By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The best of the Pennsylvania-sired babies came in for their closeup on Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, racing in four $253,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships, with a $50,000 consolation event also for the two-year-olds in each division of sex and gait.
 
And after studying the sterling forms of the entrants, it turned out that all you needed to know about the Championships was this: bet Åke Svanstedt in the trots, and bet the team of driver David Miller and trainer Ron Burke in the paces. 
 
Here is a summary of how all of the action went:

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
STONEBORO PA – The amazing two-year-old pacing filly Lazy Day Hanover is now the co-winningest horse among all North American Standardbreds in 2020 when she remained undefeated in eleven fair starts with a 2:00.4 victory at the Stoneboro Fair in the northwest Pennsylvania town Thursday during Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes competition.
 
The daughter of Betting Line – Lazan Hanover has her total of eleven victories this campaign presently matched by seven other horses racing throughout the continent. She is the only two-year-old with eleven wins, and among the eight tied horses, she has the fewest seasonal starts at thirteen.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Trotter Shinkansen and pacer Bombshell Hanover were the winners of the co-featured $11,200 races on the Friday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Shinkansen was brought to the race in prime form by trainer Kelvin “Red” Harrison despite last having raced 22 days ago. The Sebastian K S sophomore gelding strung out the field through early fractions of :28 and :56.2, then received a big challenge from Heat Wave Hanover to, through, and past a 1:24.1 three-quarter clocking. Shinkansen dug in for more under the urging of Andrew McCarthy and posted a       2¼ length victory over his game rival in 1:53.2, a lifetime best by two seconds, for owners LST Stables and William Devan Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Pacesetting Goes Down Smooth held off a long uncovered challenge from favorite Arabella’s Cadet to win the $14,400 fast-class trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
David Miller got the victorious four-year-old altered son of Muscle Hill to the lead near the ¼, rated the half, then braced for a stern challenge of Arabella’s Cadet, who went her own third panel in :27.1 to attack the leader. Goes Down Smooth had enough to resist the hard-fighting mare by 1¼ lengths in 1:52.3, just a fifth off his lifetime record taken here two starts ago and missing Stealth Hanover’s divisional track standard by three-fifths. A winner of 11 out of 40 career starts and $269,227, Goes Down Smooth is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Bill Switala and James Martin.
 
In the $13,600 co-feature on “Trottin’ Thursday” at Philly, the improving Cash Hall gelding SVF Cash Deposit grinded to the lead on the far turn and went on to a lifetime mark of 1:55.2, keeping closer Yankees Beast two lengths in arrears at the finish. Andrew McCarthy drove the winner for owner/trainer Justin Lebo.
 
For Sunday’s $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes divisional Championships for three-year-olds at Philly, No Lou Zing was established as the early favorite in the colt pace, Amigo Volo in the colt trot, defending champion Sister Sledge in the filly trot, and the undefeated Party Girl Hill in the filly pace. Party Girl Hill’s race, with the likes of Rocknificent, track recordholder JK First Lady, and 2019 PaSS and national  champion Lyons Sentinel, will likely attract the greatest interest, as it has arguably four of the division’s top half-dozen fillies all against one another.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The veteran Mr Apples pacing mare Apple Bottom Jeans has usually been an early-speed threat through much of her high-level career; recently she has been able to switch tactics with success, as she did when she won the $14,400 pacing feature for distaffs Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Corey Callahan kept his mare in fourth to the half as Shezallapples A and favored Machnhope disputed the lead, then moved behind the cover of early 3-hole tucker Baron Remy. Apple Bottom Jeans swung three-wide nearing headstretch and proved the best late in 1:51.1, 1¼ lengths ahead of Machnhope, who photoed out Shezallapples A for second.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WATTSBURG PA – The two-year-old fillies provided the most excitement during the two-day Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes meet at the Erie County Fair in this northwest Pennsylvania town. The babies raced on Monday; their older stablemates the next day.
 
The Betting Line - Lazan Hanover pacer Lazy Day Hanover became the first two-year-old to post ten wins when she took a section of her “A” Fair Sire Stakes division, going in 2:08 on a day not particularly conducive to speed. The other “A” division winner, Tiamogonedancen, is undefeated on the fair circuit as well, taking her sixth straight in 2:05. The powerhouse fillies are co-owned by driver David Brickell and trainer Mitchell York – whose 2019 Fair Championship co-winner in this division, the A Rocknroll Dance filly Dream Dancing, is unbeaten in seven 2020 fair outings after a 2:02.2 win Tuesday.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Donato Hanover gelding Crossfit made it two straight and four of his last seven when he won the $12,800 trotting feature Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono while equaling his mark of 1:54.2.
 
Andy Miller sent the favored winner first-over and had a battle-royal with pacesetting Striking Encore from the backstretch onward, with Crossfit finally separating himself from his hard-trying rival by 3½ lengths at the finish. Trainer Susan Marshall co-owns the winner of $129,160 with John Marshall.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Show Me The Magic blew up the tote board – again – at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Monday afternoon, coming from the back of the field to sweep by everybody late and return $159.00 for a $2 win ticket.
 
As often happens in this type of situation, a hot early pace was involved, with a host of horses being involved in a :26.4 opening quarter – in a race for $12,500 claiming trotters. Show Me The Magic and driver Kevin Wallis advanced up the inside down the backstretch, then slipped out on the final turn as horses involved earlier began to gap and fall back. Kinetic King, out every call and the stretch leader, held well, but Show Me The Magic went right on by late to win by 1¼ lengths in 1:57.1.
 
This is the second time that Show Me The Magic has paid $50+ at the meet – ironically, he went wire-to-wire when tallying for the meet’s leading $50+ driver, Anthony Napolitano, on July 20, when he paid $52.40. The free-legged pacer Bay Meadows has also lit up the board twice here in 2020, returning $51.40 on July 4 and $62.80 on July 25. Bay Meadows’ trainer Tom Wine II and Show Me The Magic’s conditioner Jim Ray join Steven Brabrook as the three trainers who have sent out two bombers during the 2020 Pocono meet.