By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – With two-year-olds already in pari-mutuel competition, and with Pennsylvania stakes season for the freshmen opening next week at the fairs and the following week at the betting tracks, today’s host of qualifiers for babies at Harrah’s Philadelphia may be the last concentrated presentation of many morning sessions for the newcomers.
 
Here are the highlights divided by gait and sex:
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES: The team of driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Chris Ryder swept all three of the divisions for this group. Fastest was the Sweet Lou – So In Love miss Love You Do, who came first-over to catch Team Colors by a nose in 1:57 -- :57 -- :27.4 for Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Bottom Line Racing LLC; the same braintrust saw their Sweet Lou – Drop The Ball filly Butterfingers win her second straight baby qualifier in 1:57.3 -- :56.3 -- :27.4.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING COLTS: Dexter Dunn was also the driver of the faster winner in this section, Nolaughingstock, a colt by Heston Blue Chip – Laughandbehappy, who frontended his field in 1:56.2 -- :56.3 -- :27.3 for trainer Michael Hall, co-owner with Let It Ride Stables Inc., who obviously had a big day.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLIES – The Donato Hanover – Motivational miss Portulaca may decide to stay and bloom in PA – she won a baby event here, broke in a race at Magical Acres, then came back to Philly and took her second win, a wire-to-wire tally in 1:59 -- :57.4 -- :28.2 for driver David Miller and trainer Kathleen La Montagne, also owner with Donald La Montagne.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLTS – The only division for baby trotting colts was won by the Father Patrick – Sherrys Lady colt Once In A Lifetime, who rallied from the pocket to win in 2:02.2 -- :58.4 -- :29.2 for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Jim Campbell, and owners Sherry and Emily Forlan while taking his second straight trip to the gate.
 
Replays of the baby qualifiers can be found at the PHHA website, www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Captain Keen and Black Hawk Down both went to the lead and held the advantage to the wire in capturing the $15,000 features on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Also deserving a first paragraph mention is Team Miller, with Marcus driving six winners on the card, five for trainer/father Erv.
 
The Always A Virgin gelding Captain Keen and driver Jim Pantaleano didn’t have an easy path en route to grabbing the top going to the :27 quarter, even in the five-horse pacing feature field, but then had things relatively stress-free during middle splits of :55 and 1:23. In the stretch Major Show tried to catch him in the Pocono Pike, but Captain Keen held him off by a three-quarters of a length while lowering his mark to 1:51.1 for trainer Mike Simons, co-owner with Destiny Racing Stable LLC.
 
In the trotting headliner, the Kadabra gelding Black Hawk Down kept his head while all about him were losing theirs, enabling him to post fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:26.2 while going on to a career best of 1:55.4 while a length ahead of Fashion On A Star. Braxten Boyd drove the winner for trainer Hunter Oakes and Elite Harness Racing LLC.
 
Otherwise, much of the rest of the day belonged to Team Miller. The pair accounted for both of the first two-year-old betting races of 2022 here, both on the pace and with both debutantes coming off winning qualifiers: the Captaintreacherous – Bittorsweet Terror colt Barbossa Hanover, stepping home in :27.4 to complete a 1:55.1 mile for Bowie Racing LLC, and the filly Frondeur, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance – Redhot’s Memory who flew home in :27.2 at the end of a 1:56 mile for Shim Racing LLC.
 
Just as hot as the Millers were the Pocono bettors – eight favorites won on the fourteen-race card, with the other six races taken by the second choice.
 
Tuesday will feature trotters at Pocono – two $13,000 events for two-year-olds, one for each sex, and a $12,500 contest for fast-class performers. Tuesday’s action begins at 1:30 p.m.; program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Manon is four-for-four this season, two of them in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, after she won the faster $67,991 division of the third preliminary for three-year-old trotting fillies on Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Tim Tetrick handled the talented Bar Hopping filly cautiously early, letting the front end sort itself out, then went to the top past previous PaSS winner Samosa before the :28 quarter. Middle fractions of :56.4 and 1:25.3 left Manon with plenty left in the tank for the stretch, and she cruised home in :27.4 to wind up a length ahead of the game Samosa in the 1:53.2 mile.
 
