Driver Tyler Buter, trainer Jeff Cullipher and co-owner (with Cullipher) Pollack Racing LLC combined to sweep the two $110,513 divisions of the third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) for two-year-old trotting colts held on Sunday evening, Aug. 11 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
In both cases the winners were breaking their maidens as well. The faster was the Bar Hopping-Expect A Lot colt Elan Hanover, second and third in the previous PASS legs and here making his breakthrough in 1:54.4. Elan Hanover benefited from boiling early contention for the lead while he sat fourth, then followed favoured Meshuggah out nearing the three-quarters and circled wide in the lane to run down that one by a neck.
Team Buter / Cullipher / Pollack also prevailed in the other Sires cut with Father Tj, a Father Patrick-Dip Me Hanover colt who stopped the timer in 1:55.3. Father Tj brushed to the lead in front of the grandstand and got a breather to the midway point, then shifted to a faster gear to keep out the brushing favourite Portobarosso As Nl, finally turning back that one and then defeating Dive Bar Hanover by 1-1/4 lengths while stepping his last half in a notable :56.1 for baby trotters.
Fashion Green, who won in his starts in the first two PASS legs, was not entered Sunday, but he remains the only double winner in the Sire Stakes group.
The International Moni-Shared Past gelding Scudo Hanover is perfect in his three Stallion Series events as he took one of five $27,778 divisions of that grouping in 1:58.3 – ironically the slowest time in his grouping. Keystone Stable owns the winner, who tallied for the team of trainer Syl King Jr. and driver Braxten Boyd – this is the horse with whom the 24-year-old Boyd got his 1,000th winner.
Sire Bar Hopping, who fathered a Sire Stakes winner, got two credits in the Stallion Series competition, including a win with Hey Porter (dam Chelsees A Winner) in 1:57.2, giving that one two wins in the Stallion Series. Tyler Buter handled this colt (the only colt among the five Stallion Series winners) between his Sire Stakes wins, and got him home in a nifty :27.4 to win for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Steve Stewart. The other Bar Hopping winner was Gimlet Hanover (dam Ginger Tree Bren), who posted a race record of 1:57.2 for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and trainer/owner D. R. Ackerman.
The fastest of the Stallion Series success stories was Lefties Righties (Greenshoe-Swizzle Sticks), who started his career with two overnight wins, then here dropped from the Sire Stakes level and promptly took a new mark of 1:57 for driver Victor Kirby and trainer Chuck Sylvester, the latter co-owner with Charles Stansley, Lenavitt Investments LLC and John Licausi. Also winning in the Stallion Series was Bell Hall (Cantab Hall-Eight Bells), who after twin seconds in the Stallion Series earlier broke his maiden in 1:58.1 for driver/trainer Wilbur Yoder and owner Joe Nesselroad.
In a pair of $13,699 trots for the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC), Bob Hechkoff strode down the road with Dwight Hanover in 1:56.4 and Tony Beltrami ripped from off the speed in rein to Quiksilvr Bluechip to win in 1:56.2. Frank Calcagni owns and trains Dwight Hanover, a four-year-old gelding by Cantab Hall, while Richard Johnson trains Quiksilvr Bluechip, an eight-year-old gelding by Credit Winner, for owner Carmen Iannacone.
Racing continues on Monday and Tuesday with 1 p.m. cards at Pocono. Then comes the highlight of the local racing year, the $2 million+ USD Sun Stakes Saturday on Aug. 17, with North America’s top three-year-olds and Invitational horses converging on the northeast Pennsylvania oval. The Sun Stakes Saturday card will be drawn Monday, with entries available in early afternoon. Early Tuesday afternoon, scratches, driver changes and morning line odds will be completed and posted. Programs for the super session of racing, which begins at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday, will be available at the usual site for free Pocono programs.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono & AHDC)