WILKES-BARRE PA – The Pennsylvania Stallion Series had its four $40,000 Championship events for three-year-olds Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The finalists had earned their way into the Championship by being the leading pointwinners in four preliminaries at the state's various harness ovals; the sophomores' two-year-old counterparts will contest their four Championships on a 4:30 twilight card tomorrow at The Downs.
Filly pacer Terror At Night tied the 1:50.4 stake record set by Antigua Hanover in 2013 (also at Pocono) and also was the only sophomore who used the points lead as a bridge to her Championship. The daughter of Western Terror, driven by Brett Miller, took the lead away from favored Keystone Riptide early, kept Addy Girl outside raw on her challenge, and then powered off with a 27.3 last quarter to win by 4¼ lengths over Hug A Dragoness, who pulled out from behind pocketsitter Keystone Riptide on the turn and beat that foe to the rival for the distant second.
The winner reduced her lifetime best by 1 1/5 seconds in the powerful triumph for trainer Les Givens and the partnership of Nantiocke Racing Inc., Edward Maas III, and Arlene Paisley. And with three wins and a half-length loss (to a 113-1 shot) in her four prelims to give her the highest point total, perhaps the most surprising thing about Terror At Night's win is that she paid $9.00 as the fourth choice in a field of seven!
The favorite did come through in the colt pace Championship, but it was a great piece of handicapping by the Pocono fans, as he was winless in 15 starts this year going into the race and finished 14th in the pointstandings, needing major-league luck in defections to even get to the track Sunday.
But one thing that Nimble And Quick did have in his corner was a Championship in his two-year-old Stallion Series campaign (after prelims where he was the leading pointwinner), and decent recent form (five board hits in his last seven starts) combined with that history to make him the 2-1 choice. The Western Ideal gelding then became the only chalk to deliver in the sophomore Championships in 1:52, taking a fifth off the personal mark he set in his 2015 victory, and making him only the second repeat winner in the Stallion Series Championships, along with trotting filly Migisi (2010-2011), for trainer Richard Ringler and owners Pat Lachance and M & M Harness Racing LLC.
Was it easy? Decidedly not – not with six horses within a length at the finish and the seventh only another ¾ of a length behind (the eighth suffered broken equipment).
Nimble And Quick went out from post four for driver Matt Kakaley, ceding the lead at the 3/16 to Safensound Hanover, who took the field through splits of 26.4, 56.1, and 1:24.2, with JJ Flynn advancing uncovered from near the back, with Doubleshottahott in tow. Fairly tranquil so far – but a "doubleshottahott" was about to strike the red clay in the 27.3 kicker.
Nimble And Quick went just inside Safensound Hanover in the Pocono Pike, with third-inside Rip This Joint deep in the Pike; JJ Flynn grinded on, with Doubleshottahott and then a wide-angling Don McWhite outside of him. This stretch Charge of the Light Brigade ended with Nimble And Quick a half a length ahead of Rip This Joint, who won a three-way photo over third-place Safensound Hanover and Doubleshottashot; a neck behind them in fifth was JJ Flynn, who in turn had a neck on Don McWhite, who finished a length off but was sixth and got no money. Senator Charlie was behind this wall of horseflesh through the stretch and is still looking for a clear path.
The filly trot was a wild'n'woolly affair from literally start to finish. South Side Hanover left strongly from post two, with rail horse Casey T maintaining a tight pocket early, forcing Ameliosi to remain outside without cover and Glidinthruparadise (who was favored over Ameliosi by $8 in a win pool of $5449) outside with cover. Ameliosi went up to challenge, but South Side Hanover controlled the throttle through hot splits of 26.4 and 55.2.
At the 5/8, Glidinthruparadise went three-wide around Ameliosi, with Spirit Squad and Maker A Yankee on her tail, with "Glidin" in first-over position at the 1:24.1 ¾ pole. She continued up to battle South Side Hanover, with Spirit Squad ducking into the pocket vacated by a tiring (and eventually breaking) Casey T.
In midstretch Glidinthruparadise got a short lead for driver Brian Zendt, with South Side Hanover still battling and Spirit Squad making a charge up the rail – when the latter two hooked wheels, the pair coming to an almost-walk in the last 100 feet. The lockup allowed Glidinthruparadise, who may well have prevailed in any respect, to equal her mark of 1:54.3, 1¾ lengths clear over Maker A Yankee, an opportunistic second at 62-1 (for Mr. Opportunism, driver Marcus Miller), with South Side Hanover, whose wheel had been hooked from behind, holding a nose advantage over Spirit Squad at the finish; an inquiry into the event resulted in no placing.
Glidinthruparadise shows the deep legacy left by the late master horseman Walter "Boots" Dunn – his daughters, trainer Lisa Dunn and Leslie Dunn Zendt, now own the filly, and Boots bred his unraced mare Chowda to Yankee Glide, with the resultant foal now a Stallion Series Championship and winner of $93,563, just over half the bankroll of her full sister Boo's Party Girl – another Dunn Stable product.
In the colt trot, Marty De Vie was outside to the 3/16 to gain the lead from Iholdon, the 6-5 choice over 7-5 Skeezix, and passed the quarter in 27.1 and the half in 56.4. The first challenge came from the uncovered Skeezix, who grinded up from fourth to be even-second at the 1:25.4 3/4s and gained with every stride on the turn. Skeezix got by the pacesetter towards midstretch, then found a higher gear late and won by a comfortable 1¾ lengths over Iholdon, who did have to hold on his bid for the Pocono Pike but was not gaining wildly late, while Blownoutofthewater stacked widest in the lane and finished third in the mile in 1:54.3 – same time as the filly race, and as in the distaff event the winner equaled his lifetime best.
Pocono's "Trot Man," Mike Simons, had the driving assignment for trainer Roland Mallar (known as "Polley," as in "Rolley-Polley") and owner Michael Andrew, who also bred his unraced Valley Victory mare Queen Of Angels, who has produced two six-figure winners, to SJ's Caviar and now has a developing sophomore gelding with lifetime earnings of $84,920 after a limited freshman campaign.
(And what is a "skeezix," you may ask? It's a term from cowboy slang, referring to a motherless calf, with the word becoming popular via the venerable comic strip Gasoline Alley, when a baby left on the front doorstep of main character Walt Wallet was taken in by the bachelor and became known as "Skeezix.")
FINISHING LINES – Driver Jim Marohn Jr. had an unusual double in races 7 and 8: first he guided Fool Of Ideas home at a $103.00 mutuel, and then he won with 2-5 chalk Crazy About Pat in the $20,000 top overnight trot, that horse's third win in his last five start … The trainer of Fool Of Ideas is James Matheos, who recently returned to the sport after an absence of many years – in fact, the last horse he harnessed to victory was Allamerican Jolt at Monticello Raceway, on July 26, 1998.
That close finish in the race won by Nimble And Quick (just thought you might like to see it):
PHHA / Pocono