Third in her only start at two, Manon has shown impressive development this year for trainer Lucas Wallin and the Harbor Racing Stable LLC.
 
Mon Cheval, second in both of the first two legs of the Sire Stakes and coming off a Pennsylvania All-Stars victory, posted her second straight win in the other Sires division. Taking the lead in front of the stands for driver Andrew McCarthy, the daughter of harness racing royalty – Father Patrick and Shake It Cerry – set the rest of the pace as she pleased, then dashed home in :27.3 to beat out Tie One On by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.2, a clocking matching her lifetime best, set in her All-Stars race.
 
Mon Cheval is trained by Nancy Takter for Solveig’s Racing Partners, another in a long string of success stories for that pairing.
 
If you want to talk about the fastest three-year-old trotting filly of Sunday at Pocono, you’d have to go to the fastest of four $20,000 divisions of the companion Stallion Series races, where the Southwind Frank speedster Baptism, winner of an All-Stars race in 1:52.2 in her last start, went a tick faster here to lower her mark and tie for the fastest trotting mile of the year at Pocono. 
 
What Should I Goo gave close chase from the two-hole through blistering splits of :27.1, :55, and 1:23.2 and is to be commended for staying within a length at the wire. But Baptism looked in command in the latter stages in winning her third straight (her second Stallion Series win) for trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt and the partnership of Diamond Creek Racing and Crossover Racing.
 
Two horses kept their 2022 records perfect in winning their StS cuts. The quicker was the Donato Hanover filly Chake (SHAH-kay), who won her fifth straight in her first stakes start, a 1:54.3 lifetime best on the engine for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Per Engblom, and owner Daniel Sarafian. Also successful was the Cantab Hall miss I’ll Have A Lindy, a four-time winner including three times in Stallion Series preliminaries, who defeated Rosaline by a neck in 1:56.4 for driver Scott Zeron, trainer Domenico Cecere, and the Greathorse ownership.
 
The other StS cut saw trainer/driver Todd Schadel, who’s been on a tear with his two-year-old trotting fillies, translate that success to the three-year-old level, getting a perfect second-over trip with the 31-1 Explosive Matter miss Heart Matters and then catching favored Elegant Charm by a head in 1:55.4 to lower her mark. Schadel also co-owns the winner with wife Christine and Rick and Regina Beinhauer.
 
Racing continues at The Downs on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, starting at 1:30 p.m. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.          

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of $13,000 paces for fast-class horses helped bring the week to an end on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
The division of the feature for males was taken by Mayhem Hanover, a son of Sportswriter who was piloted by Corey Callahan for trainer Jeff Cullipher, co-owner with Pollack Racing LLC. Mayhem Hanover quarter-moved near the :27.1 initial station, took over from Somebaddude, and then had that rival behind him through splits of :55.1, 1:23, and the final clocking in 1:51.1.
 
In the division for females, the Somebeachsomewhere mare Odds On Whitney showed improved form for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Odds On Racing, taking her first win of the campaign in 1:52.2. Tim Tetrick had the full sister to Papi Rob Hanover in high gear down the backstretch, pacing her third split in :26.2 to surge right to the lead and draw off to an open-length score. 
 
Also featured were a trio of $9900 trots in the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) series for amateur drivers. And yes, it’s a coincidence that the first two letters of AHDC are the first two letters of the last name of 25-year-old Johnathan Ahle, who swept the three events, are the same. 
 
Probably the most popular victory came with the 15-year-old wonder TSM Photo Bugger (allowed to race in amateur events), who wired his field while drawing away late in 1:55.4. The S J’s Photo gelding, trained and leased by Karen Fread, now has 64 career victories and earnings of $891,944.
 
The other two Ahle successes came with horses trained by Terry Morgan: Drazzmatazz, a 1:57.3 winner for Danbry Racing Inc., and Morgan’s own Lionhead in 1:58.1.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia is currently racing on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 12:25, and Sunday at 12:40. Program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Alluneedisfaith N was hard-used to make the top in Saturday’s $17,500 featured pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but once there he established his superiority by winning handily in 1:51.1.
 
