By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Matt Kakaley added more four wins to his recent hot run at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, including taking Tuesday afternoon’s $15,000 feature trot with the Walner sophomore colt Street Smarts, who overcame the outside post seven to equal his lifetime mark of 1:54.4.
 
Street Smarts had plenty of gate speed to reach the top early, passing the quarter pole in :28 before yielding the lead to Bully Boy Hill, who had the wind at his back much of the way en route to a quick half of :56.2, keeping challenger Scottish on the rim. These positions were unchanged to a 1:25.4 three-quarters, and with favored Distance Learning having traffic problems midfield, the stretch battle came down to the pacesetter and pocketsitter, with Street Smarts proving best late by a half-length.
 
Street Smarts now has two wins and two seconds in his last four starts, and the late developer may be one to keep an eye on for Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner/brother John.
 
This was the second successful hookup on the afternoon between Team Cancelliere and Kakaley, who now has 24 wins over the last six Pocono cards while opening up a near-insurmountable lead over ten-time defending dash champion George Napolitano Jr., who is a clear second over the competition, with four cards left in 2022 at the mountain oval. (The last person to take the crown besides George was a 23-year-old Matt Kakaley in 2011.)
 
Pocono will return for its last full three-card week on Saturday at 1:30; following that date will be Monday and Tuesday racing at the same post time, and then the final card of the season at 1:30 on Saturday, November 19. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Fast Machine worked off of excellent cover, then closed strongly to win the $17,500 distaff feature pace during a warm-for-November Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
 
After Dbldelitebrigade N took the field to a :26.4 quarter, favored Kat came out to take the lead passing the stands and reach the half in :56. Dresden started the outside tier flow, with Fast Machine right on her back though still fifth at the 1:24 three-quarters. On the far turn, Braxten Boyd tipped the daughter of Always B Miki three-wide, and she proved to have the most late, winning by a half-length over inside-shooting Techys Angel A, who photoed Kat for second.
 
After not racing at two and only once at three, Fast Machine has accumulated eight victories this year, with her earnings for the campaign now over $80,000. Nicholas Devita trains the late-bloomer for owner John Cummins.
 
A race earlier, the Crescent Fashion sophomore trotting filly Crescent Beauty became the winningest three-year-old and the winningest trotting female in North America during 2022, notching her sixteenth victory of the campaign and lowering her mark to 1:55.3 in a $15,000 conditioned race. Anthony Napolitano made two moves to control the pace, then held the filly together over a wickedly-closing Jaqen H’ghar by a nose. Trainer Lance Hudson and owner William Hartt acquired the three-year-old after her Indiana stakes season and now has four wins in five starts with her.
 
Going into the twelfth and last race, meet leader Matt Kakaley and Braxten Boyd had each driven four winners; Anthony Napolitano had rung up three and had the favorite in the finale, looking to make what would likely be a rare “three drivers sweep the card with four winners each” day. But Napolitano’s Bettorb Chevron N could not last in the stretch, and triumphing by a head over Major Battle (Kakaley, which still would have been a sweep for the threesome) was Georgie Martin N and driver Marcus Miller in 1:53. “Georgie” also paid $43.80 to win, while the eleven visitors to Victory Lane before her had cumulatively returned $47.60.
 
Tuesday’s 1:30 card at Pocono closes out the racing week and is the propreantepenultimate (fifth-from-last) card of the year, with closing day being Saturday, September 19. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Harrah’s Philadelphia featured a 14-race card to close out its racing week on Sunday afternoon, and in a novel approach the Racing Office put the claiming races, covering the range of claiming pacers on the local scene, as the first seven races on the card, with conditioned stock making up the fields in the second half of the program.
 
The feature was a $13,000 handicap pace for horses valued between $25,000 and $30,000, with Candys Image Rocks ready to rock after a five month layoff, being sent right to the top en route to a 1:53.3 victory. Tim Tetrick drove the Rockin Image gelding to his seventh success of the year for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr., and owner Rodney Long.
 
With trainer Linda Toscano in Harrisburg looking over possible prospects to join her in the barn, the Walner sophomore trotting filly Penelope J also took to the front end as a means to a 1:54.4 victory in the co-featured $12,600 trot. Todd McCarthy handled the sulky duties behind the latest member of the Six Figure Earnings Club for owner Kenneth Jacobs.
 
