The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono featured six $20,000 sections of the first leg of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series for two-year-old pacing colts on Sunday, and in the end, two hot stallions came away with honours as Captaintreacherous and Sweet Lou each fathered three of the winners.
Fastest of the sextet of winners was the first on the racetrack, Latissimus Hanover (dam Ladyking), who never looked back from the pole while taking a mark of 1:52.2, burning home in :55 – :27.1 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ray Schnittker, the latter co-owner with Mary Kinsey Arnold and Hall of Fame ballot finalist Ted Gewertz.
Captain Disomma (dam Ramona Disomma) went first-over and still was able to catch favoured Hilarious Lou by a half-length in 1:54.1, a personal best, for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Roland Mallar, and Anatolia Farm LLC.
Rounding out the Captaintreacherous sweep of the card’s first three races was the longest shot on the board, 20-1 Captain Panko (dam P Note Blue Chip), who tipped wide from second-over and was along by a neck over No Pulse Richie, tallying in 1:54.3 in his purse bow for driver Corey Callahan, trainer John Butenschoen, and Harmony Oaks Racing Stable Inc., and William Wiswell.
Corey Callahan also drove two of the Sweet Lou colts who won in Stallion Series competition, including two for trainer Tom Cancelliere and owner John Cancelliere. The second-fastest Stallion Series victory was turned in by first-time purse starter Love Me Some Lou (dam Shark Lightning), who cut the pace in front of Captain Hill, then held that one off by a neck in a 1:52.3 mile, which featured back fractions of :55.2 - :27.3. The “1:52.3” number was also achieved by his stablemate Sugar Factory (dam Cam Swifty) in a Meadowlands baby session. On Sunday, in his first purse outing, he fronted the field from the quarter while winning safely in 1:54.4, with big back fractions of :55.4 - :27.3. The two winners for Team Cancelliere were the only chalk to prevail in the Stallion Series.
The other victorious son of Sweet Lou was Costello (dam Laughandbehappy), who got a relatively soft half on the engine, then had enough in a :27.3 last quarter to withstand Flameproof Hanover by a length while taking a personal speed badge of 1:54.2. Matt Kakaley sulkysat for trainer Ron Burke, who knows a thing or two about Sweet Lou, and the oft-winning partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Lawrence Karr, and Phillip Collura.
The sire whose offspring earned the biggest cheque of the night was Mr Cantab, as his double world record-holding son Homicide Hunter took a $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series event in 1:52.1. The gelding moved to the lead early for driver George Napolitano Jr., got to rest to a :57.2 half, then despite being off 28 days sprinted home in :54.3 – :27.1, winning easily by one and a half lengths over Smalltownthrowdown, who caught the pocket horse Moonshiner Hanover to take second. Chris Oakes conditions the winner of more than $1.2 million, who raised his lifetime win percentage over 50 per cent (34 for 67) for Crawford Farms Racing. Homicide Hunter also took a bigger lead at the top of the Great Northeast point standings.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)