Several Hambletonian hopefuls took to the track on Monday (May 18) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, contesting three $41,096 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars event for three-year-old trotting males.
The Captain Corey gelding Mr Penner (pictured above) had last competed for a purse 199 days previously, but trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt had him ready to go a 1:52 mile on the hot day, taking the fastest All-Stars division and missing by only two-fifths the 11-year-old divisional track record of Pinkman. Svanstedt raced in the wake of pacesetting favourite Minoan through fractions of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:23.1, then utilized the famed Pocono Pike to get by the leader as the second favourite, easily beating his own mark. Åke Svanstedt Inc. of Wrightstown, NJ owns the promising trotter with Knutsson Trotting Inc. of Del Ray Beach, FL, and Little E LLC. of New York, NY.
The 1:52 mile was also the fastest trot of 2026 at Pocono – for 50 minutes. In a $27,397 overnight contest, the Muscle Hill ridgling Southwind Arturo lowered the local seasonal standard to 1:51.4, following the cover of Super Duper Cooper then going by by a half-length while also lowering his lifetime best for driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Deborah Daguet, and owner Stephen Klunowski.
Captain Corey picked up a second All-Stars siring credit when the gelding Fineline Hanover kept his 2026 record perfect in four starts, also reducing his speed tab in the process to 1:52.2. The second quarter proved the action station in this race, as between the :27.4 quarter and the :56 half no fewer than four different horses had the lead. Fineline Hanover was the last to the top, keeping the lead past a 1:23.2 three quarters and winning by 2-3/4 lengths. Todd McCarthy had sulky duty behind the 1-20 favourite for trainer Ron Coyne Jr. and the partnership of Ron Coyne Stables Inc. of Allentown, NJ, Blair Corbeil of Leduc Alta., Mike McAllister of Beaumont, Alta.,, and Larry Gregg Stable of Forest Hills, NY.
Highland Destiny handled a step up from “nw1” to the All-Stars with aplomb and at odds-on, putting down fractions of :27.1, :56, and 1:24.1 before also stopping the timer in 1:52.2, a mark, and also winning by 2-3/4 lengths. Owned by The Highland Thoroughbred Farm of Inglewood, Ont., the Greenshoe gelding is now undefeated in three career trips behind the gate, with Scott Zeron handling the driving for trainer Nancy Takter.
The Monday pacing highlight was a $37,671 fast-class contest for mares, which was taken by the Captaintreacherous mare Rodeo Drive Deo in her first purse race of the year. She moved to the lead after the :27 quarter, stopping the timer at :54.3 and 1:22 at the next two points, and then looking in control to the line while defeating the onrushing Silk Cloud A by a neck for driver Yannick Gingras, trainer Ron Burke, and owners Mark Robinson of Dublin, OH, Steve Stewart of Paris, KY, and Harold Bauder of Delaware, OH. The millionaire mare stopped the timer in 1:49.4.
Anthony Napolitano garnered honors for the day with three driving victories, while Braxten Boyd, Yannick Gingras, Todd McCarthy, and Jim Pantaleano each tallied twice. Fifteen different trainers sent out a winner during the card.
There will be a carryover into the last race High 5 wager on Tuesday’s (May 19) 1 p.m. card, and that race also happens to be the one which could give Pisces Rising a sweep of the three preliminaries of the Game Of Claims Trotting Series, which will go for $17,000 USD in each of five divisions Tuesday and which will find the entrants carrying a base tag of $30,000.
(With files from the PHHA / Pocono Downs)