Undefeated trotting filly Manchego will return to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this coming Tuesday night (June 12), as she is set to take part in one of four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event.
Manchego, who is a daughter of Muscle Hill trained by Jimmy Takter for owners Black Horse Racing, John Fielding, and Herb Liverman, went 12-for-12 during her juvenile campaign before earning divisional honours and bankrolling $873,948. Manchego made her 2018 bow at Pocono on May 21, as she won a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division in hand. She is expected to be the overwhelming favourite from Post 7 for driver Yannick Gingras on Tuesday. Nixie Volo, who was recently the winner of a Currier and Ives Filly division and a PA Sires contest on the same card as Manchego, has dawn in against Manchego, but is stuck with the outside Post 9 for driver Corey Callahan.
The filly who gave Manchego her hardest battle in 2017, the Explosive Matter miss Phaetosive, may be the choice in another division despite also having to overcome the outside Post 9. Trained and driven by Trond Smedshammer for Purple Haze Stables LLC, Phaetosive was second, beaten only three quarters of a length, in the Peaceful Way final last year at Mohawk, and in her 2018 bow she trotted her back fractions in :54.1 – :26.2 while closing from eighth to miss by only two lengths at the Meadowlands.
Two sire stakes winners, What A Knockout (PP1, Tim Tetrick) and Piranha Fury (PP2, David Miller) will square off in another All-Stars section against Bills Lady (PP6, Corey Callahan), coming off a win in a Currier and Ives Filly division. The other division of Tuesday’s stakes is headlined by two recent PA Stallion Series winners, Perfect Image (PP5, Charlie Norris) and Pembroke Mystery (PP7, Tim Tetrick).
(PHHA / Pocono)