Tetrick, the winningest driver at the southeast Pennsylvania oval this year, had four victories; joining McCarthy with three visits to Victory Lane on the day was the recently-hot Simon Allard, now a solid second in the standings.
 
Racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia continues throughout November on a schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40; the single exception is Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24, when there will be no live racing so that fans, horsemen, and workers can enjoy the holiday with friends and family. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.         

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Eurobond never appeared to lead in the stretch during in the $17,500 trotting feature Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono until the most important step – the last one – when he nosed out P L Notsonice at the end of a 1:54 mile.
 
It was Blenheim who used the rail to force the 1-2 finishers in behind him going to a :27.1 quarter; he backed off the half to :57 then picked up the pace to 1:24.2 at the three-quarters  as Eurobond moved up to challenge and P L Notsonice stayed well-placed in the pocket. It was Blenheim who was a bit clear of his challengers during the first half of the far turn – and then it was Blenheim who went offstride shortly after midturn, being taken wide out of harm’s way.
 
The two contenders found themselves with a clear path as they came out of the far bend, with the heavy favorite Eurobond working hard to get the advantage over P L Notsonice. There was virtually nothing between the two right through the wire, and it required the photo finish camera to determine that Eurobond’s nose reached the finish line over the game P L Notsonice.
 
Eurobond is a seven-year-old son of Love You who has won exactly one-third of his lifetime 90 starts, and this 30thvictory raised his earnings to $542,415. Travis Alexander conditions the classy trotter for Morrison Racing Stables.
 
Eurobond was driven by Matt Kakaley, who was winning for the fifth time of the day, and for the first time while not behind a trainee of conditioner Darren Taneyhill. Ten-time defending driving champion George Napolitano Jr. had tightened the sulkysitters’ derby against Kakaley, who had led since the very start of the year, but in the last five Pocono cards Matt has won twenty times, and with six cards left in the the mountain oval's season Kakaley now has a 13-win lead, and is in a good position to be the first driver to top Napolitano since … a 23-year-old Matt Kakaley in 2011.
 
Pocono will be back in action this coming Monday and Tuesday with 1:30 cards. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A pair of $22,500 handicap paces for veteran fast-class horses shared the Friday spotlight at Harrah’s Philadelphia with driver Troy Beyer bringing home a pair of $100+ winners – the first person to do that in one day since statistics for Philly (and Pocono) started to be kept by the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association in 2016.
 
In the handicap pace for distaffs, millionaire Fire Start Hanover got a very quick start and went on to victory in 1:50.4. Corey Callahan made the top before the :27.1 quarter, got a soft (for these) half in :55.4, then hit the three-quarters in 1:23.1 as 25-1 shot Westbeach came up to challenge. The favored daughter of Somebeachsomewhere held her advantage to the wire, 1¼ lengths to the good of the first-over as she raised her career total to $1,268,868 for trainer Nifty Norman and the partnership of Pinske Stables, David Hoese, and Lawrence Means.
 
In the pace for males, the Bettors Delight gelding Ilikemebettor A was looking to atone for failing to reach contention from post eight in his last start despite being a heavy favorite. The favorite again this week – though by a mere $15 over Komodo Beach – launched forward early in a field of five, was in charge before a :26.3 quarter, yielded to Komodo Beach and then sat behind him through midsplits of :54.2 and 1:21.2. Ilikemebettor A challenged the pacesetter on the far turn, put him away, then held off the sharp Pat McGarry A by 1¼ lengths to take a Stateside mark of 1:49. Ilikemebettor A has won three of five North American starts for driver Marcus Miller (who tied with Beyer as winningest driver of the day with three), trainer/father Erv Miller, and the partnership of Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and Douglas Overhiser.
 
Troy Beyer’s longshot duo were Bright Side Up ($115.20) in the day’s second race and Pompeo Hanover ($125.80) in the eight; the latter’s price was especially generous seeing as he had paid $52.40 on August 24, and here joined Gumption as the only repeat $50+ winners at the meet. The horses’ respective trainers, Robert Greenwood and Jake Leamon, became the latest two of six trainers to have two “bombers” ($50+) at the meet, and Beyer both took the outright lead in $50 horses with six and tied Victor Kirby for the $100 winner lead with two here in 2022.
 
