Divisional stars Loua Dipa and Miss Jum Jabber won as expected in the third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) for sophomore pacing misses, worth $149,794 over two divisions, at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 20. Both stopped the clock in 1:50.3 with supercharged back-half speed, and both won by a half-length but looked to be more in control than the margin may suggest.
Loua Dipa, the Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper filly who was ranked second in the first Top Ten poll of the season after her win in the Grade 1 Fan Hanover, was on the move through a :27.1 quarter, made the top, and got a breather to the half in :56.3. Her last splits of :54 - :26.2 left all in the field far behind save one – Darlins Angel (Lauren Tritton), who won her only other PASS start but hadn’t raced in 40 days. The pocket horse kept right with the star pacesetter through three-quarters in 1:24.1 and all the way to the wire in an excellent performance, but driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. seemed confident his filly would stay on to win the $75,178 division. Say Goodnight (Scott Zeron) closed from seventh to third down the lane.
Loua Dipa ($2.10), winning in the PASS for the first time in 2026, is conditioned by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The 2025 Dan Patch Award winner and fastest two-year-old filly of all time is now three-for-four on the season and 12-for-17 lifetime. She made her seasonal debut in a PASS at Philly on May 1 – as Miss Jum Jabber had her “coming-out party” that day by defeating the champion by a head.
A Bettors Wish-Treacherous Reign filly trained by Brett Pelling for his Pelling Racing LLC, Miss Jum Jabber ($2.40) did not race at two, lost her career bow, and has gone on to win all eight of her starts since. She does not show a “1” at the quarter in any of her program lines, and driver Andrew McCarthy reserved her in fourth through the first-half fractions of :27.4 and :56.3 in Saturday's $74,615 contest.
A tug on the right line had Miss Jum Jabber out and bursting up towards the leader while pacing her own third split in :26.1 to three-quarters in 1:23.3. She continued with a final quarter of :27 (with head characteristically cocked a bit to the right) to overhaul a very stubborn pacesetter Im A Lou Lou (Tim Tetrick). Bahama Momma (Jason Bartlett) completed the ticket.
The two sharp fillies don’t have their next possible PASS meeting until Aug. 27 (a week before the $300,000 USD Championship on Sept. 6), but they may clash on the Grand Circuit before that.
The combination of driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Ron Burke came very close to sweeping the four $28,169 divisions of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series for sophomore distaff pacers. They took the first three splits, including the fastest with the Papi Rob Hanover-Real Touch filly Real Fast ($4.60) in a lifetime-best 1:51.2. This division matched Real Fast and Tall Dark Tequila (Tyler Buter), the double winners in the Stallion Series to date, with the former setting the pace then booming home in :55.2 to beat the latter for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC. Call Me Angelita (Tim Tetrick) was third.
Another filly co-owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC (this one with Lawrence Karr and Phil Collura), Sandyboots Yankee ($3.60), got into contention by going her own third quarter raw in :26.4, then paced right away to lower her mark to 1:52.2. Barbuda Belle (Scott Zeron) closed for second over pacesetter Sweetloveofmine (George Napolitano Jr.). Wrenn and Burke combined to bring home the daughter of Always B Miki-A Beach Cowgirl.
They also were the team behind 9-1 upsetter With The Fur ($20.40), a Tall Dark Stranger-Apple Bottom Jeans filly who came from five lengths back at the half to reduce her mark to 1:54 for owner Howard Taylor. Squankum Lady (Jason Bartlett) nabbed Robins Song (Mike Wilder) for place.
Wrenn and Burke had the second choice in the final Stallion Series cut, looking for the four-bagger in those races, but their horse made an early break, leaving the door open for trainer Pelling to get a victory in the other tier of Pennsylvania-sired action with the Captaintreacherous-L A Delight filly Gracious ($4). She won in a career best 1:52.3, getting some late left-side taps from driver Brett Beckwith in gaining the triumph over Make It Right (Tim Tetrick) for Diamond Creek Racing. Sundownsomewhere (Jason Bartlett) was third.
Besides their stakes quadruple, Wrenn and Burke also won an overnight race with Blue Onyx ($22.80) to each visit victory lane five times. Wrenn is winning at a 25.9 per cent rate in 2026 with 238 victories from 919 starts. Burke, the leading trainer at Pocono and in North America, is 435-for-2,119 for a 20.5 per cent clip.
Haltered for $31,944 after winning his third straight race against claiming horses last time out, Goliath Hanover ($13.80) took a step up to the $28,169 conditioned level and won with aplomb. The five-year-old son of Betting Line-Gallie Bythe Beach swept wide off cover and paced away to a new lifetime best of 1:49 under the direction of Matt Kakaley. Congressional (Kevin Wallis) was second over Gannons Veloucity (Wrenn). The victorious gelding has won $41,168 during his four-race win streak, and his new account for owner P T Stable and trainer Darren Taneyhill already has $14,085 of that.
The horses in Pocono’s fourth race wore a white ribbon in their manes to honour those horses who died in a barn fire at Saratoga Harness earlier this week.
The highest-level claimers at Pocono will be spotlighted during the 5 p.m. Sunday twilight card. Two-year-olds will also be making early pari-mutuel starts in other contests.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Loua Dipa winning on June 20)