Stablemates Uva Hanover and Song In My Heart romped home Friday in divisions of a $260,844 Pennsylvania Sires Stake at The Meadows, giving David Miller and trainer Linda Toscano a double.
The event for two-year-old colt and gelding trotters, known as the Hickory Pride, was contested over four divisions, with Kumbaya De Vie and Keystone Wasabi capturing the other splits.
Sent to the front, Uva Hanover easily repelled the first-over challenge of Ravenclaw and downed him by three lengths in a maiden-breaking, stake-fastest 1:57. SJs Encore was third.
“I don’t really need the lead with him; I raced him out of a hole the last start,” Miller said. “But with his gate speed, I just wanted to put him up close. He raced real well.”
Stake Your Claim Stable and Martin Sternberg own the Cantab Hall-Up Front Laura gelding.
Song In My Heart took a different approach, moving second over, following cover beautifully and scoring his maiden victory in 1:57.2, a length better than Amped Up Hanover. Explosive De Vie earned show.
“He made a break on me at Pocono last week, so I was a little careful with him early on,” Miller said. “He finished up real good and went through the wire pretty strong. The horse he beat is a really nice horse.”
Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and California Dreamin Stable own Song In My Heart, a son of Cantab Hall out of Somolli Song.
Kumbaya De Vie might not have needed help to win, but he got it anyway when the three top choices in his division broke stride. The son of Yankee Glide out of Reinvent gobbled up the galloping Paparazzi late to record his first career victory for Charlie Norris in 2:00.3. Despite the break, Paparazzi maintained place, one and three-quarter lengths in arrears, while Tom Deere completed the ticket.
“It’s definitely better to be lucky than good sometimes,” said Henrik Lundell, who conditions the $50,000 yearling acquisition for Joie De Vie Farm. “He’s very green still, but he has ability. You still have to hold him the whole mile. He’s not staked to the Peter Haughton — he’s not fast enough for that — but he’s staked to most things.”
Fresh off a Landmark Stakes win on July 5 at Goshen Historic Track, Keystone Wasabi and driver Brett Miller swept from third to first after the half and opened up a pair of lengths en route to victory in 1:58.2. Auspicious Hanover and Truxton finished second and third.
Janice Connor trains the Cantab Hall-Womanly Image colt for Kitefield Stable.
Elsewhere on the card, Perfect Chance matched the track record for older mares when she won a conditioned trot in 1:53.1 for Dave Palone, trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. It was the third consecutive victory for the six-year-old daughter of Andover Hall and Perfect Patty as well as Palone’s third win on the 12-race program.
(With files from The Meadows)