On a sweltering Saturday at The Meadows made for records, Panesthetic and Aracache Hanover each got one; each of the three-year-olds captured a division of a $266,032 Pennsylvania Sires Stake
in 1:50.1, a stake record they now share. They shaved a tick from the previous mark established by Lonestar Legend in 2008.
The event, known as the Tarport Effrat, was conducted over four divisions, with We Will See and Versado taking the other splits. Brett Miller enjoyed a stake driving double (Panesthetic, We Will See), among his four wins on the 15-race card.
With Panesthetic and Aracache Hanover ineligible for the $700,000 (est.) Delvin Miller Adios, We Will See and Versado stamped themselves as pre-race favourites for the “Pace for the Orchids.” Adios eliminations are set for Saturday, July 31, with the final and $50,000 consolation the following Saturday. A total of 123 colts and geldings — 18 were in action in the Tarport Effrat — remain eligible for the Adios, while 128 fillies are paid up to the companion feature, the Quinton Patterson Adioo Volo.
Panesthetic entered the Tarport Effrat with four consecutive victories, including two sub-1:50 miles at the Meadowlands. From the gate, however, he found himself in a potentially suicidal five-ply battle for the lead. In a neat bit of steering, Miller disengaged from the skirmish, dropped to the pylons and closed a hole to assure that his rivals would continue to duke it out.
Panesthetic fired to the lead when the dust settled and prevailed handily, 4-1/4 lengths better than Oakmont, with Europan Union third.
“We started going slow trips with him during the week, and he got a little more aggressive,” said Scott Blackler, who trains the gelded son of The Panderosa-Panalgesic for Arlene Shaw, Alice Bonenfant and P. Richard Shaw of Maine. “He really took to the Meadowlands; he stretched out, and it got him more tight. We’ll probably give him another race at the Meadowlands before the last sires stake leg.”
Aracache Hanover’s fourth win in a row was even more facile, as he brushed to the lead for Doug McNair and drew off to triumph by six lengths. Paynes Landing was second while Four Starz Trace completed the trifecta.
“He has that gate speed, but he’ll sit in,” McNair said of the $37,000 yearling acquisition. “We qualified him out of a hole. We had two nice colts, and we staked the other one a little heavier than this one. But he’s eligible for the Confederation Cup, the Jug and the races at Lexington.”
Gregg McNair trains and William Switala and James Martin of New York own the son of Dragon Again-Armbro Cachet, who surpassed $200,000 in career earnings.
We Will See entered the Tarport Effrat with perhaps the strongest credentials — beaten less than a length in the finals of the North America Cup and the Rooney, more than $547,000 on his card. Although the son of Western Hanover-Aberdakara prefers to chase, he burst to the front for Miller and threw in a pair of :26.3 quarters en route to victory in 1:51.2. Jonesie Hanover and Pang Shui, both Adios eligibles, finished second and third, respectively.
Sam DePinto, who trains We Will See for New Jersey's Shannon DePinto and Earl Smith, noted that his colt has an affinity for The Meadows.
“Brett thought he went a heckuva mile today because he thought the track was tiring on him,” DePinto said. “We’ll be back next week, absolutely. There are such good horses coming in for The Adios you can’t count your chickens. But he’s three for three at The Meadows. He likes this track. I like it, too.”
There was little doubt that Versado was Adios bound. Trainer Ron Burke recently purchased him privately as an Adios candidate for the ownership group of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Howard Taylor and Edwin Gold of Pennsylvania. Versado, a Dragon Again-Beach Jenny gelding, reinforced his team’s faith as he made a quarter-pole move for Dave Palone and scored in 1:50.3. Sharks Legacy was second, 2-1/2 lengths in arrears, with Morgan Shark third.
“He’s a very fast colt; in fact, he has wicked speed,” Palone said. “He earned his way into the Adios. I don’t know who else will drop in, but I know there’s no one I’d rather race for than Versado’s group.”
(With files from The Meadows)