Three-year-old male trotters contested the last of the preliminary stakes rounds for Pennsylvania-sired younsters this season on Sunday, Aug. 30 at Harrah's Philadelphia ahead of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) championships and consolations for sophomores to be held at the same track next Sunday.

These sophomores have been very competitive all season – not only did no one sweep all four preliminary legs, but no one even has three to their credit. After Sunday’s action, only one PASS horse and two Stallion Series competitors had recorded as many as two victories.

The only double PASS winner is the Bar Hopping-Regal Woman gelding Minoan, who won his last two PASS contests, this $68,475 division in 1:53. With his main rival Geologic (Corey Callahan) off-stride at the start, favoured Minoan and driver Johnathan Ahle had a fairly easy time of it, cutting fractions of :28.2, :57.3, and 1:25.2 before zipping home in :27.3 to win by 2-1/2 lengths over Jim Beam (Jim Marohn Jr.) with Dilly Hanover (Mark Herschberger) third. The victory made Minoan his division’s leading prelim point winner for trainer Noel Daley, who shares ownership with Patricia Stables LLC, L. A. Express Stable LLC and Sjoeblom Racing Inc. Minoan is now eight-for-23 lifetime. He paid $3.60 to win.

The other $68,475 PASS split also went in 1:53, and it clinched entry to the Championship for the International Moni-Legal Lady gelding Oversear, an 11-1 shot who set a lifetime mark with his wire-to-wire victory. Driver-trainer Charlie Norris placed the gelding on top quickly, guided him through early splits of :28.1 and :58, then sharpened the speed to a 1:24.4 three-quarter clocking into the far turn as favoured Fineline Hanover (Andy Miller) sprinted up uncovered to pressure the leader. But Oversear had something left in reserve to win by 1-1/4 lengths over the chalk for the ownership of Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito, and Dr. James Sautter. Hamlet Hall (Mike Wilder) finished third. Oversear also won for the eighth time in 23 outings. The win price was $24.80.

Sons of Captain Corey were winners in the two $27,778 Stallion Series (StS) sections in advance of the eight finales this Saturday at The Meadows. Captain Micah ($5.60) joined the absent Captain Jordan as a two-time StS winner while also emerging the top prelim point winner after reducing his mark to 1:54. Mike Wilder, who catch-drove Captain Micah for trainer Travis Alexander and owner Gino Toscani, placed the colt in the two-hole, and the trotter out of Broadway Chuckles came up the inside in the lane to best the tough first-over challenger Emmett Hanover (Corey Callahan) by a neck. Nose Jammer (Andy Miller) was third.

The first StS contest had an unusual situation, as the two favourites were a winner in 2026 PASS competition and the 2025 PASS Champion. Captain Vodka ($4.20) appeared to have built up enough points in the PASS for his connections to give him a slightly-easier tuneup for next Sunday (he did qualify for the PASS, but not in this class), while Dublin Hanover started his 2026 campaign late and was far back in his only PASS start. But the two both raced well in this event, with favoured Captain Vodka angling wide off cover and just catching a tough pacesetting Dublin Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) by a head in 1:55.1. Jim Marohn Jr. drove the gelding out of Agro Dolce for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., who is a co-owner with J L Sadowsky LLC and Christine Baggitt.

Going into his July 19 start, the Stay Hungry-Sweeter Lulu sophomore gelding Mardi Gras Man ($3.20) was a maiden, and on Sunday, he won his sixth straight race since then in 1:51.3. The Stacy Chiodo trainee was sixth through :26 and :55 early panels, circled three-wide passing three-quarters in 1:22.4, and powered away by 3-1/2 lengths over Terry A Hanover (Andy Miller) with Benhope Rulz N (Jonathan Ahle) third. Trae Porter piloted the Mardi Gras Man to the victory in the $11,806 conditioned contest for owner-breeder Timothy Tobias Stable LLC and brought the gelding's career record to six-for-13.

Porter has also been in the bike for a form improvement by the seven-year-old Captaintreacherous-Jk Letitgo gelding Dontmesswithles ($6.40). The Howard Birney pupil needed a photo to win in the non-winners-of-$5,000-last-five class in June, but he has hit the board in seven straight starts and on Sunday won the $17,808 fast-class conditioned pace for the second straight week with a game 1:50.3 triumph.

Jonathan Ahle had three sulky scores on the 15-race Sunday card, with doubles to Simon Allard, George Napolitano Jr., Mark Herschberger and Porter. On the training side, two-baggers were rung up by Dean Eckley (with Napolitano winning both times) and Enrico Robinson (one handled by Ahle and one by Allard).

Racing resumes at Philly at 12:25 p.m. on “Trottin’ Thursday,” featuring high-quality diamondgaited horses of both the veteran and developing variety. Next Sunday, Sept. 6, there will be $1.4 million USD in purses as Philly hosts the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship for three-year-olds; consolation races will be held for those divisions with overflow entries. Those races will be drawn on Wednesday.

On a special Saturday, Sept. 12 card at 6 p.m., Harrah's will be celebrating its 20th anniversary, with the return of the Colonial Trot (which originated at Liberty Bell about an hour north of this track), in addition to attractions for all manner of racing and entertainment fans.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Minoan winning on Aug. 15)