Season’s leaders for two-year-old pacing colts on a five-eighths-mile track (De Los Cielos Deo) and mile track (No Mas Amor) – both of whom hail from the Ron Burke stable – will start side-by-side in the fifth and final tenth race division of a first round Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for this group on Saturday evening at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
De Los Cielos Deo was the fastest of Pennsylvania All-Stars winners at Pocono on July 1. He came home with a :27 final quarter to stop the timer in 1:53. A former mile-track season’s leader by virtue of his 1:52.3 win at Gaitway (with his own last three-quarters in 1:21.3), the son of Captaintreacherous – Lisjune will be driven by the sport’s all-time winningest driver, Dave Palone, who will be making a rare Pocono appearance. The duo will start from Post 4.
Just outside De Los Cielos Deo will be his barnmate, No Mas Amor, who recently went wire-to-wire at the Meadowlands in 1:52.2 (final quarter in :26.4), which was tied by Stag Party three days later and Captain Ahab three days after that. Burke has engaged Anthony Napolitano to drive No Mas Amor from Post 5, which is Pocono’s winningest starting spot.
The other four PA All-Stars winners will all be back at Pocono on Saturday: Lyons Johnnyjnr, who will start just outside of De Los Cielos and No Mas Amor; Blood Money (Race 1, Post 4); Lyons Night Hawk (Race 3, Post 5); and Proof (Race 4, Post 3). There will also be a ‘double stakes winner’ in the sire stakes collection, as Aflame Hanover (Race 3, Post 3) will head to Pocono with two PA Fair Sire Stakes wins, the latter of which came at York this past Saturday in 1:58.3, faster than anyone has travelled on the Keystone twicearounds this season.
On Sunday, six divisions of the group’s Stallion Series horses will contest their first preliminary-leg action.
(With files from the PHHA / The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono)