On Monday afternoon (May 31), the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes will visit The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, where classy three-year-old colt trotters will contest the second preliminary round of the series.
In the first cut, carded as the sixth race, many of the horses could progress to the top level of this group with a good performance. The early favourite is Capstone (post five), who missed by a neck in his 2021 debut for trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt. To his outside is Mister Boinga, a Pennsylvania All-Stars winner in his last start for driver Jason Bartlett and trainer Jill Roland.
The second division (race eight) matches last year’s Sire Stakes champion Captain Corey, who makes his 2021 debut for Svanstedt from post six; the Stallion Series finale winner Lepanto, with Yannick Gingras driving from post four for trainer Svanstedt; and the 2020 Fairs champion Top Me Off (Andy Miller), who earlier this year swept his Weiss Series action for trainer Todd Schadel.
The third section (race 10) features the three winners from the first PASS prelminary. Starting from the rail for driver Dan Charlino and trainer Ron Burke is Whiskey Blu, who is 2021’s winningest trotter in North America with 10 victories already this season, including his All-Stars win last week. In Range (driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Marcus Melander), who won his 2021 bow in the fastest Sires division, 1:52.3, drew post three, and another Svanstedt trainee, Johan Palema, who will be driven by Dexter Dunn after winning off the shelf in the other Sires cut at The Meadows, will start from post six.
Four Stallion Series divisions highlight the undercard, and one of them contains the Breeders Crown champion of last year, On A Streak, who hopes to improve on a third-place finish in his 2021 return for driver Bob McClure and trainer Luc Blais.
Three of Monday’s entrants are ranked in the top seven in the “Road To The Hambletonian” feature: In Range (#2), On A Streak (#3), and Captain Corey (#7).
Pocono is currently racing on a Saturday through Tuesday schedule, with Sunday racing starting at 5 p.m. and the other three programs beginning at 12:30 p.m. Program pages will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA/Pocono)