Two-year-old trotting fillies contested $329,797 in purses on Thursday, July 17 during the second preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series with three divisions of the former and six of the latter.

Favourites did not do well in the stakes, going one-for-nine. There was only one repeat winner, but every equine visitor to victory lane either lowered or equalled her lifetime mark. And on the unusual day of an all-trot 15-race card, it was good to be among this group: Team Orange Crush, Todd Schadel, Dexter Dunn, and sires Bar Hopping and Captain Corey.

The fastest of the three Sire Stakes divisions was the 1:55.1 mile turned in by the Captain Corey-Island Lily filly Islandgirl Hanover. After sitting third through :28.2 and :58.3 first-half panels, she moved uncovered at three-quarters in 1:26.3 against favoured Atlantic Summer (Yannick Gingras), then left her 2-3/4 lengths behind to take the $55,321 first split. Ellie Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) finished third. Islandgirl Hanover trotted her back half in :56 and took a new mark for trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer and owner Purple Haze Stables LLC. She is two-for-three lifetime.

The sole repeat winner in the stakes action was the Bar Hopping-Perfect Chance miss Ginger Tree Lex, who flew home in :56.2 to equal her mark of 1:57.1 while capturing her second Sire Stakes race. She rallied from fifth after fractions of :28.4, :59.2, and 1:28.2 and won the $55,321 second division by 3-1/4 lengths over Abbess (Scott Zeron) with Arella Hanover (Svanstedt) third. Andrew McCarthy guided the winner for trainer Steve Cook and owners Samuel Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures LLC, Knollview Stable 2, and Robert Reber Jr. (And we have already mentioned the sires of seven of the nine stakes successes, as Bar Hopping had four offspring triumph and Captain Corey had three, including both of these Sire Stakes victories.)

The only stakes chalk to triumph the entire day was winner of the $54,773 third division, Next Big Think (Greenshoe-Iteration), who broke her maiden in her second start in 1:57. Dexter Dunn (who won a division of the PASS and the PAStS as well as an overnight) sent her to the top after a :29 quarter, rated her to 1:00 and 1:28 middle fractions, and saw her home in :29 for a 2-3/4-length win. Carve (McCarthy) finished second, followed by Skyline Salty Girl (Mike Wilder). Marcus Melander trains Next Big Think, a homebred for Courant Inc.

Trainer Todd Schadel may have had eight freshmen rained out at the Bedford Fair, but he still harnessed two Stallion Series winners, including the fastest one in Snow Queen Hanover (Bar Hopping-Snowflake Hanover), who won in 1:55.3 and, like all her fellow Stallion Series winners, was a maiden no more. She was guided by Andy Miller for Schadel, who co-owns the winner with Jim Simpson. Schadel and Simpson's other Stallion Series winner was another Bar Hopping miss, Amber Ale Hanover (dam Abbie Hall), in 2:00.2 for driver David Miller.

Bar Hopping got his third StS winner and fourth stakes winner on the card with Be Mine Hanover (dam Birgitta Hanover), who came from the pocket to win in 1:57.2 for trainer-driver Svanstedt and owner Brittany Farms LLC.

We mentioned Andy Miller and Team Orange Crush earlier, and they opened the card with the biggest outsider of the day ($29.40) and one of the two Captain Corey Stallion Series winners, Just Teasing (dam Just Joshing), who came home uncovered in :56.3 to win in 1:56.2. In all, Julie Miller trained three winners for the stable, and Andy won four races, which almost became five in the last race until son Tyler overhauled him with I See A Star. The conditioner's other winners were French Wine in the fifth race and Century Love in Race 12.

The other Captain Corey winner was the only one involved in a photo finish, Handle Station (dam Harness Am), who won in 1:58 over Caviart Queen Emma (Zeron) for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Lucas Wallin, and owner Kjell Andersen. The final Stallion Series winner, Pray For A Win (Father Patrick-Andover The Prize), was making her first purse start, and she is now one-for-one after tallying in 1:57 for trainer Nancy Takter, driver Dexter Dunn, and owner Claude Gendreau Stable Inc.

Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for trotting fillies continues on Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the three-year-olds contesting their third-round preliminaries. There will also be a carryover into the fifth-race Pick 5 pool.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)