World Champion Dancinwiththestarz enhanced her status as Pennsylvania’s best pacing filly Saturday as she captured her second straight Pennsylvania Sires Stakes championship at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino
. She joins Armbro Dancer, Western Graduate and Coulantine as the only back-to-back titlists since Pennsylvania introduced championship legs.
The power-packed "Pennsylvania Harness Championships" card offered more than $1 million in purses and featured $200,000 championships and $50,000 consolations for all four PASS sophomore divisions. Also crowned as champions were Pilgrims Chuckie, We Will See and Easy Dream. Dave Palone drove six winners on the 15-race program, including a championship (Easy Dream) and three consolation victories.
Dancinwiththestarz became a world champion on August 7 when she won the Mistletoe Shalee at the Meadowlands in 1:48.4, fastest ever for a three-year-old filly on a mile track. But she was roughed up while finishing second in her next start, the Valley Forge at Harrah’s Chester, and the blustery, fall-like conditions she encountered Saturday weren’t necessarily accommodating to her customary style at or near the front.
Nevertheless, Brian Sears hesitated only momentarily before retaking the lead he briefly relinquished.
“Even though some horses weren’t coming home that much, horses coming off the pace weren’t that live,” Sears said. “I thought I might follow, but I didn’t want a horse to get cheap fractions on the front.”
Dancinwiththestarz battled the wind through the lane but was sharp enough to close in :28.4 and prevail in 1:53.2, a length better than Panagler. Kates Joy was a rallying third.
Mark Harder, who trains the daughter of Four Starzzz Shark-So Western for W Springtime Racing Stable and Shannon Brott, indicated that his champion won’t be resting on her laurels.
“It’s a tough day today with the track sort of dead and the wind,” Harder said. “But she was very, very good. She looked like she was pretty comfortable the whole way down the stretch. She has a busy four or five weeks ahead, with stakes such as the Nadia Lobell.”
With the victory, Dancinwiththestarz boasts $825,302 in lifetime earnings.
Sand Gesture took the consolation for Palone, trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable, Between The Pipes Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
$200,000 Colt & Gelding Trot
Pilgrims Chuckie and John Campbell were in the final turn enjoying a dream trip, second over behind the live cover of Pilgrims Taj, when suddenly...near disaster. Pilgrims Taj made an unforced break, forcing Campbell to abruptly swerve and take up.
“I had to check my horse and move him out,” Campbell said. “He’s very handy, and thank goodness he is. If he’d made a break, I would have excused him for it. I think he would have won quite a bit easier, but he overcame the loss of ground.”
Thanks to his professionalism under fire, Pilgrims Chuckie regained his momentum and scored in 1:56.2. Kirty Dream was second, 3-1/4 lengths in arrears, with Hard Livin third. Scott Andrews trains the son of Broadway Hall-Woman of Means, who now has earned $374,781, for Rodney Andrews, Edward Andrews, Chuck Sylvester and Pinstripe Stable.
Baximum went wire-to-wire to win the consolation for Palone, trainer Jonas Czernyson and owner Robert Rosenheim Stables.
$200,000 Colt & Gelding Pace
Five weeks ago in the Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows, We Will See and Brett Miller pulled the pocket before the three-quarters but were unable to put away the leader and eventual winner, Delmarvalous. They were forced to settle for fourth, beaten a half length.
On Saturday, the pair took no chances. When Aracache Hanover and Sharks Legacy were skirmishing with We Will See for the early lead and seemed perilously close to leaning in on him, Miller gunned We Will See forward. The price was an opening panel in :26.2.
Once on the point, though, We Will See devoured the field, drawing off to win by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:50.4. Aracache Hanover was a clear second, with Versado third.
“In the first eighth, I thought one of those horses was going to jump all over Brett,” said Cosmo “Sam” DePinto, who trains the son of Western Hanover-Aberdakara for Shannon DePinto and Earl Smith. “Thank goodness he didn’t. But this is We Will See’s track. He loves this track. I think this was his strongest performance. Brett was shutting him down in the stretch but thought the horse could have gone in 1:49.”
DePinto said We Will See, who extended his career bankroll to $818,109, will get some time off before he races next in the Little Brown Jug.
Palone guided Fred And Ginger, The Meadows all-age track record-holder, to victory in the consolation for Burke and owners Howard Taylor, Robert Feldman, Edwin Gold and Jerry Silva.
$200,000 Filly Trot
Following her most recent race July 20, trainer Henrik Hollsten gave Easy Dream considerable time off to relax and swim.
“She’s happy again,” Hollsten said.
But neither she nor Palone could have been delighted with their position at the top of the stretch — shuffled to sixth, 4-1/2 lengths behind.
“I wasn’t where I wanted to be,” Palone said. “The only thing I was content with was everybody was getting used except me. I knew I would get a piece of it, but I didn’t know if I could get her into the hunt for win.”
When Palone maneuvered her off the pylons, Easy Dream roared past her winded rivals to defeat Secret Magic by a nose in 1:57.2 Spicy Wings, who cleared to the lead before the final turn, saved show.
Reve Avec Moi Dreamwithme owns Easy Dream, a daughter of SJs Caviar-Elegant Dame with $201,562 banked.
In the consolation, Action Broadway scored for Miller, trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. and owner Ken Sommer.
(The Meadows)