It was only 57 degrees in the mountains Saturday, but a :26.1 opening quarter could certainly be classified as “hot,” with the winning Art Major gelding needing past that point to clear an early battle for supremacy. Alluneedisfaith N got to the half in :54.1, then actually got a third quarter breather to a 1:23.1 checkpoint, with a headwind aiding that slowdown, enabling the leader to come home in :28 to win confidently.
 
George Napolitano Jr. was the driver behind the winner of $482,533, who now has won two of his last three, for trainer Nik Drennan and the ownership of Robert Cooper Stables LLC and Jared Cooper.
 
In the $17,500 trotting contest, the Napolitano brothers tussled throughout the mile, with George and favored Ambassador Hanover making the lead just past the :28 opener over Anthony and Macmorris Hanover, then going on to refuse “Macmorris” a retake, with that one tucking back in the pocket before the :56.2 half. “Ambassador” got no breather fighting the first-over to a 1:25.2 three-quarters, and the breather Anthony could grab with his horse in the two-hole paid dividends in the stretch, where he regained the lead for good and held off Robbie Pev by a neck in a 1:54.4 mile. 
 
Bob Baggitt Jr. trains the victorious altered son of Cantab Hall, the winner of $264,083, for the team of the ubiquitous Howard Taylor, Ben Mudry, Douglas Millard, and Timothy Murray.
 
The Muscle Hill four-year-old Southwind Tyrion had gone 618 days between his last race (October 9, 2020) and a start in a $17,000 trot. That last start, he set the world record for two-year-old trotting colts with a 1:51.1 victory at Lexington; here he was a going-away winner in 1:54 to start his comeback. Sarah Svanstedt, with an .889 UDR this year, handled the winner of $289,297 for trainer/husband Åke Svanstedt, with Åke Svanstedt Inc. co-owner with S R F Stable, Knutsson Trotting Inc., and Brittany Farms & Riverview.
 
Matt Kakaley won five races on the Saturday card, again moving him close to perennial Pocono leader George Napolitano Jr., who had forged to the lead recently after Kakaley’s hot seasonal start. George, who won twice on the card, now has the thinnest of leads, 110-109, over Matt at the top.
 
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series three-year-old trotting fillies will contest their third preliminary rounds during Sunday’s 5 p.m. card. The four Sires winners to date – Dreamonhigh, Manon, Palermo Hanover, and Samosa – will all be looking to double their victory totals in the PaSS competition. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.         

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Four $12,600 features highlighting developing trotters and pacers were in the spotlight on a hot Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Nautical Hanover enjoyed class relief from Pennsylvania Sire Stakes company to take his division of the male pace in 1:50.3, his fastest victory ever. The Captaintreacherous three-year-old colt had to do it via the uncovered route, but Nautical Hanover came his own last half in :54.2 to impressively win for driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Tony Alagna and the partnership of Brad Grant, VJ Stable, Jablonsky Head Stable, and In The Gym Partners.
 
In the other section for males, driver Trae Porter, trainer Jacob Hartline, and the ownership of Anatolia Racing LLC scored for the second time on the day, here with the Big Jim gelding Wheresjim, who was never behind while his lowering his mark (taken in a Woodbine Mohawk qualifier) by 6 3/5 seconds with a 1:52.2 clocking. The four-year-old won his career debut on August 15, 2020 at Hanover (Ontario), then had to wait 30 races and 665 days for his next triumph, but he made the most of this opportunity.
 
The distaff pacers were led home by the Western Ideal three-year-old filly, who was reserved by driver Pat Berry just off a fast last-half battle between Sugar Bowl and Heavenly Angel, then got by both late to take a new lifetime mark of 1:52. Tom Shay conditions the winner for Bay Pond Racing Stable Inc.
 
A fast pace in the trotting feature helped set up the closing kick of the Andover Hill sophomore filly Newell Place, who came from last to win going away on the far outside in a new mark of 1:55 while returning an $80.00 win mutuel to her scattered backers. Troy Beyer guided the upsetter to victory for trainer John Calabrese and Calabrese Farms LLC.
 
In an $11,200 fast-class pace, Nutcracker Sweet, in the news since his earliest races, is now seven, and the son of Bettor’s Delight came with a fifth of a second of his lifetime mark by quarter-moving and then rolling on to a 1:50.2 victory. The winner of two straight saw his lifetime earnings go over half a million dollars with the success, with the number now $504,844 for trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere. Corey Callahan drove him to the easy triumph.
 
