Two-year-old Pennsylvania-sired pacers will take over the spotlight this coming weekend at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Four $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars for females have been scheduled for Saturday, while the same number of sections for males have been carded for Sunday.
Ron Burke has no fewer than 22 juveniles entered in the Pocono weekend stakes action – a dozen fillies on Saturday and ten colts on Sunday. Burke will send out the favourite in one division for the fillies and two among the colts.
The filly that is the morning line favourite in her cut for Burke is the Sweet Lou – Breakheart Pass filly Shouldabeenatd, who won two of her three qualifiers at Gaitway Farms, then was second in a Kindergarten Series leg at the Meadowlands (timed in 1:52.2). Burke also trains the second choice in the contest, Sweet Ace (Sweet Lou – One Ace Too Many), who will be making her first purse start on Saturday after having won two Gaitway qualifiers, the faster in 1:54.3.
The filly entrants have among them four horses who have already posted a winning clocking of 1:55 or less, plus five more who have a victory in less than 1:56. Also entered is the Somebeachsomewhere–Wild West Show filly Rodeo Beach, who last Friday won a stakes race at Goshen despite suffering interference midrace.
On the colt and gelding side, the Burke Brigade has the top two choices in the fifth race cut, the colt Lous Sweetrevenge (Sweet Lou – Before The Poison) and the gelding Caliber (Sweet Lou – Allstar Rating), both of whom were third in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes racing at the Meadows last Saturday. Also in this section is the intriguing Captain Groovy (Captaintreacherous – Lets Groove Tonite), who won a Stallion Series contest at the Meadows in 1:52 – faster than any of the three sire stakes divisions.
The fastest of those sire stakes winners was Cattlewash, a Somebeachsomewhere – Road Bet colt who won his race by five and a quarter lengths in 1:52.1 while paying a very un-Burke-like $41.60. His main rival in the contest appears to be Team Best (Somebeachsomewhere – Sports Chic), who won his betting bow in 1:53.2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Among the four sections of colts, nine have already been under the finish line first in 1:55 or less, plus another three who show a victorious time less than 1:56.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)