Pennsylvania-sired two-year-old pacing males contested the second preliminary leg of the Sire Stakes (in two divisions) and Stallion Series (in four cuts) during a Sunday twilight card on Aug. 3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Three stallions dominated the night, each siring two stakes winners. The edge among the trio on this night, though, would go to Stay Hungry, since his offspring were successful in the two Sire Stakes divisions.
The only two-time Sire Stakes winner in this group is Frantic Hanover (dam Francessa), who capped a big night for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Ron Burke with a 1:51.4 victory.
Wrenn left from the outside and was willing to pay a :26.4 price to get to the lead over the other first-round winner entered, Superchamp Hanover (Matt Kakaley). Frantic Hanover got a very soft second quarter to the :56.3 half and wasn’t pressed terribly to the 1:25 three-quarters, but when the dash for the cash grew serious, the talented two-year-old could give another :26.4 quarter to maintain a 1-1/2-length lead to the wire over his stablemate Al Papi (Tyler Buter), who himself came home in :26.3 to photo Superchamp Hanover for second in the $96,088 division.
The winner, who also has a PA All-Stars victory in his undefeated career, is owned by Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Brad Grant of Milton, Ont., Knox Services of Mt. Vernon, Ohio and Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Frantic Hanover was part of Wrenn’s four winners on the card and one of Burke’s pair of successes. (The ubiquitous Burke had stakes scores at three tracks Sunday – Pocono, The Red Mile and the Erie County Fair in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania.)
Aintplayinnice (dam Play Nice) was the other Stay Hungry progeny to win in the Sire Stakes in a $95,532 split and the gelding took a new mark of 1:51.3 with a two-length score over Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) and Thai Hanover (Jeremey Indof), who dead-heated for the deuce.
Three-time defending Pocono driving champion Matt Kakaley was last mid-first turn with Aintplayinnice and did not relish coming from way back in a likely sprint home, so he moved at the :28 quarter and had the lead well before the :56.2 half. He then reached the three-quarters in 1:24 en route to victory for trainer Brian Brown and owners Milton Leeman and William Calvert of Columbus, Ohio and Mark Kantrowitz of Delray Beach, Florida.
Captaintreacherous and Tall Dark Stranger each sired two Stallion Series winners, with the former's successful colts including the only repeat winner and also the fastest Stallion Series success story of the night. Another C Note (dam Kate Cant Wait) wired his field in 1:54.4 to notch a second series win for Team Wrenn/Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, Let It Ride Stables of Boca Raton, Florida and Scott Dillon of Anson, Maine. Ringin The Captain (dam Bettorputaringonit) lowered his mark to 1:53.4 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Aaron Lambert and Australian owner Anthony Licastro.
Tall Dark Stranger’s pair of winners included the gelding Really Bright (dam Economy Terror), who came home in :27 to earn the most slender victory over the night, a nose, over Loumelo Ball and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in 1:54.1 (equalling his mark) for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Hunter Oakes and Pennsylvania owners Howard Taylor of Philadelphia and Chuck Pompey of Archbald. The other was the colt Southwind Spencer (dam Sansovina Hanover), on the engine in 1:54.4 in his maiden win for driver Mike Wilder, trainer Doug Snyder and owner Geraldine Poerio of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. The purse for each Stallion Series division was $27,778.
Joe Lee led every step with 1-2 chalk Massive Matter to land a 1:54.4 romp in the lone $13,889 division of the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Trot.
Leaving from post four, Lee secured the top with Massive Matter to a :28.3 first quarter with 114-1 shot Campbellini (driven by Dante Scattolini) in the pocket. Massive Matter faced little pressure while expanding his lead through middle fractions of :58.1 and 1:26.2. Campbellini retreated from the pocket spot when making the spin for home while Massive Matter continued to pull away, eventually crossing the beam a six-length winner over Six Sticks (Yogi Sheridan) grabbing second. Big Nudge (Anthony Verruso) finished third, another five lengths behind, and Landia (Tony Beltrami) took fourth.
Frank Catalfamo owns and trains Massive Matter, a seven-year-old gelding by Explosive Matter. He paid $3 to win.
Pocono will close out its racing week with 1 p.m. cards on Monday and Tuesday; a fast-class pace for tough distaffs is the Monday feature. And every day Pocono gets closer to its biggest card of the year, the $2 million-plus Sun Stakes Saturday highlighting both three-year-olds and invitational horses; this year's edition is to be held on Saturday, Aug. 16, with a special post time at 2:30 p.m.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono and AHDC)