WILKES-BARRE PA – The best and brightest of the Pennsylvania-sired harness racing two-year-olds will be on full display at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono this coming Monday, Labor Day, contesting their four respective $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships. (There will also be a $50,000 consolation event, for the horses whose competition pointlevels fell just outside the top bracket, in each of the four divisions on Monday, which will usher in The Downs' fall Monday post time of 4:30 p.m.)
Last year the freshman Championships were held at Harrah's Philadelphia, where no favorite won, but Pocono-based trainer John Butenschoen captured both of the trotting events with horses driven for him by Corey Callahan. That pairing again figures prominently in Monday's action.
Here's a short preview of each division, followed by the fields (post, horse, driver, trainer, morning line odds):
$252,000 2YO TROTTING FILLY CHAMPIONSHIP (race 9; consolation in race 3), stakes record 1:54.2, Wild Honey, 2013
The leadoff Championship is the one most likely to break that "0-fer" from the chalk in 2016, as it features the Muscle Hill-Secret Magic filly Manchego as the 8-5 favorite. The Jimmy Takter-trained miss, owned by Black Horse Racing, John Fielding, and Herb Liverman, is undefeated in five purse starts, one of which was in a Sire Stakes event here on July 18, and the richest of which was the $330,800 Doherty Memorial Final on August 5 at The Meadowlands, where she took her mark of 1:52.4. Manchego, starting from post five for driver Yannick Gingras, does have one obvious obstacle – she hasn't started in 30 days, since the triumph in the Doherty Final.
Seviyorum, a Donato Hanover filly, has won two of her last three starts, all in Sire Stakes company, and from post two looks to have the best chance of an upset for driver Andy Miller.
PP1, S M S Princess by Cantab Hall, Ãke Svanstedt, Ãke Svanstedt, 6-1
PP2, Seviyorum by Donato Hanover, Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 7-2
PP3, Hey Blondie by Cantab Hall, Andrew McCarthy, Chuck Sylvester, 12-1
PP4, Strawberry Hanover by Donato Hanover, Marcus Miller, Julie Miller, 9-2
PP5, Manchego by Muscle Hill, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter, 8-5
PP6, Live Laugh Love by Donato Hanover, David Miller, Nifty Norman, 10-1
PP7, Tiffany's Flash by Cantab Hall, Tim Tetrick, Linda Toscano, 8-1
PP8, Front Circle by Muscle Hill, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 15-1
$252,000 2YO PACING COLT CHAMPIONSHIP (race 10, consolation in race 2), stakes record 1:50.2, One More Laugh, 2009
Done Well, the early leader in this section with three Sires victories, has gone to the sidelines for the year, leaving a wide-open event in his wake. Very impressive as of late has been Pedro Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-Paula's Best) named as the slight 3-1 favorite despite post seven for "Team Andrew" – trainer Andrew Harris and driver Andrew McCarthy. This late-closing specialist won two Sire Stakes prelims and also was victorious in a division of the Nassagaweya Stake at Mohawk in his last outing for his ownership of Brad Gray and Denise Guerriero.
Other than the favorite, no entrant was triumphant in more than one Sire Stakes event. A youngster who is very familiar with winning, however, and the "underdog story" of the contest, is the Well Said gelding Venier Hanover, who has ten victories, second-most in North America for a freshman. Eight of them have come on the PA fair circuit, where he has set five track records under the guidance of Dave Brickell; he also was third in his last p/m Sires start after having the lead in the stretch.
