Railroad Station was the fastest of five $41,667 division winners in a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for the “glamour boys,” the three-year-old pacing males, on the Saturday, May 10 afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
North America's leading trainer Ron Burke sent out the fastest winner, the Sweet Lou-Rodeo Rosie colt Railroad Station (pictured above), who moved to the lead just past a :27.2 opener, put up mid-splits of :55.4 and 1:23.2, then dug down to hold off pocket-sitter Odds On No Limit by a neck in a lifetime best 1:50.4. Yannick Gingras drove the chalk winner, who was second to the streaking Twisted Destiny in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event at The Meadows in his only other 2025 race, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Hatfield Stables and J&T Silva - Purnel and Libby.
Driver Jason Bartlett, who led all horsemen on the day with four trips to the winner's circle, guided the second-fastest All-Stars winner, Snack Attack, who took a new mark of 1:51.1. The Stay Hungry-Bridge To Tomorrow gelding sat third-in behind splits of :27.1, :55.2, and 1:23.2 set by favoured Burke trainee Papis Rocket, then got clearance when the pocket-sitter moved outside on the far turn and charged up the Pocono Pike to go by the chalk to win by 1-1/4 lengths (the biggest margin in the quintet of balanced stakes fields), with Delray Beach edged out for the deuce. Trainer Joe Bongiorno, who along with Burke were the only conditioners to send out two winning horses on Saturday's card, handles the winner for the ownership of Philip Steinberg, Joe Sbrocco and JAF Racing.
Two other All-Stars splits went in 1:51.2, and both were decided by a head. Sweet Lou earned a second stakes siring credit in one with the colt Lous Starr (dam Amantha Starr), who parlayed a two-hole journey into a clocking matching his lifetime mark while overhauling pacesetter Waffle Blue Chip, who moved to the lead after a :27.1 opener, put up mid-race fractions of :55.1 and 1:23.3, and fought hard but was caught. A winner earlier this year at Rosecroft Raceway and Shenandoah Downs, Lous Starr was driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Scott Warnick and owner David Chansky.
The other photogenic 1:51.2 winner was the Papi Rob Hanover-Kiss Dont Bite colt Beach Club Monty, who overcame a first-over trip behind :26.3, :54.4, and 1:23 fractions to edge the potential pocket rocket Shipmaster. Beach Club Monty, who was favoured after his only other seasonal start was a 1:50.3 Meadowlands win, succeeded for driver Scott Zeron, trainer Brett Pelling and owners South Merrick Stables and Andrew Berg.
Papi Rob Hanover picked up another siring credit with the 20-1 Makes Sense (dam Freakonomics), who won two qualifiers and then proved the punters wrong while sitting well off fractions of :28, :55.1 and 1:23.2, closing from fifth at the stretch call to win by a length over Bulldozer, who in turn photoed out favoured leader Dreamboat Hanover. Andrew McCarthy was in the sulky for the white-hot trainer Bob Cleary, who is also co-owner with Let It Ride Stables and Carl Howard.
The fastest winner on the 14-race card was Primary Colors, a seven-year-old son of JK Endofanera and millioniare Colors A Virgin who has now taken three of his last four after stalking fractions of :26.4, :54.3 and 1:22.1, then pouncing to win in 1:49.3 in the $22,917 fast-class pacing feature. Another of Bartlett’s four-of-a-kind, the career winner of more than $400,000 is trained by Per Engblom for the partnership of Jeff Fought Racing and Brian Carsey.
Pocono will be back racing Sunday at 6 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m. The Monday card will feature the 2025 debut of U.S. freshman pacing filly champion Miki And Minnie in an All-Stars race.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)