Pennsylvania two-year-old colts got their first taste of pari-mutuel stakes action Sunday night (July 2) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with a total of ten $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Star Series, six for trotters and four for pacers, and as could be expected season’s leaders emerged on both gait.
On the trot, three horses were winners in 1:57.1 to tie for fastest mile in their section. One was My Man Stony, a son of Yankee Glide-Armbro Vanquish who was sent to the top by driver Corey Callahan, then scooted home in twin :28.1 quarters to win easily for trainer John Butenschoen and the ownership of William Wiswell and the Pinske Stable.
Also reporting home in 1:57.1 was Explosive Lindy, a son of Explosive Matter-Love To Lindy, who came out of the pocket with a :57.1 – :28 rally to catch Lawmaker by a half-length for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Noel Daley, the latter co-owner with Joe Sbrocco, Up Front Racing, and John Fodera.
The third of the 1:57.1 trio was the Cantab Hall-Mets Inn colt Mets Hall, who was a pocket rocket by trotting home in :56.3 – :27.2, allowing Team Orange Crush, driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller, to follow up on their Beal Championship with Devious Man of the night before with a promising freshman colt, owned by Stroy Inc. and the Andy Miller Stable Inc.
Cantab Hall picked up a second siring credit when Captain Morgan, out of the mare Muchness, set the pace in his cut, then powered home in :58.2 – :28.3 for a 1:57.4 win, holding off Scirocco Rob a neck at the finish line. Brett Miller handled sulky duties for trainer Staffan Lind, who is also co-owner with Bender Sweden Inc., Roy Holth, and Kemppisuojalampistable (that’s easy for you to say).
Muscle Hill also fathered a pair of stakes winners during the Sunday Pocono action. First up was Garnet, out of the mare A Perfect Gem, who brushed to the lead for driver Yannick Gingras in quarter two, then came home in :58.2 – :28.4 to win in 1:58.1 for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Silva Pumel & Libby, Lawrence Karr, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
The other Muscle Hill winner was also driven by Yannick Gingras: You Know You Do, out of the mare You Want Me, who went wire-to-wire in 1:58.3 (:58.1 – :28.4) to equal his qualifying mark for trainer Jimmy Takter and the ownership of Howard Taylor, Order By Stable, Bud Hatfield, and Mkatz Alibfeld Sgoldband.
On the pacing side, a teaming of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ray Schnittker (can you say Huntsville?) took two of the four cuts, including the fastest in the very first race of the night, a 1:53.1 win with the Somebeachsomewhere-Wild West Show colt Wild Bill, whom Schnittker owns and also co-bred. Wild Bill made a big looping move on the turn and bulleted home in :55.1 – :27.2 to be a drawing-clear winner.
Tetrick and Schnittker also clicked with the Well Said-Beachy Lady colt Lucky Leonard, who blitzed homed in :55.3 – :27.1 to be a handy winner in 1:55.1 for Schnittker, Howard Taylor (making him a double-gaited winner), and Paul Bordogna.
A second winner for sire Well Said was Done Well, out of the mare Dagnabit Hanover, who despite having to go first-over still motored home in :55 – :26.4 to put up a total time of 1:54.1. Tim Tetrick picked up the catch-drive for his third win among the baby pacers, and trainer Brian Brown of Fear The Dragon fame now appears to have a chance in the Jug in 2017 and 2018 after tonight’s win with this colt, who is owned by James Stambaugh, Wingfield Brothers LLC, Milton Leeman, and Alan Keith.
The Western Ideal-Flip For Love colt Ideal Flip also was first-over in his section, but he showed :55.4 – :27 speed coming home to hold off the colt on his back, Instructor, by a nose in 1:55.3. Andy Miller notched a stakes win on both gaits while sulky-sitting for trainer Erv Miller and the Bay Pond Racing Stable, and finished out the cycle of all of the winners getting new race marks.
(PHHA / Pocono)