gelding Don’tmesswithles needed a photo to win in the “nw5000” class a couple of lines back. Driver Trae Porter is the common link between these two, along with both finding tremendous form: on Sunday, Mardi Gras Man won his sixth straight race in 1:51.3, collecting earnings of $32,750 during that streak, while Don’tmesswithles has hit the board in seven straight starts during this period, on Sunday winning the $13,000 fast-class pace for the second straight week with a game 1:50.3 triumph, running his bankroll in this form cycle to $23,805.
Jonathan Ahle had three sulky scores Sunday, with doubles to Simon Allard, George Napolitano Jr., Mark Herschberger, and Trae Porter. On the raining side, two-baggers were rung up by Dean Eckley (with Napolitano winning both times) and Enrico Robinson (one handled by Ahle and one by Allard).
Racing resumes at Philly at 12:25 on “Trottin’ Thursday,” featuring high-quality diamondgaited horses of both the veteran and developing variety. Next Sunday (September 6), there will be $1.4M in purses as Philly hosts the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship for three-year-olds (the final prelims for trotting colts to earn qualifying points having been reported on above); consolation races will be held for those divisions with overflow entries. Those races will be drawn on Wednesday, September 3.
And on a special Saturday card, September 12, at 6 P.M., HARRAH’S will be celebrating its 20TH ANNIVERSARY, with the return of the Colonial Trot (which originated at Liberty Bell about an hour north of our track), in addition to attractions for all manner of racing and entertainment fans!
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – The time to distribute over $3 million to the best Pennsylvania-sired youngsters, by age, sex, and gait, will come this week after the last of the preliminary rounds, the fourth and final leg for three-year-old male trotters, raced in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which will host the three-year-old Sire Stakes Championships and consolations next Sunday, September 6. Stakes purses on the afternoon totaled $138,604.
These sophomores have been very competitive all season – not only did no one sweep all four preliminary legs, but no one even has three to their credit. After Sunday’s action, only one Sire Stakes horse and two Stallion Series competitors had recorded as many as two victories, ensuring exciting, spirited finals.
The only double Sires winner is the Bar Hopping gelding Minoan, who won his last two Sire Stakes contests, this one in 1:53. With his main rival Geologic offstride at the start, favored Minoan and driver Johnathan Ahle had a fairly easy time of it, cutting fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:25.2 before zipping home in :27.2 to win by 2½ lengths over Jim Bean, making him his division’s leading prelim pointwinner for trainer Noel Daley, also co-owner with Patricia Stable LLC, L. A. Express Stable LLC, and Sjoeblom Racing Inc.
The other Sires cut also went in 1:53, and it clinched entry to the Championship for the International Moni gelding Oversear, an 11-1 shot who set a lifetime mark with his wire-to-wire victory. Driver-trainer Charlie Norris was quickly on top, put up early splits of :28.1 and :58, then sharpened the speed to a 1:24.4 clocking into the far turn as favored Fineline Hanover trotted his own third quarter in :26 without cover to pressure the leader. But Oversear had something left in reserve to win by 1¼ lengths over the chalk for the ownership of Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter.
Sons of Captain Corey were winners in the two Stallion Series sections (all eight StS finales will be raced this Saturday at The Meadows). Captain Micah joined the absent Captain Jordan as a two-time StS winner while also emerging the top prelim pointwinner after reducing his mark to 1:54. Mike Wilder, who catch-drove Captain Micah for trainer Travis Alexander and owner Gino Toscani, raced in the two-hole, then came up the inside in the lane and bested the tough first-over (:26.2 in his own third quarter) challenger Emmett Hanover by a neck.
The first Stallion Series prelim had an unusual situation, as the two favorites were a winner in 2026 Sire Stakes competition and the 2025 Sire Stakes Champion. Captain Vodka appeared to have built up enough points in the Sires for his connections to give him a slightly-easier tuneup for next Sunday (he did qualify for the Sires, but not in this class), while Dublin Hanover started his 2026 campaign late and was far back in his only Sires start. But the two both raced very well in this event, with favored Captain Vodka angling wide off cover and just catching a tough pacesetting Dublin Hanover by a head in 1:55.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., the latter co-owner with J L Sadowsky LLC and Christine Baggitt.
On the overnight scene: going into July 19, the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Mardi Gras Man was a maiden, and the Captaintreacherous gelding Don’tmesswithles needed a photo to win in the “nw5000” class a couple of lines back. Driver Trae Porter is the common link between these two, along with both finding tremendous form: on Sunday, Mardi Gras Man won his sixth straight race in 1:51.3, collecting earnings of $32,750 during that streak, while Don’tmesswithles has hit the board in seven straight starts during this period, on Sunday winning the $13,000 fast-class pace for the second straight week with a game 1:50.3 triumph, running his bankroll in this form cycle to $23,805.
Jonathan Ahle had three sulky scores Sunday, with doubles to Simon Allard, George Napolitano Jr., Mark Herschberger, and Trae Porter. On the raining side, two-baggers were rung up by Dean Eckley (with Napolitano winning both times) and Enrico Robinson (one handled by Ahle and one by Allard).
Racing resumes at Philly at 12:25 on “Trottin’ Thursday,” featuring high-quality diamondgaited horses of both the veteran and developing variety. Next Sunday (September 6), there will be $1.4M in purses as Philly hosts the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship for three-year-olds (the final prelims for trotting colts to earn qualifying points having been reported on above); consolation races will be held for those divisions with overflow entries. Those races will be drawn on Wednesday, September 3.
And on a special Saturday card, September 12, at 6 P.M., HARRAH’S will be celebrating its 20TH ANNIVERSARY, with the return of the Colonial Trot (which originated at Liberty Bell about an hour north of our track), in addition to attractions for all manner of racing and entertainment fans!
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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