WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono featured the fireworks a day before the Labor Day holiday, as over $1 million was up for grabs in the Championship events of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-olds.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS
$252,000 for each Championships
— 25th anniversary year of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (started in 1994)
TROTTING FILLIES
Phaetosive made her 1-20 backers wait until the stretch before beginning her high speed, but once in her favorite part of the track the daughter of Explosive Matter lived up to her sire’s name, kicking home sharply for the decision in 1:52.3 – faster than the 1:52.4 previous PaSS final male standard of Father Patrick which would be tied earlier in the evening by Crystal Fashion (Check Me Out became the program’s fastest-ever Championship trotting winner when she won in 1:51.3).
Trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer was content to keep his filly midpack as Live Laugh Love made the top just past the 27.1 quarter, then followed Seviyorum as that one moved uncovered just past the 56.1 half. Phaetosive stayed right behind her excellent cover to the lane, swung wide, and finished strongly to hold off a late-shaking-free Courtney Hanover by a length, with Lily Stride, who rallied up the inside in the stretch and may have had a nose in front midstretch, just photoed for the deuce.
The pride of the Purple Haze Stables LLC continued adding to her impressive credentials – five wins in seven starts this year, good for $397,864, and 9-for-14 lifetime, with a total accumulation of $657,717. No doubt she’ll be back up against Manchego, Atlanta, Plunge Blue Chip et al. soon.
PACING FILLIES
Kissin In The Sand had to take less air at Pocono than she did when she won the Lynch Championship here in June – she only got parked almost to the half here, instead of being out almost the whole mile, in making the PaSS Championship lead then keeping it to the wire to win her Sires final, equaling her Lynch clocking and her mark in 1:49.3.
The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere saw a great many foes leaving inside her from his PP7 starting spot, having cover past the 26.1 quarter to the 3/8 then asked to go on by driver Scott Zeron to get the lead shortly before the 54.1 half.
Outside challenger Sidewalk Dancer began to melt back past the 1:21.3 quarter, and in the lane it turned out to be 31-1 shot Parisian Blue Chip, who tied for ninth in the points and got in by having slightly more SS money, then was parked to the 3/8 to gain command before yielding for the pocket, who rallied inside in the stretch, extending Kissin In The Sand, who dug down deep as usual and held on by a half-length.
Kissin In The Sand is trained by Nancy Johansson for owners Marvin Katz and the Hatfield Stables, who saw their prize filly improve her statistics to 7-for-10 and $570,381 this year and 14-for-24 and $801,556 lifetime. For driver Zeron, the win gave him a PaSS championship in both the 2YO and 3YO ranks, as he
TROTTING COLTS
In Crystal Fashion’s last seven victories, six of them have been by a length or less – and none of them was this second-over then wide grind in the Championship, catching pacesetter Whats The Word by a nose in 1:52.4.
Whats The Word was sent by the top by Simon Allard and laid down fractions of 27, 56.2, and 1:24.2; Crystal Fashion was able to fashion a second-over trip for driver Tim Tetrick behind stablemate Patent Leather, but still was two lengths out near headstretch. But the gutty Cantab Hall gelding doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase “end of the mile,” and he gained foot-by-foot to just prove more photogenic on the money.
Crystal Fashion, trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms LLC has eight wins and $652,182 this year, and a lifetime bankroll of $813,474. His 1:52.4 clocking equaled Father Patrick’s PaSS final standard, and he became the first pointwinner to take a 3YO Championship since 2016, and the first in the 3TC ranks since Magic Tonight in 2012.
PACING COLTS
The favorites went 0-4 in the two-year-old ranks of the PaSS Championship the day before at The Meadows; Dorsoduro Hanover, who won his biggest race of the year, The Adios, at The Meadows, brought the chalk to 4-4 in the Pocono PaSS 3YO Championships – but it was by the barest of margins over a strong-finishing Hayden Hanover.
Hayden Hanover was the first horse to get a call in the contest, but then yielded to Done Well nearing the 26.2 quarter; Done Well in turn ceded the lead to the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Dorsoduro Hanover and driver Matt Kakaley en route to the 54.2 half. This Is The Plan, a 49-1 shot, went first-over and just wouldn’t go away, not by the 1:22 and not coming through the stretch. This posed traffic problems for Hayden Hanover, stuck third on the rail, but Andy Miller did a masterful job weaving first out to get clearance then just inside Dorsoduro to lower that one’s margin with every late step, coming up short by a nose.
Dorsoduro Hanover ran his 2018 bankroll to $687,362 with his seventh win of the year for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC; Silva, Purnel & Libby; Weaver Bruscemi LLC; and the Winfield Five LLC. Dorsoduro joined Crystal Fashion as pointleaders who won their Championship; Matt Kakaley joined Scott Zeron as winners in the PaSS finales on both Saturday and Sunday, after taking the 2PF with Sylph Hanover (also for Burke) at The Meadows.
From the PHHA/Pocono Downs