The top point earners in the eight divisions of Pennsylvania Stallion Series (StS), a class just below the sire stakes program, will be meeting during a Monday (Sept. 9) twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono to contest $40,000 championship races.
Perhaps the most interesting entrant in the stallion series championships is the three-year-old Muscle Massive colt Kates Massive, who will attempt to become only the third stallion series championship winner at two to repeat at three, behind trotting filly Migisi (2010-11) and pacing colt Nimble And Quick (2015-16). Kates Massive made a break in his first StS start of 2018, then won two prelims before capturing his final (this year he won all three of the prelims he entered and should be favoured from Post 7 in Race 9. In the companion filly event (Race 7), Spring In Paris recorded three wins and a second in the prelims and figures the horse to beat from Post 4.
Among the sophomore pacers, the colt event (Race 13) had only a pair of two-time StS prelim winners, Under Paid and Skip To My Lou, and figures to be a wide-open contest. In contrast, the pacing fillies, whom will gather in Race 8, had five distaffers who posted two StS winners, including JK Mardi Says, who was victorious the only two times she entered the prelims.
Turning to the two-year-olds, the one hope that a StS horse would win in all four preliminaries, the pacing colt Captain Groovy, had that dream brought to a halt last time when he was beaten by a half-length. The Captain still figures as one of the favourites in Race 6, along with the streaking Lake Charles, who was three-for-three in the prelims. Among that gait’s distaffers, in Race 4, the two standouts are Aplomp Hanover and Arden Hanover, both of whom won three preliminaries – and was beaten by the other in the fourth.
In the baby trotting races, Town Victor has three StS victories and has won five of his seven races thus far in his young career. He is likely to be favoured over good youngsters Saxon and Stickler Hanover. The StS championship for baby trotting fillies has been carded as Race 3, where five misses notched two preliminary wins, including three who won in both their prelim appearances: Heart N Soul Deo, Next Level Stuff, and Caviart Guilia.
The eight Stallion Series Championships will share the Monday spotlight at Pocono with the three $100,000 Great Northeast Open Series Championships for mare pacers, open trotters, and open pacers, all of which will be contested at the distance of one and one-quarter miles. Horsepeople with GNOS Championship entrants are reminded that there is a six-hour detention situation from scheduled post time, with post time for the first event, the mare pace, listed at 6:42 p.m. Contact the racing office for further information
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)