The last time two horses had paid over $100 in one day at Philly was back on July 13, 2016 (it has happened three times at Pocono since, including July 18 of this year). But Beyer is the first individual to have two triple-digit win payoffs in the recent keeping of records.
 
The racing week closes here Sunday with a 12:40 fourteen-race card, and in an innovative structure the first seven races will run the gamut of pacing claimer ranks, while the second half of the card will be for conditioned horses. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.                                 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Focus Pocus, a dive-year-old Muscle Massive gelding currently in career form, went to the lead and was able to hold off the stubborn grind of favored Storm Is Raging to take the $16,200 featured handicap trot in 1:53.1 at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
Focus Pocus had just come off a 1:52.4 career best at Pocono in engine fashion with George Napolitano Jr., and there seemed no need to change tactics. Focus Pocus was three-wide early but able to clear to the lead on the first turn en route to a :27.1 quarter, and got then a breather of a second quarter to hit the half in :56.3. Storm Is Raging commenced his uncovered grind from last in the five-horse field nearing the midpoint, but he hadn’t gotten the lead by the 1:24.3 three-quarters and wouldn’t reach the leader at the wire despite trotting his own back half in :55.3, as Focus Pocus had had things just too easy early and withstood the chalk by 1½ lengths .
 
Focus Pocus advanced his lifetime earnings to $199,358 with the victory. Trainer Jeff Cullipher shares ownership in the talented trotter with Pollack Racing LLC. 
 
In a $14,400 co-featured trot, the Donato Hanover gelding College Tuition rode a nice two-hole trip behind Highgate, hard-used for the lead, then went by him through the lane to produce a 2½ length victory while lowering his mark a tick to 1:55. Jack Pelling drove the winner, a College Tuition which has shown itself to be a good investment by raising his earnings to $108,860 for trainer Courtney Foster and owner Eric Foster.
 
… But the horse many will be talking about after her performance Thursday was Another Like Me, a freshman trotting daughter of Muscle Hill out of $600G+ and O’Brien award-winning  Stubborn Belle, which gives her two full siblings who have sub-1:53 marks in Ms Savannah Belle and Really Fast. Making her career debut off a 1:56.3 qualifier here, Another Like Me left from the rail from Team Takter (driver Jimmy and trainer/daughter Nancy) and put up fractions of :27 (6 1/2 lengths ahead), :54.1 (15 lengths ahead, with the rest of the field to go out of the camera picture soon thereafter), and 1:23.3 (15 lengths ahead). 
 
Under only the mildest of coaxing in the stretch, Another Like Me won her debut in 1:54.1, just missing by a fifth the divisional track record held by Insta Glam, while 15½ lengths ahead of her nearest rival. No strangers to success with fast freshmen or fillies, the ownership of Al Libfeld, Marvin & Lynn Katz, and Sam Goldband may have themselves yet another stakes filly here – maybe even by the end of the year, given the schedule in North Jersey the next three weeks.
 
Four drivers had doubles on the Thursday card: Troy Beyer, Kasper Foget, George Napolitano Jr., and Simon Allard. Allard has now been top driver or co-top driver during 14 of the 16 cards at Harrah’s Philly since September 29, during which time he has amassed 47 local successes.
 
A pair of $22,500 handicap paces for the track’s best fast-class horses are scheduled for the Friday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with females competing in race five and males going gateward in race ten. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.                                                  

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA –Kevin Wallis, among only a dozen North American active drivers with 10000 or more victories, ended his driving career on Tuesday afternoon over sloppy going at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono – and a win with Latest Attraction brought his final sulky success total to 10541.
 
Wallis, who turned 66 this past Friday, is a native of London ONT who guided the winners of nearly $52 million in his 45-year driving career (there was indication that he will be training horses in the future). His total of 652 wins in his best season, 1996, got him second behind Tony Morgan among all drivers.
 