The racing week will conclude on Sunday with a 12:40 first race starting time. Program pages are  available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – For the second straight week Scirocco Rob had to try to overcome the rough “tuck-then-first-over” trip in the $22,500 handicap trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, and for the second straight week he got the job done despite the grueling journey, stopping the timer in 1:54.1.
 
David Miller got the winning Explosive Matter gelding away fourth as Yanks Dugout and Swingforthefences argued through a blazing :26.4 opener before assuming those spots in that order. Yanks Dugout got a rest to the half in :57.1, and it was Yanks Dugout who was in the sights of the grinding Scirocco Rob through and past a 1:25 three-quarters. The winner of $669,896 outtrotted the very game pacesetter to win by three-quarters of a length for trainer Mark Silva and owner Kathleen Whitaker while taking his third success in his last four outings.
 
In the $15,300 co-featured trot for up-and-coming horses, Infinity Stone bottomed his field out with hot fractions of :27, :55.1, and 1:23.1, keeping rolling to the wire in control of the opposition in 1:53.1.The Il Sogno Dream gelding has now won five of his last six starts for trainer Per Engblom and driver Yannick Gingras, the latter co-owner with Frank Canzone.
 
Greg Peck, always to be linked with the great racehorse and sire Muscle Hill, scored his first driving victory since August 1, 2019 on the card. The winning horse was, appropriately, a son of Muscle Hill, Highgate, with the three-year-old colt stepping home in :28.1 to take a mark of 1:58.1 for Peck, who is also his trainer and owner and who drives only on rare occasion these days.
 
A pair of Hall of Famers dominated the day’s driving action: the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, had five wins, while David Miller, fourth in the Philly standings, visited Victory Lane four times.
 
The remainder of the racing week at Harrah’s Philadelphia consists of a Friday card starting at 12:25 and a Sunday program beginning at 12:40. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A quartet of $12,600 races for developing horses topped the card at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon – two for male pacers, and two for trotters.
 
The first event for pacing males saw Bionic make every pole a winning one, with the Always B Miki gelding getting home first by a neck over Mac’s Marvel in a lifetime mark of 1:51.3 for driver Trae Porter, trainer Michael Shults, and Blazer One Racing.
 
Atlas Hanover, an altered sophomore son of Captaintreacherous, went to the lead at the half, then zoomed home in :55.2 - :27.1 to be a going-away winner in the other cut in 1:52. Coming off a Stallion Series win and then a close third in a Sire Stakes event, Atlas Hanover found this competition to his liking for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Tony Alagna, and the partnership of Robert Leblanc, David Anderson, Ken Jacobs, and In The Gym Partners.
 
On the trotting side the Muscle Hill gelding Beyond The Hill took command beyond the quarter, then held off the steady closer Talismano to post a neck decision while lowering his mark to 1:56. Andrew McCarthy was in the sulky for trainer Aaron Lambert and the ownership of Jeffrey and Michael Snyder and Onda Racing Stable LLC.
 
The E L Titan gelding Bill Bauer, last year’s freshman champion in the Massachusetts program, put it all together in his section, grinding up from far back with an individual last half of :56.2 to lower his mark to 1:56.3. Todd McCarthy kept Bill Bauer on the straight and narrow for trainer Paul Kelley, also co-owner with Joseph Palillo III and Ellen Palillo.
 
Two-year-olds were added to the 2022 pari-mutuel mix with a pair of $11,700 events for fillies. In the trot, the Father Patrick – Wind Stroll miss Wind Chime was again very impressive after a winning qualifier at Gaitway, here coming her own back half in :56.2 to be an easy winner while establishing a mark of 1:58.3 for driver Andy Miller, trainer Julie Miller, and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc., Gty Stable, Walter Zent, and Tony Holmes.
 
The Heston Blue Chip – Southwind Shania filly Dontletjuliafoolya was pointed right down the road by driver Simon Allard in the pacing contest, and she darted home smartly in :56.1 - :27.4 to win in 1:54.3, taking a mark while a neck ahead of the first-over Doing Marvelous, for trainer Les Givens and the partnership of Nanticoke Racing Inc. and Keesha Givens.
 
