Shalom Hanover, a two-year-old pacing colt by Papi Rob Hanover – Sammy’s Magic Girl, captured his division of a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event for his grouping on Monday (Aug. 3) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, winning easily in 1:49.2 – a time which makes him the fastest two-year-old of 2026 and the fastest two-year-old of all-time at Pocono.
Louis Roy settled his Dr. Ian Moore-trained colt, the heaviest of favourites, in third early, then was on the move just as Atomix Hanover passed the quarter on top in :26.3. Shalom Hanover quickly raced to the front then paced to middle splits of :54 and 1:22, with Atomix Hanover gallantly sticking right on Roy’s helmet. But the winning horse and driver looked relaxed and in firm control, crossing the wire with a 1-1/4-length margin that existed the entire last half.
The clocking was just a fifth shy of the all-time record for any freshman on a 5/8-mile track (Frantic Hanover’s 1:49.1 in last year’s Sire Stakes Championship at Philly).
Shalom Hanover has been victorious in all three starts to date – a Tompkins-Geers race at Woodbine Mohawk, the first PA Sires prelim at The Meadows, and now this second PaSS preliminary for the Shalom Hanover Stable of Cambridge, Ont.
The Captaintreacherous – Scarlett Hanover colt Starstruck Dreamer had toured the Pocono oval in 1:49.4 just two races before Shalom Hanover's race, also winning his second straight Sires prelim.
In this race, the field appeared headed for a lineup, but then driver Tyler Buter thought that disadvantageous for his 1-5 shot starting from post five and quickly got him on the boil, striding right up to take over shortly after a :27.1 initial quarter and then passing the next two poles in :54.4 and 1:21.4.
The field bunched up down the backstretch, with everyone separated by less than four lengths at the three quarters – and then suddenly, nobody was making any further headway, and what was a 1-1/2 length stretch call lead became an 8-3/4 lengths rout under the wire.
The 1:49.4 time made him the year’s first sub-1:50 freshman, and it also tied the Pocono record for two-year-olds set by Somestarsomewhere in his 2013 Breeders Crown elimination.
Noel Daley conditions Starstruck Dreamer for Steve Wienick Racing Llc of Delray Beach, FL, Pryde Stables Inc, North York, Ont., Jfoderatritchiecanamerica of Staten Island, NY and Hyatt Holdings Inc of Milton, Ont.
The dam of Shalom Hanover, Sammy’s Magic Girl, is also the second dam of Starstruck Hanover through her O’Brien-winning daughter Scarlett Hanover.
Starstruck Hanover’s driver ,Tyler Buter, Pocono’s winningest driver last year and this – for on Monday Buter won six times (tied for PcD’s high for the campaign), with five of them in stakes: this Sire Stakes contest plus four of the five Stallion Series events on a card where $326,608 was distributed to the state-sired males.
Buter drove the fastest Stallion Series winner, the Captain Crunch – Dandys Sweetness gelding, Dapper Station, who took a new mark of 1:52.1 in his second stakes win for trainer Hunter Oakes and H O Racing Inc. of Bear Creek Township, PA, Louis Peachey of Rebersburg, PA, and Tribbett Racing of Denton, MD.
Buter also brought in Celtic Wave (gelding by Captaintreacherous – Certified Ideal, 1:52.3 for a maiden mark) for trainer John Berger, and Dujoe (Stay Hungry – Do Your Job, 1:54.3) for trainer Brandon Presto.
And even Buter needs some occasional luck: Five Alarm Fire was going along in good order on the lead when he appeared to see a shadow from an infield light pole on the track at three-quarters, making a “hurdling” break; with him in the centerfield, the fair circuit star Kurt (Always B Miki- Cheyenne Deo) lowered his mark six seconds with a 1:55 head victory for trainer Bill Daugherty Jr.
The final StS division saw some familiar names (driver Ron Wrenn Jr. trainer Ron Burke) associated with the Tall Dark Stranger – Tall Drink Hanover gelding Tom Collins, who reduced his mark to 1:53.1.
Pocono will be right back in action Tuesday (Aug. 4) at 1 p.m., with the $16,000 USD feature for two-year-old pacing fillies finding Heavens To Betsy going for two straight as the morning line favourite.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono Downs)