Harrah’s Philadelphia and Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, the two harness racing tracks in eastern Pennsylvania, will be hosting back-to-back $1.4 million USD cards this Labour Day weekend, with Philly (Sunday, 12:40 p.m.) providing the stage for the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for three-year-olds and their respective consolation races, while Pocono (Monday, 1 p.m.) will be offering the same bounty for Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for two-year-olds plus consolations.
The four Championship races at each track will go for a purse of $300,000 USD, with the consolation races offering a $50,000 USD bounty. The horses earned their way into their respective spots by accumulating points with high finishes in four preliminary legs. The competitiveness of this year’s crop is reflected in the fact that no horse -- freshman/sophomore, male/female, trot/pace – could post a victory in each of the four prelim rounds.
Here is a brief look at each of the eight 2026 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship races, starting with the three-year-olds at Philly on Sunday, and also going chronologically within the cards. Official scratches and driver changes are due Thursday.
Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT (race 10)
The preliminary point leader has post eight (Frattina Diablo S) and the 2025 champion has post seven (Ginger Tree Lex). Carve has the highest 2026 earnings in the field, was just a neck behind winner Nezuko Kamado S in the Hambletonian Oaks, won her last Sire Stakes start and has the fastest mark in the field of 1:51.1. And she has the rail – she’s likely to attract the most attention for trainer Noel Daley and driver Andrew McCarthy.
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACE (race 11)
Miss Jum Jabber (post three) did not race at two but has made up for lost time at age three, winning 10 of 12 starts including three PASS prelims for trainer Brett Pelling and driver Andrew McCarthy. In one of those Sire Stakes victories, she photoed out 2025 Dan Patch Award winner Loua Dipa, who will be starting just outside her here in her return after facing the boys in Adios competition for Ron Burke with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. aboard. Sangria Summer, starting next door to the right of Loua Dipa with James MacDonald driving for the Luc Blais stable, has won four straight races, including Pocono’s James M. Lynch Memorial, and Say Goodnight, from post six in the center-of-the-gate foursome, is the defending Sire Stakes champion for trainer Nicholas Devita with Tyler Buter set to drive.
THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT TROT (race 12)
Minoan was the only horse in his group to win two Sire Stakes prelims, which helped him become the leading point winner. He was also third in the Hambletonian. Another for the Noel Daley-Andrew McCarthy combination, Minoan does have the major challenge of beating the outside post eight, and five of his opponents won at least once in the Sire Stakes preliminaries. He’ll certainly be far, far less than the 103-1 he was the Hambo, but how will he handle the tricky post draw?
THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT PACE (race 13)
After some very good performances in which he came up just shy, Al Papi (post one) has now won three of his last four races, including the Adios elimination and final, plus a recent Sire Stakes win for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke. And speaking of Burke, he is also sending out Melillo (post four, Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), just a head away in the Adios final, and three-time PASS prelim winner Another C Note (post seven, Tyler Buter).
Monday at Pocono Downs
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROT (race nine)
Birr Castle, trained by Marcus Melander, looked to have the leadership in this sector until she was second to Åke Svanstedt trainee Orinoco last time in her first defeat after starting her career with three wins (two in the PASS). And in the Championship, Orinoco has an edge on Birr Castle, with Orinoco beginning from post four and Birr Castle from post seven. Yannick Gingras will drive Orinoco while Scott Zeron picks up Birr Castle. Another Melander trainee, Two Day Hangover (post three) opened her scorebook with three wins including two Sire Stakes.
TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT PACE (race 10)
Of all the weekend’s Sire Stakes Championships, this race will generate the most interest from serious students of the sulky sport, as it matches up two colts who are undefeated in their first five races: Dr. Ian Moore trainee Shalom Hanover, who set a track record 1:49.2 in his previous appearance here, and the Noel Daley-trained Starstruck Dreamer, who won three PASS prelims and paced the fastest mile ever by a two-year-old on a five-eighth mile track, 1:48.4 at Philly. Fate gave Shalom Hanover, with driver Louis-Philippe Roy, an edge at the post draw: he got post one, while Starstruck Dreamer and Todd McCarthy must contend with the outside post eight. Every dramatic element imaginable is coming together in this contest, which has the look of an “instant classic.”
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACE (race 11)
JK Lady Liberty, whose dam is Horse of the Year JK Shesalady, started her career with a second and since then she hasn’t looked back with four victories, including three PASS preliminaries, each at a different track. To be driven by Scott Zeron for trainer Nancy Takter from post four, JK Lady Liberty is likely to attract the majority of the fans’ attention, especially as she has the fastest winning time in the field, a 1:51.3 success at Philly.
TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT TROT (race 12)
Dream Shaq (post eight), trained by Marcus Melander and to be driven by Dexter Dunn, won his first starts in the Sire Stakes program, but in his last two, he has finished second to the later-developing Jimdougie Armitage, who also has a post advantage here, starting from post three for the newly-elected member of the U.S. Hall of Fame, driver/trainer Åke Svanstedt.
The finals of Pennsylvania Stallion Series will also be held on Saturday afternoon at The Meadows. One theme of The Meadows’ afternoon is whether the Stallion Series program can produce its first sub-1:50 Championship mile – sophomore pacing colts Flash Move (The Meadows, 2023) and Sneak Attack (2025, Pocono) have both won in exactly 1:50. The Stallion Series finales look evenly-balanced – like the Sire Stakes, no one took victories in all four rounds of preliminary action.
(With files from Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association; photo of Shalom Hanover winning at Pocono Downs)