Wallis was a driving champion at Windsor, Pompano, and Hazel Park, at the last-named track taking the dash and money titles for seven straight years, 1994-2000. He had 34 years where he recorded 100+ victories, including a string of 28 straight from 1983 to 2010, and 14 seasons when his win total exceeded 300; 28 years where he posted a UDR of .300+, including 23 consecutive seasons from 1983-2005; and seventeen straight years between 1993-2009 where he drove the winners of $1 million or more. Wallis also trained 964 winners since the USTA began counting in 1991.
 
On a day when a portion of a distinguished harness career came to a close, it seems a good balance that a trainer sent out a winner in her very first attempt. Gena Anderson, a 33-year-old from the non-harness hotspot of Blaine, Washington (though it’s the last town at the top of Washington state before you cross over to British Columbia and 22-miles-away Fraser Downs), had Howtotrainurdragon ready after 46 days away and a ship from Running Aces in Minnesota. The Dragon Again gelding was full of pace when Pocono’s top driver Matt Kakaley (a four-time winner Tuesday) tipped him wide on the far turn and came home to win easily. Making the win doubly memorable is the fact that Anderson also owns the victorious pacer.
 
Pocono will race on its Saturday-Monday-Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. basic full schedule this coming week and next, then end its 2022 season on Saturday, November 19. . Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The He’s Watching mare Kat was watching favored pacesetter Dresden from the catbird’s seat of the two-hole through most of the $14,500 fast-class pace for mares Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and then she rallied in the famed Pocono Pike to take a length decision and lower her mark to 1:50.4. 
 
Driver Simon Allard (who shared sulky honors with Matt Kakaley with three winners) left strongly from the rail with Kat, taking some sting out of the chalk by keeping her out until the :26.2 quarter, then yielding for the pocket. Dresden carried on strongly with fractions of :55.2 and 1:22.4, but the adversary on her tail proved fresher late; Bettor B Chevron sat third-in and held third, another length behind. 
 
Kat has now gone four-for-five since crossing the border from Canada and joining the powerful partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Trainer Ron Burke had three successes on the card as he solidified his lead in trying to win his second training title in three years here.
 
In the next race, the two-year-old E L Titan trotting colt Tillio’s Action defeated older foes in a new mark of 1:55.4 as he picked up his third win in his last four starts. Jim Pantaleano drove the talented baby for trainer John Grasso and his John Grasso Stable Inc.
 
And in the race after that, Bottle Rocket, a son of Rock N Roll Heaven, was last at the quarter, gained up the rail throughout the last half, then kept coming deep in the Pocono Pike to take a new record of 1:52 while paying the highest win price of the season at Pocono, $146.00. Michael Whelan sprung the upset for trainer/father Walter Whelan, the latter co-owner with Christopher Nichol.
 
Pocono races Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.; goes its fall schedule on Saturday – Monday – Tuesday at 1:30 for the two weeks after that; and then closes out its racing season on Saturday, November 19. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Master Swedish horseman Åke Svanstedt is the trainer of the powerhouse sophomore trotting filly Jiggy Jog S, winner of her Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Saturday evening. For an encore on Sunday afternoon, he came to Harrah’s Philadelphia and both trained and drove the two divisional winners of the $90,400 Elma, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for the same age, sex, and gait as Jiggy Jog S.
 
The first winner, the Father Patrick filly Virgin Mary, was expected to win and did so, with Svanstedt guiding into the pocket behind pacesetter Unleashed Kemp and fractions of :28.4, :58, and 1:26.3, then rallying with her up the inside to catch the pacesetter by a half length to equal her lifetime mark of 1:54.4. The winner is owned by Brochart Stable Inc.
 
The Svanstedt sweep concluded with 19-1 shot Ebbies Lady, who pulled from the pocket after the :27 quarter to take control in front of the stands. She put up midsplits of :56.3 and 1:24.4 while turning away first-over favorite Dreamonhigh, then held off the late-charging Palermo Hanover by a nose, with early leader Primadonna Deo just a head away from taking it all in the 1:54 mile, which yielded a new mark to the daughter of Southwind Frank. Åke Svanstedt Inc. shares ownership with Young Guns.
 
