The Åke Svanstedt Stable, winner of five two-year-old qualifying races during the first baby session at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania a week ago, topped themselves on Wednesday, June 10 with six of their freshmen tasting success, including engineering a sweep of the four contests for trotting fillies.
Åke Svanstedt drove five winners from his barn, but not the quickest of the fillies. That distinction went to his wife, Sarah, guiding the Chapter Seven-Plunge Blue Chip miss Kountry Plunge, who stepped home sharply on the front end in :28.3 to complete a 1:59.3 victory. The $277,778 yearling purchase is owned by Ohm Stable, Svanstedt And Midnight Sun, Bender Sweden Inc., and Ecurie Dicoles AB.
Reporting home first for trainer/driver Åke were fillies Dandelion Wine (Ecurie D DK-Plum Wine) in 1:59.4 with back half fractions of :57.2 and :28.1; the Walner-Milady Grace miss Gabriela Beatriz S in 2:00.3 with back half fractions in :58.4 and :28.4; and another Walner filly, Queen Palema (dam Sobti Hanover), tallying in 2:01.3 with :58.2 and :29.1 back half clockings.
Perhaps the most impressive winner of the entire session was the International Moni-Fast Reaction trotting gelding Moni In His Pocket, who maintained smooth footing after a miscue in his debut last week and was never headed in a 1:58 mile, with a last half in :57.4, for trainer/driver Todd Schadel, who also is a co-owner with wife Christine along with breeders Rick and Regina Beinhauer.
Team Svanstedt notched wins with two of its male trotting pupils, the Captain Corey-Ready Any Time colt Red Storm Hanover, in 1:59.4 with a final half in :58.3, and Lincoln Kronos (Walner-Chatty Kronos S), pulling the pocket and trotting home strongly in :28.3 in a 2:02.1 win.
The other successful baby male diamond-gaiter was the Greenshoe-Donna Hill colt Green To Go, stepping home in :29 to complete a 2:01 victory for trainer/driver D.R. Ackerman.
On the pacing side, sire Stay Hungry was responsible for the winners of two of the three events for males, including the quickest, a 1:57.2 effort from Atreides (dam Lady Killer), who zipped home in :56.4. Trainer Cory Stratton also served as Atreides’s driver for breeder Scott McKenzie and co-owner Stratton Stable Inc.
The second Stay Hungry winner was Lions Not Sheep (dam Continualou), who came out of the pocket under the direction of TYler Buter with back fractions of :57.2 and :28.2 to win in 1:58.3 for trainer Nick Devita, still basking in the glow of Dame Good Time’s world record mile at Pocono the day before. The other baby male winner was the Papi Rob Hanover-Warrawee Quick colt Fast Getaway, a winner in 1:57.4 with back half fractions of :57.2 and :27.4 for the hot barn of trainer/driver Todd Schadel.
Schadel’s shedrow also produced the fastest freshman filly pacer, another Papi Rob Hanover baby called Dragon Flame (dam Dragon Lady Art), who became the sole Wednesday freshman to win a baby qualifier for the second time, speeding home in identical end fractions of :28.1 to stop the timer at 1:59.1 for trainer/driver Schadel, also co-owner with Christine Schadel and Caitlin Solt.
The 1:59.1 was just a tick faster than the times from the two other pacing freshman filly winners: Hollys Choice (Courtly Choice-Sunshine Hall), who blitzed home in :56.1 and :28 to win from the back of the field for driver Matt Kakakley and trainer Chuck Norris, and pocket rocket Wine Down Wensday (Huntsville-Tequila Monday), who came home in :58.2 and :29 for Buter and the Hunter Oakes stable.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)