By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA --- Joyride Hanover emerged as the fastest two-year-old during the baby race/qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia Tuesday morning, with the pacing filly rallying from the pocket and pacing her own back splits in :56.2 - :27.3 in winning a 1:56.4 mile.
 
Joyride Hanover is a daughter of American Ideal out of JK Higher Power, she a full sister to the noted Open performer Highalator. Eddie Dennis drove and trains the promising miss for owner Eric Good.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – With five of the nine entrants in Tuesday’s $11,200 trotting feature coming off of victories, it seemed likely that someone would emerge from the headliner at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono with a winning streak. But none of the winners last time got home first; instead, it was the My MVP mare Thisisshe who overcame a sloppy track and tough opponents to win in 1:55.
 
The meet’s leading driver, George Napolitano Jr., made two early moves to control the pace with Thisisshe, and despite foes coming from many directions in the lane, the mare was able to keep clear en route to the wire.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The strong-closing recent Australian import Shoobee Doo A proved the best in the $19,300 featured pace on Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, running his U.S. record to 4-2-1-0 and taking a new mile mark of 1:49.2.
 
Jordan Stratton, driving the horse for the first time, thought about leaving with the Shoobee’s Place gelding but took back after seeing the impending battle inside – J M Mandamin leaving strongly from the rail, Highalator defending the pocket, and favored Covered Bridge proceeding frontward past the :26 first quarter and getting the lead midway to the :53.3 half. Shoobee Doo A pulled out and got cover from first-over Highalator, who put a head up on Covered Bridge in a withering 1:20.2.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – White Belly stepped home smartly to score a 1:52.4 win in the pacing division of the two $12,600 features at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, while Colonial AS IT recorded his third straight victory in 1:55.3 in taking the trotting section.
 
Rain began to fall late on the Friday card, just as the pacing headliners were going to the gate, but if the deteriorating condition bothered the Sweet Lou gelding White Belly at all, he sure didn’t show it. Driver Todd McCarthy sent him to the lead in front of the stands, then was a passenger as the horse blitzed home in :54.4 to leave Beach Party 2¼ lengths in his wake. The recent acquisition for trainer Scott Di Domenico, who took a new mark, seems to be rounding into top form for Triple D Stables Inc., Minisink Farms LLC, and Stephen Iaquinta.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The eleven-year-old Rock Of Cashel won his third straight at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, showing his heels to the field in 1:53.4 to take the $16,200 featured high-level trot.
 
Todd McCarthy settled the son of Majestic Son, the betting favorite, behind Lindsey’s Pride, who took control from the pole and put up fractions of :27.3, :57.3, and 1:25.3. McCarthy vacated the two-hole halfway through the far turn and easily trotted to the lead, winning by 3½ lengths over an inside-charging No Drama Please. Rock Of Cashel won for the 48th time in his career, and now has earnings of $788,054. Mark Harder trains the durable trotter for Joseph Jannuzzelli and Jeffery Ruch.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes / Stallion Series for three-year-old trotting fillies makes its stop at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during Sunday’s twilight card, with this third preliminary leg consisting of two Sire Stakes divisions in races ten and eleven and three Stallion Series cuts in races seven, nine, and twelve.
 
The biggest question in race ten is whether the Donato Hanover filly Anoka Hanover can regain her winning ways. Last year’s Dan Patch award winner won her seasonal debut at Philly while tying the divisional track record in 1:52.3, but then on a sloppy track at The Meadows last Saturday she never got going into the race and finished back. Driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Noel Daley are hoping that day was an aberration as Anoka Hanover starts from post one in a field of seven.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Driver Yannick Gingras guided two of the winners of the four $12,600 featured events on the Wednesday card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, in all taking five races on the program.
 
Rolling With Sam, with no wins but eight seconds on his 2021 scorecard coming into today, finally got a victory, one in which he took a new mark of 1:51.4. Gingras made every pole a winning one with the four-year-old Roll With Joe gelding as he won for the first time since last July 21 for the meet’s leading trainer, Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phil Collura.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Longtime Pennsylvania horsemen Don and Dave Wiest and Ed Kimmel developed a champion two-year-old trotter last season in the filly Love Muffin, sold to Team Orange Crush over the winter after becoming the Pennsylvania Stallion Series championship, and now the winner of two Sire Stakes at three and in to go. Now it looks like the longtime partners may be ready for another good season with baby trotters, as they took events for both sexes as The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono hosted the two-year-olds for the first time on Wednesday morning.
 
First up was the filly Gumdrop Hanover, who came a last half in :58.1 to win her bow in 2:01.4 for Kimmel and co-owner/trainer/driver David Wiest. The baby is a daughter of Bar Hopping out of Grits ‘N Seven, a half-sister to $1.6M-winning champion Royalty For Life.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The two $15,300 features at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon each produced an exciting multi-horse close finish, with the pace seeing $97.20 bomber Reigning Deo up by a nose in the last stride in 1:51.2, and the trot finding King Alphonso ($3.40) also getting up by a nose in the final step in 1:53.4.
 
The pacing contest saw five lead changes in a race where the main pack consisted of six horses (a seventh made a break): Im A Gigolo N was first to the top, with first Bettorbuckleup and then favored Blank Stare starting moves near the :27.3 quarter and then completing them, with the chalk on top before the :55.3 half. Tell Them Lou moved up and provided cover to Reigning Deo to the 1:23.1 three-quarters and beyond; Bettorbuckleup came up the Pocono Pike and got a short late lead, but Reigning Deo kept coming and got the nod on the money while taking a new mark. Tell Them Lou was only another neck back, and a neck ahead of fourth-place Im A Gigolo N.