There were also two divisions of the $85,200 Hardie Hanover for three-year-old pacing fillies as the Simpson Memorial series wound up its 2022 stay at Philly. In the first division, Todd McCarthy sent the American Ideal filly Gotthegreenlight through quick fractions of :26.3, :55, and 1:22, seeing first-up favorite Captain Cowgirl back off after the latter station, and then open up enough of a lead to withstand the late charge of Valar Dohaeris (yet another Svanstedt, and on the pace no less) by 1½ lengths in 1:51.1. Gotthegreenlight raised her lifetime earnings to $513,997 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables LLC.
 
In the second Hardie Hanover cut, sire American Ideal completed a sweep as A Girl That Twirls lowered her mark to 1:50.4. Matt Kakaley sat third while Lyons Serenity posted the early splits of :26.4 and :55.1, moved uncovered down the backstretch to go by near the 1:23 three-quarters, and then turned the stake into a romp with a 7½ length winning margin for trainer Deborah Daguet and D Racing Stable Inc. A Girl That Twirls now has lifetime earnings of $296,748.
 
Five drivers had two wins each on the Sunday card: Todd McCarthy, Marcus Miller, Åke Svanstedt, meet leader Tim Tetrick, and Simon Allard. Allard continues his amazing streak of being Philly’s top driver or co-top driver of the day during 13 of the track’s last 15 cards, with 45 victories, an average of three a day, during that five-week period.
 
Racing is currently being conducted at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a Thursday – Friday – Sunday basis; when action gets back underway on “Trottin’ Thursday,” the $16,200 fast-class handicap feature will find the likes of Hayek and Storm Is Raging looking to extend their current form streaks. There will also be a $2289.58 carryover into the day’s Pick 4 on the first four races. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.                                                   

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Parmesan N proved himself the big cheese in the $17,500 fast-class pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs on Saturday afternoon, using the Pocono Pike from the pocket to get to the lead midstretch, then holding off favorite Bettor Memories to his left in 1:51.3.
 
An altered son of Betterthancheddar trained by Michael Deters and co-owned by Deters, Joel Warner, Lawrence Barnett, and John Spindler, Parmesan N left strongly, but Mark Witha K took full advantage of the rail and forced the early challenger behind, with Bettor Memories third past the :27 quarter and at the :55.4 half. Bettor Memories stayed in third, and the outside flow never really materialized, with these three the major dangers at the 1:23.2 three-quarters.
 
Anthony Napolitano moved Parmesan N to the inside of the pacesetter and caught him in midstretch, then sustained his speed late to beat the chalk by three-quarters of a length, with Mark Witha K another length back at the wire.
 
There were a pair of $17,000 events for developing horses, with the pacing division yielding perhaps the most impressive winner of the day in the Indiana shipper BB Lucky Boy, who took a new mark of 1:49.1. Starting for the first time for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Eric Provost, the sophomore gelding may have had an advantage in that he is sired by Luck Be Withyou, who took his seasonal mark from two to six at Pocono and won the Breeders Crown at two and the Franklin at four. 
 
His son took an immediate liking to the Pocono oval, taking over before the :27 quarter and going on to splits of :54.1 and 1:21.2 en route to his fourth victory in his last five starts, five lengths clear at the finish with driver Matt Kakaley.
 
In the trotting-cofeature, the Southwind Frank four-year-old Delayed Hanover moved to the lead past the :27.4 quarter for driver George Napolitano Jr., put up midsplits of :56.3 and 1:25.3, then sprinted on home in :28 to be a length ahead of B A Superhero at the end of the 1:53.3 mile. Fourth in last year’s Hambletonian after winning an elimination, Delayed Hanover now has earnings of $483,428 for trainer Åke Svanstedt and the partnership of Melby Gard Inc. and Åke Svanstedt Inc.
 
Matt Kakaley won four races on Saturday afternoon while George Napolitano Jr. was victorious once, doubling Kakaley’s advantage to 236-230 in the seasonlong driving derby.
 
After Saturday there are only nine cards left in the 2022 Pocono season. There will be racing on Monday and Tuesday afternoon at 1:30, and then the track’s Saturday-Monday-Tuesday at 1:30 schedule for the two following weeks. Closing day for the year at the mountain oval will be Saturday, November 19. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.