WILKES-BARRE, PA —Riina Rekila and Christiana Hanover made track history Tuesday night in winning an $84,745 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Christiana Hanover established a new track mark for the sophomore fillies with the timer reading 1:53.4.
Winning horse went off 42-1 and returned $87.80, $26.00 and $9.00 across the board.
Rekila, also the trainer and making her first ever start at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, becomes the first female driver to own a track mark here.
And it certainly took a lot of racing luck for the attractive 28-year-old Finnish veterinarian now living and training horses in Canada.
Christiana Hanover was hopelessly locked in along the pylons and sitting seventh in the race when Perfect Chance (Jim Morrill Jr.) went on a break. That break gave Rekila and Christiana Hanover racing room and she came trotting up a storm down the stretch to win by a length over Action-Broadway (David Miller).
Rekila said she had made some changes to her winning trotter prior to the race and noted that she didn’t think Christiana Hanover would go that fast in the race.
She also acknowledged that the breaking horse in the race definitely aided in the win.
Secret Magic (Matt Kakaley) finished third in this division.
Opening divisional victor was Merger Blue Chip (Miller) with a time of 1:56.1. Merger Blue Chip, trained by Bjorn Noren, got a two-hole trip behind front runner Easy Dream (Jean Dubois) with times clicked off in 27.2, 57.2 and 1:.27.1.
Ally-Gal Ridge (Kakaley) finished second, a length and one-half behind with third-place going to Easy Dream.
Spicy Wings, piloted by John Campbell for trainer Jeff Webster, went wire to wire in winning the third and final division. Time of the mile was 1:54.3 and margin of victory was three and one-half lengths.
Barnham Hanover (Mike Wilder) was second with third-place going to Miss Ridge (George Napolitano Jr.)
Tuesday night’s open handicap trot victor was Grain Of Truth (Ray Schnittker) with a time of 1:54.