“Trottin’ Thursday” at Philly will be highlighted by a $22,500 handicap event; the two with the outermost slots are Scirocco Rob, the winner in this class here last week, and Yanks Dugout, who won the Open trot at Harrah’s on its Super Sunday card. First post Thursday is at 12:25 p.m.; Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Trainer/driver Todd Schadel had a pair of repeat winners among his three tallies in the trotting fillies section (and he owns a piece of all of them) during fourteen two-year-old qualifiers held Wednesday morning (into the afternoon) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
Here’s a look at all the four freshman sections by gait and sex, with the trotting fillies first:
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLIES – The faster of Schadel’s two-time winners was the Bar Hopping – Keystone Sirena miss Keystone Sweetpea, who knocked her mark down 2 2/5 seconds after an engine jaunt in 2:00.4 - :29.2 for Schadel and Max J. Hempt. Also two-for-two in her brief career is the International Moni – Cantab Cantela filly Quarantina, an engine winner in 2:01 for Todd and his wife Chrstine. The third Schadel success in this group was the Bar Hopping – Best Glider distaff Cocktails To Go, home in 2:02.3.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLTS – Team Schadel also sent out the fastest of the fillies’ counterparts, the Cantab Hall – Perfect Illusion gelding Uncle Nino, a 1:59.3 - :58.4 winner owned by Cody Schadel in partnership with mom and dad.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES – The Lazarus N – Put On A Display filly Fox Valley Adele was both a repeat winner and the faster of two winners in this group for trainer Erv and driver/son Marcus, as she rallied from the pocket in :27.4 to post a 1:57 clocking for Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and Bowie Racing LLC. Team Miller also debuted the $210,000 yearling She’s A Lady, a daughter of Captaintreacherous – My Lady Love co-owned by Bowie Racing LLC and Anthony Lombardi; she came home from the pocket in :27.3 to win in 1:57.1.
 
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING COLTS – Fastest mile among all the two-year-olds came from the Captaintreacherous – Deception colt Bamboozler, who went wire to wire for driver Corey Callahan and QT Stables LLC in 1:55.3 - :56 – :27.4. His trainer is John Butenschoen, who had another win in this grouping, with the Roll With Joe – Blind Faith gelding Bandito Joe in 1:58.3. The Huntsville – Mikayla Rose gelding That Dog Will Hunt became a two-time winner for trainer/driver Mike Simons, here dropping over six seconds off his first victory with a 1:58.2 mile.
 
The baby qualifiers can be viewed on the PHHA’s website, www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Believer, the even-money favorite in the $12,500 featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon, may have lost some believers early as he was hung three-wide to a :27.2 quarter, but those who kept the faith cashed their tickets as the son of Cantab Hall took a new mark of 1:53.4.
 
Braxten Boyd drove his horse, coming off a win against similar at Yonkers, with aggression, but found others to his left with the same idea. He finally cleared to the lead early in the frontstretch after that tough opener, and didn’t let up a bit with middle fractions of :55.4 and 1:24.3. In the stretch Vic’s Winner proved to be the only major danger, but Boyd kept Believer together and they hit the wire a neck ahead of the challenger, pushing his earnings to $153,246 for trainer Randy Taft and Mali Norbye.
 
Tyler Buter won the last race of the day to end with three victories; the Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr., joined Marcus Miller in posting doubles. George Napolitano Jr. has gone to the lead in the Pocono driving standings with a 108-104 edge over Matt Kakaley; the other three multiple winners on Tuesday are among the track’s leading half-dozen drivers. Gilbert Garcia-Herrera sent out a winner to boost his lead to 22 training wins, two ahead of Ron Burke and Darren Taneyhill.
 
There will be fourteen qualifiers for two-year-olds at Pocono on Wednesday morning, starting at 10 a.m. The next pari-mutuel action at the mountain oval will be on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.; on Sunday the Pennsylvania three-year-old trotting fillies come to town for the third round of their preliminary action, with all four Sire Stakes winners in the first two legs – Manon, Dreamonhigh, Samosa, and Palermo Hanover – set to race in one of two $67,991 divisions on the 5 p.m. card. Program pages for the betting races will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.