Jul 20, 2012 | Racing
July 18, 2012
All three winners of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs went faster than the existing track record for three-year-old trotting fillies, with Holier Than Thou matching a world record in her division win as a 27-1 long shot. There were three divisions of the Sire Stakes held at Pocono for the sophomore distaff trotters with purses ranging from $99,503 to $99,907.
Maven (Glidemaster-M Stewart), who was fresh off a win in the Reynolds at The Meadowlands and was made the 1-9 favorite, started the record-breaking off with a 7 ¼ length win in her division with Yannick Gingras in the bike. Uncommon Night was 2nd, while Can’t Have My Moni was further back in 3rd.
Trained by Jonas Czernyson and owned by W J Donovan, Maven now has 11 wins in 17 lifetime starts. The winning time of 1:53:2 broke the Pocono mark for her age group of 1:53:4, which was set in August of 2010 by Christiana Hanover and matched a month later by Pictures Of Millie.
Superstar Hanover (Cantab Hall-Star Hanover), trained and driven by Jimmy Takter, atoned for a loss at 1-9 two starts ago at Pocono by winning the second Sire Stakes division in 1:53:3. The filly, owned by Christina Takter, Louie Camara, and John Fielding, held off fast closing Real Babe in 2nd and Oasis Dream in 3rd.
In the final Sire Stakes split, Holier Than Thou (Cantab Hall-Sunday Yankee), again featuring the connections of Gingras, Czernyson, and Donovan, rallied from way back for a 2 ¾ length win in 1:53:1, resetting the track mark and matching the world record on a 5/8 oval for 3-year-old trotting fillies held by Hiddden Viggorish. Holier Than Thou, a 27-1 shot, more than doubled her lifetime earnings with the big purse. Favorite Valdonna finished 2nd while Aren’t I Hanover grabbed the show.
Jul 20, 2010 | Racing
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.