PP1, Venier Hanover by Well Said, Dave Brickell, Dave Brickell, 12-1
PP2, Hayden Hanover by Somebeachsomewhere, Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 8-1
PP3, This Is The Plan by Somebeachsomewhere, Tim Tetrick, Chris Ryder, 5-1
PP4, Wes Delight by Bettor's Delight, Yannick Gingras, Mark Harder, 4-1
PP5, Karpathian Kid by Somebeachsomewhere, David Miller, Erv Miller, 7-2
PP6, Dorsoduro Hanover by Somebeachsomewhere, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 9-2
PP7, Pedro Hanover by Somebeachsomewhere, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Harris, 3-1
PP8, Kwik Talkin by Well Said, Scott Zeron, Rob Harmon, 10-1
$252,000 PACING FILLY CHAMPIONSHIP (race 11, consolation in race 4), stakes record 1:51, Pure Country, 2015
This race on paper is the "highlight" of the freshman Sire Stakes Championships, pitting as it does two Somebeachsomewhere fillies out of top-of-the-line mares: Come See The Show, whose dam is champion millionaire Put On A Show, and Rainbow Room, a daughter of former Horse of the Year Rainbow Blue.
These two fillies are so sharp and so well-matched now that in their last start, on August 24 at Philly, they both went off at odds-on – both were 90 cents to the dollar to win! In that event, Rainbow Room brushed around Come See The Show in the second quarter and went on to win by a neck in 1:51.2. For the Championship, Come See The Show, to be driven by Tim Tetrick for trainer Linda Toscano and owners Joanne and Richard Young, drew post six to Rainbow Room's post seven and was made the slight 5-2 favorite; Rainbow Room was held at 3-1 for driver David Miller, trainer Joe Holloway, and Crawford Farms Racing, Val D'Or Farms, and Ted Gewertz.
PP1, Cuts Like A Knife by A Rocknroll Dance, Brett Miller, Bruce Saunders, 9-2
PP2, Majorsspeciallady by Somebeachsomewhere, Andrew McCarthy, Ron Burke, 12-1
PP3, Double A Mint by Bettor's Delight, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 4-1
PP4, Strong Opinion by Well Said, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 6-1
PP5, Scuola Hanover by A Rocknroll Dance, Andy Miller, Andrew Stafford, 10-1
PP6, Come See The Show by Somebeachsomewhere, Tim Tetrick, Linda Toscano, 5-2
PP7, Rainbow Room by Somebeachsomewhere, David Miller, Joe Holloway, 3-1
PP8, Bye Hanover by Well Said, Scott Zeron, Brian Brown, 15-1
$252,000 TROTTING COLT CHAMPIONSHIP (race 12, consolation race 3), stake record 1:54.3, Stormin Normand, 2011
Giveitgasandgo joined stablemate filly Fine Tuned Lady to give trainer John Butenschoen and driver Corey Callahan both 2016 Sires freshman crowns on the diagonal gait (and both are in their 3YO PaSS Championships on Sunday at Harrah's Philly). Butenschoen and Callahan here look to "double up" with the Explosive Matter-Fun At Parties gelding Scirocco Rob, given the morning line nod as 3-1 favorite from the rail. Owned by Lewis Whitaker Jr. and Kathleen Whitaker, Scirocco Rob took his last two starts in Sires competition, and in his last race he overcame a tough trip to be second in a Tioga stake.
Three other horses besides Scirocco Rob were victorious in their Sires prelims – Crystal Fashion, Lawmaker, and Toast Of Lindy – and the morning line holds all of them in high regard.
PP1, Scirocco Rob by Explosive Matter, Corey Callahan, John Butenschoen, 3-1
PP2, Maxus by Muscle Hill, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter, 4-1
PP3, Toast Of Lindy by Cantab Hall, Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 5-1
PP4, Final Dream by Cantab Hall, Ãke Svanstedt, Ãke Svanstedt, 12-1
PP5, Whats The Word by Donato Hanover, Brett Miller, Janice Connor, 8-1
PP6, Crystal Fashion by Cantab Hall, Tim Tetrick, Jin Campbell, 9-2
PP7, Lawmaker by Muscle Massive, Anthony MacDonald, Andrew Harris, 7-2
PP8, Fashionwoodchopper by Donato Hanover, David Miller, Jim Campbell, 12-1
PHHA / Pocono