Returning to his home state of Pennsylvania after just missing the Pepsi North America Cup qualifying cutoff last weekend at Mohawk Racetrack, Check Six rebounded with a winning performance in Friday afternoon's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah's Philadelphia.
There were three divisions, each with purses over $54,000, in the PA Sire Stakes leg for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Jk Will Power ($7.40) kicked off the stakes action as he converted off a pocket trip and closed inside of the popular pacesetter Adrian Hanover (:27.3, :56.1, 1:24.4) to prevail by a neck in 1:53 flat with David Miller in the sulky. Ideal Jimmy rallied off the cover of Im A Graduate and edged out More Dragon for the third-place honours over three lengths behind the winner.
Ron Burke trains the Somebeachsomewhere-Whats New Pussycat colt, who has now won half of his six sophomore starts and over $200,000 this year, for the 3 Brothers Stables.
Also driven by Miller, the Jimmy Takter-trained Western Fame ($3.40) went from third to first after a :54.1 half and drew off by four lengths to win in a new lifetime mark of 1:50.4. Early leader Good Living stayed for second-place while Blake North was the best of the rest as he closed from the back of the six-pack to finish a non-threatening third.
Brittany Farms' homebred colt by Western Ideal out of Shyaway, who was winless in three races as a freshman, has now won three of his seven sophomore starts to earn the bulk of his $55,077 bankroll.
In the third division, Check Six ($3.40) blasted to the lead from the outside post seven and went wire-to-wire, carving out panels of :26.4, :55.1 and 1:23.1 en route to the 1:51.1 victory for driver Yannick Gingras and Burke. Another Daily Copy finished three-quarters of a length behind inside the winner off a pocket trip while Western Dynasty followed three and a half lengths back in third.
Check Six, the inaugural Pennsylvania Classic champion who finished sixth in his North America Cup elimination, is now five-for-seven on the year with an annual income of $376,099. The Somebeachsomewhere-Southwind Vanna colt is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin.