Broadway Donna, last year’s U.S. Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year, made her three-year-old debut a successful one Sunday night (June 19) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning a division of the second preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies in 1:54.1.
Despite not having raced in eight months and three days, since she suffered her only loss when making a break on the lead in her Breeders Crown elimination, the Pocono faithful backed the daughter of Donato Hanover to the tune of 3-5, and Broadway Donna rewarded their confidence. Driver David Miller sent the 10-time winner to lead after the :28 quarter, tripped the beam in :57.2 and 1:26.3 mid-race, then sprinted home in :27.3 to win by one and three-quarter lengths over early leader Spicedbourbongirl. Kathy Parker was third, two lengths behind Spicedbourbongirl and an equal distance ahead of second choice Double Exposure, who went first-over here but had to settle for fourth in her first start since winning the Goldsmith Maid Final last November. Jim Campbell trains the winner of $558,392 for owner/breeder Fashion Farms LLC.
Ginny Weasley upheld the quickly (in North America)-established fact that Åke Svanstedt trainees are race-ready no matter how long a layoff, rallying into a :56 last half to overhaul pacesetter Sunset Glider by one and three-quarter lengths and take a new mark of 1:55 in another division. The Andover Hanover filly had not raced since May 17, but she was certainly ready to run her Sire Stakes record in 2016 to two-for-two, with Lucas Wallin handling sulky duties for Svanstedt and owners Torp Trotting Inc.
In the third division, Ultimate Shopper kept her 2016 tally undefeated after a pair of starts, taking the lead off the first turn, pushing favourite Womans Will hard before surrendering the lead to her, then moving again in the stretch and running down that foe to post a two-length win in 1:54.3. Tim Tetrick was the pilot for the daughter of Yankee Glide, whom trainer Anette Lorentzon co-owns with ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson.
Rose Run Parker, still the fastest trotter of 2016 by virtue of his Meadowlands victory in 1:50.4 one month minus one day ago, worked his way past favoured JL Cruze in front of the stands, got a relative middle half breather of :57.3 despite a parked rival on his shoulder, then motored home in :28, with JL Cruze unable to make up stretch ground, in winning the $25,000 Winners Over Trot in 1:53. The altered son of Jailhouse Jesse, now with a 67 percent win percentage in 2016 (six-for-nine) and a 68 percent win percentage lifetime (34-for-50), tallied Sunday night for driver Yannick Gingras, trainer Ron Burke, and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
(With files from Pocono/PHHA)