Two-year-old pacing fillies, many of whom had raced at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania last Sunday in a Pennsylvania All-Stars event, came right back in seven days on Sunday, July 20 to contest $326,392 offered over three Pennsylvania Sire Stakes divisions and five Stallion Series sections in their group’s second preliminary leg.
And for those lamenting the growing importance of front-end speed in modern harness racing – this was a card for you. Only one stakes horse in the eight added-money races led at both the three-quarters and the wire, and only two ahead at the top of the stretch held sway all the way home. Also, every race save one was decided by a half-length or less.
All three Sire Stakes events were held over a track re-rated from “sloppy” during an early rainstorm to “good” by mid-card. The fastest division went in 1:51.3 (not a season’s record but curiously faster than any male has paced on a five-eighths-mile track so far), and the $63,318 contest was won by the Sweet Lou-Benear miss Im A Lou Lou, the only stakes winner to take over the lead on the far turn. She sat a two-hole trip, then held off the flying Imagine Heaven (Tyler Buter) by half a length to break her maiden in her second try. Kissedbyastranger (Yannick Gingras) finished third. Tim Tetrick guided the winner for trainer Ron Burke and Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Larry Karr, and Phillip Collura.
The only horse in either grouping to post a second win in her section was Bahama Momma (Tall Dark Stranger-Idyllic Beach), who is now two-for-two in her career with both victories in the PASS. With a :27.2 final quarter in the 1:52 mile (a tick off her first victory), Bahama Momma caught another first leg winner, Loua Dipa (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), by a head to score in the $63,318 split for trainer-driver Joe Bongiorno and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing. Sport N A Crush (Mike Cole) was third.
The third PASS winner was the Captaintreacherous-Tica Hanover filly Big Weekend, who had to back out of a collapsing pocket and was fourth at the stretch call, but she closed in :27.2 to chase down Call Me Angelita (Tetrick) by a head while reducing her mark to 1:52.3 in the $62,770 second division. Yama Gonna Win (Bartlett) was third. An All-Stars winner in her last start, Big Weekend was driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Travis Alexander and owner/breeder Fiddler’s Creek Stables. She is now two-for-three lifetime.
The first two $27,397 Stallion Series races were raced over a “sloppy” surface, which quickly bounced back to “good” status, which it held the rest of the card; we indicate the sloppy track clockings.
All five Stallion Series winners broke their maidens in their victories, three of them first-time starters. The fastest Stallion Series winner, Lyons I Wanna Chip (Stay Hungry-Zellweger Bluechip), who had experience, was also the only stakes-winning filly to successfully use engine tactics, with :55.3 - :27.2 speed enough in the 1:53.1 mile to defeat debutante Fabulous Hanover (Gingras) by a neck with Sundownsomewhere (Bongiorno) third. The distaff specialist pairing of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr. got the job done for Threelyonsracing. The filly is now one-for-four.
The father-son team of trainer Chris and driver Patrick Ryder scored with two Stallion Series winners, both first-time starters. The first was the Bettors Wish-It Can Happen filly Bettor Be A Star, who won in 1:53.3 for the Ryder Stable while being both the biggest longshot ($28) and the “most decisive” winner with a margin of 1-1/4 lengths. The second was the Captaintreacherous-Dream Outloud baby Need You Now, a head ahead of Funky Billie Chin (Mark Herschberger) in 1:54.4 (on the sloppy track) for owner Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki.
The other Stallion Series winners were yet another debutante, Jk Fierce Lady (Captaintreacherous-Jk First Lady), a winner by a head over Lovebug Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) in 1:54.1 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Nancy Takter, and 3 Brothers Stable, and Gettin Hungry (Stay Hungry-Striking Terror), a half-length 1:53.3 winner (on the slop) for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander, and Fiddler’s Creek Stables.
Trainer Travis Alexander and sire Captaintreacherous each were successful three times in the eight stakes races: Alexander in a Sire Stake, Stallion Series race, and an overnight, and Captaintreacherous’s three-bagger including a PASS win and two Stallion Series victories. Alexander's heretofore unmentioned winner was Metal Man, who took the second race in 1:51.1.
Joe Lee turned away all challengers while on the lead to go pillar to post with 11-1 shot Massive Matter and win the $13,699 American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Trot in the third race.
Leaving from post five, Lee secured the lead to a :28.2 first quarter with Massive Matter while even-money chalk Papa Doc (Tony Beltrami) yielded for the pocket and Keystone Thunder (Michael Dailey) sat parked on the rim in third. Keystone Thunder slowly retreated on the outside through a :57 half as Massive Matter cruised for the backside. Papa Doc increased pressure when pulling from the pocket on the march to three-quarters in 1:26, but Massive Matter easily repelled that challenge and kicked clear for home to a 3-1/4-length win in 1:56. Papa Doc held down the place spot while Cal Miles N Shell (John Calabrese) closed for third and Six Sticks (Yogi Sheridan) sat a ground-saving trip for fourth.
Frank Catalfamo trains and owns Massive Matter, a seven-year-old gelding by Explosive Matter-Stick Of Butter. He paid $25.40 to win in his third victory in 22 starts this year.
AHDC action continues next Sunday, July 27 with pacing divisions at Harrah’s Philadelphia and trotting divisions at Pocono Downs. First-race post time at Harrah’s Philadelphia is 12:40 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Pocono.
The Monday, July 21 card at Pocono, beginning at 1 p.m., will be topped by a $25,000 USD fast-class pace for distaffs; the local racing week closes out on Tuesday with another 1 p.m. program.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Im A Lou Lou winning on July 20)