The father/son team of driver Marcus and trainer Erv Miller accounted for half of the six divisions of the $180,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars event for state-sired two-year-old pacing colts on the first Friday card of the season at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, while driver Dave Palone and trainer Ron Burke bookended the action for babies.

The fastest of the three wins for Team Miller was the 1:53.3 triumph of Hes Marvalous, a son of Delmarvalous (hence the spelling: remember the Del(aware)-Mar(yland)-V(irgini)apeninsula). Hes Marvalous made every pole a winning one while closing in :56 – :27.1 for the combine of Badlands Racing LLC and LA Express Stable LLC.

Also flying the Miller colours in Victory Lane were the Mcardle colt Mcdave, longest price of the six at 7-1, as he rallied from the pocket into back splits of :55.1 – :27.2 to score in 1:53.4 for owners Ronald Michelon and David and John Prushnok, along with Ideal Jimmy, an altered son of Western Ideal who was a ‘pocket rocket,’ gaining into a :27.4 kicker to stop the clock in 1:54 for owner D R Van Witzenburg.

Palone/Burke got the evening’s stakes action underway with a victory with the Well Said colt Genovese, who made a backstretch brush of :26.4 in going from fifth to the lead and then on to victory in 1:53.2. Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jack Piatt III, and The Panhellenic Stable Corporation own Genovese; the first two share ownership with the JJK Stables LLC and Lawrence Karr of the other Palone/Burke winner, the Yankee Cruiser colt Allies Cruiser, who made a quarter-move and then sped home in 27.1 to complete a 1:53 victory,.

The 1:53 time of Allies Cruiser equaled the fastest clocking of the stakes sextet, which was earlier put up by a colt sired by The Panderosa, Bank Shot Hanover, in familiar style for driver George Napolitano, Jr. – on the engine – trainer Daniel Renaud and owner Robert DiNozzi.

(Pocono Downs)