Geocentric won the battle of the unbeatens in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship for two-year-old female pacers on Saturday, Sept. 2, improving to six-for-six this season by posting a neck victory over My Girl EJ in 1:50.4 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Lyons Legend, who entered the race perfect in six starts, finished third.
The remaining winners in the $252,000 PASS two-year-old championships at Pocono were male trotter T C I, male pacer Captain Albano, and female trotter Sierra Girl. The PASS finals for three-year-olds will be contested Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
In the race for rookie filly pacers, Lyons Legend (Matt Kakaley) took an early lead off the gate, but Geocentric, the 1-5 favourite, and driver Tim Tetrick pushed forward on the first turn to take the top spot in a :27 opening quarter.
From there, Geocentric set fractions of :54.4 to the half and 1:22.4 to three-quarters. Lyons Legend looked to make a move in the passing lane in the stretch but was unable to gain ground while 17-1 outsider My Girl EJ applied pressure to the leader on the outside, but Geocentric was resolute.
“It was a pretty tough race; there was three really good horses,” said winning trainer Brian Brown. “Timmy thought maybe he got to the half a little bit quick. She was all out at the end, but she dug in and fought all the way to the wire. She raced tough and did the best she could do to win.”
Geocentric had won her previous four races by a minimum of 2-3/4 lengths.
“I’d rather win by open lengths, but she raced two really good horses,” said Brown. “They both had a shot at her coming down the stretch and she held them off.”
A daughter of Sweet Lou-Geometry, Geocentric is trained by Brown for owners Milton Leeman, Alan Keith, James Stambaugh and Joe Sbrocco. She was bred by Diamond Creek Farm and increased her career earnings to $294,501 with the win.
“[What I like best] is mainly how easy she does things, how willing she is,” said Brown. “You can do anything with her. She’s very professional for as young as she is. She’s been that way all along. She’s never had a bad day, whether it’s jogging, training, racing; everything has just been easy for her.
Geocentric paid $2.60 to win.
In the final for male trotters, T C I breezed to his seventh consecutive win by beating Security Protected by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:54.4. Greenspan was third.
T C I, who won the William Wellwood Memorial in his previous start, is a son of Cantab Hall-Nicoles Promise trained by Ron Burke and driven by David Miller. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi. The colt was bred by Concord Stud Farm. He has won seven of eight starts and earned $467,470.
Also sent off at 1-5, T C I paid $2.60 to win.
Captain Albano used a pocket trip behind pacesetter Rose Run Zeke before scooting up the passing lane to take the championship for male pacers by two lengths in 1:50.2. Rose Run Zeke finished second and Booming Economy, the even-money favourite, was third.
A son of Captaintreacherous-Angelou, Captain Albano won with Todd McCarthy in the sulky for trainer Noel Daley. The colt is owned by Patricia Stable, LA Express & Sjoblom Inc., and Michael Dolan. He was bred by Fred Hertrich III.
Sent off as the 2-1 second choice, Captain Albano paid 6.20 to win.
In the championship for female trotters, Sierra Girl, the 1-5 favourite, was well off the gate at the start and near the rear of the field for the first half of the race before grinding away first over to rally and nip stablemate Slip Sliding Away at the wire in 1:55.4. The Moment finished third.
Sierra Girl, a daughter of Bar Hopping-Chuckys Luckycharm, was driven by trainer Ake Svanstedt. She is owned by Ake Svanstedt Inc., Young Guns, and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing. The Samuel Stoltzfus Jr.-bred filly has won four of five career races and earned $211,273.
She paid $2.60 to win.
Winners of the $50,000 PASS consolations were female trotter Prospect Park (Father Patrick-Brooklyn Eagle) in 1:56 for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Charlie Norris, female pacer Sea Shanty Hanover (Captaintreacherous-Salsalito) in 1:54.1 for David Miller and Burke, male trotter Executive Game (Bar Hopping-Broadway Jo Ell) in 1:56.2 for Tetrick and Jim Campbell, and male pacer Hugh Heston (Heston Blue Chip-Morenci) in 1:52.3 for McCarthy and Per Engblom.
(USTA; photo features, clockwise from top left, Geocentric, Captain Albano, Sierra Girl and T C I)