The Weiss Series for developing three-year-olds in all divisions started its April-long stay at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 4, with Twin B Thriller getting the pacing male sector off to a flying start with a 1:49.4 victory in his $24,306 division of the first prelim on a very nice day.
Unraced since September 13, Twin B Thriller had won four of six at two and took two straight qualifiers before his yearly bow, but his final clocking, beating his old mark by three seconds, was a shocker. George Napolitano Jr. took early control from the pole with the Always B Miki colt and kept it while Stingman, coming from The Meadows off four straight wins and bringing Dave Palone along, dueled hard for the lead, this ultimate “Pennsylvania East vs. West” battle resulting in stinging fractions of :26.4, :53.4, and 1:21.3.
Twin B Thriller had more left in the tank in the stretch and went on to lower his mark by three full seconds. Making his first start for trainer Dennis Laterza and the ownership of Ginko Stable Inc. and Latz A Luck Stable, Twin B Thriller did not look tired at the end, and it will be interesting to follow his development.
Napolitano took another Weiss section, one of three wins on the card that tied him for day’s honours with Matt Kakaley, with the Sweet Lou gelding Magic Monarch, who lowered his mark by more than five seconds by stopping the timer in 1:51.4 while victorious for trainer Kevin Lare (who ironically trained Twin B Thriller last year) and owner Frank Chick.
The Captaintreacherous gelding Barrow is undefeated in four 2026 races, all at Pocono, and he too reduced his mark to 1:51.2 – but in an unconventional way. Vizcaya came out of the two-hole on the far turn and crossed the wire first, but it was ruled that he caused interference in coming free on the last bend, and thus Barrow got the victory and credit for his own electronic timing. Brett Pelling trains the sophomore, and Brad Chisholm was in his usual perch behind the biggest chequegetter for Let It Ride Stable Inc., Morrison Racing Stables, and Jesmeral Stable.
Making it a clean sweep of new lifetime marks generated by Weiss combatants was Ooglesaurus, whose 1:52 time dropped his best by 2-2/5 seconds. Brett Beckwith had the steer behind the altered son of Lazarus N for trainer Joe Bongiorno, giving Morrison Racing Stables a Weiss double.
There were three $17,500 divisions of a class for up-and-coming horses, each notable in its own way. The one pacing sector saw the Captaintreacherous gelding Jackson Cooper tie for fastest mile of the day at 1:49.4, giving driver Beckwith and Jesmeral Stable two Saturday wins. On the trot, Non Disclosure earned driver Bobby Crivokapich Jr. his first lifetime sulky success as he lowered his mark to 1:53.3, while the other section went faster, with Te Amo Lindy (Napolitano Jr.) setting sail for a 1:53 victory.
The latter’s clocking was the fastest trot time of 2026 at Pocono – for 169 minutes, until the Walner mare Sapphirerainstar lowered her speed badge to 1:52.2 for the A 1 Racing partners of driver Simon Allard and trainer Mark Akins.
The winner of the fast-class pace, at $38,194 the richest purse of the day, and achieving his 50th lifetime victory deserves a mention. That would be the Shadow Play gelding Backstreet Shadow, who led for 5,280 feet in the 1:50.2 mile for Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander, and owners Eric Prevost and Fiddler’s Creek Stable Stables LLC, while raising his bankroll to $1,965,803.
The Saturday excitement carried to the very last race of the day, where Rum N Raisins won for the seventh time on the campaign, putting him in a 14-way tie for second among North American winners this year, one behind the pacing mare Golden Magic. The 14-1 shot also headed a High 5 wager that nobody hit, meaning it would join the unsolved Pick 5 bet bringing carryovers to Monday’s racing.
Driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer Darren Taneyhill joined the aforementioned as doublers on the day.
Weiss Series first round racing continues Monday, April 6 with trotting male action, and on Tuesday with fillies on both gaits headlining.
(PHHA / Pocono)