The rapid development that a classy 2-year-old can make was graphically illustrated on Sunday night at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, where there was $195,778 of third round preliminary action in both Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for baby trotting males.
None of the six winners (two divisions PaSS, four PaStS) had won during the first two preliminary legs. Yet five of the winners were favorites, including two of the three maidens who won in these events! There were a total of nine previous PaSS/PaStS winners competing, including two double winners, but they were beaten out by trotters coming into top form.
Top honors on the night go to the Captain Corey-Wet My Whistle gelding Mr Penner, who won in 1:54 2/5 to set a Pocono track record for 2-year-old trotting geldings, knocking two-fifths off of Town Victor's 2019 standard. Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt sent Mr Penner, who also equaled his mark, up first-over against double winner Mr Big Spender, appeared to be going by the pace-setter when that one jumped, and finished all alone for Ake Svanstedt Inc., Knutsson Trotting Inc., and Little E LLC.
The other Sire Stakes division saw the maiden victory of the Greenshoe-Lady's Reward colt R Tommy Collins, who was hard-used to make the top nearing the three-eighths, but then did not let anyone past him while stopping the timer in 1:54 4/5, though Minoan got to within a half-length at the wire. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. had the sulky seat for trainer Tom Svrcek and the partnership of the trainer and Janet Collins.
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Fastest of the four Stallion Series divisions was the 1:55 4/5 contest won by the Cantab Hall-Ophelia colt Hamlet Hall, who lowered his mark by over four seconds and was the only StS winner to be clear by more than a half-length at the finish. Mike Wilder guided Hamlet Hall to the lead near the three-quarters and went on to an easy win, in a field containing two other StS winners, for trainer Norm Parker and owners George Romanoff, Martin Garey, and Thomas Klosky Jr.
Captain Corey and Greenshoe, the sires of the Sire Stakes winners, both also picked up a Stallion Series siring credit, with both winners driven by Matt Kakaley. The Captain Corey-Jordan Blue Chip colt Captain Jordan added hopples and trotted to victory in 1:57 3/5, a neck ahead of Beer In My Hand (one prelim win), with Rico Tubbs (two wins) third. The Scott Di Domenico trainee had also won a PA All-Stars race for owners Joe Faraldo and Triple D Stables Inc.
Greenshoe's StS success story was Armani Blue Chip (dam Defiantsnowfashion), the only non-favorite to win in a stake all night as he broke his maiden in 1:58 2/5 while defeating Storm Hanover by a half-length for trainer Jared Bako and Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc.
The final Stallion Series winner was the International Moni-Cherokee Hope gelding Cherokee Chief, who rallied a long way to catch Bayside Cue by a head while posting a maiden mark of 1:58 1/5 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer David Wiest, and owner Bimmie Strausser.
Pocono will present cards on Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m. (EDT), and then, on Saturday the 16th, comes the biggest day of the year at the mountain oval, the $2M+ Sun Stakes Saturday, featuring the top 3-year-olds in North America and also sporting Invitationals on each gait. The entries for Sun Stakes Saturday will be available Monday afternoon.
--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--