Jun 25, 2014 | Racing
June 18, 2014
Designed To Be exorcised some demons in a big way by winning a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Tuesday night, matching a world record in the process. The race was one of two $98,100 Sire Stakes divisions held at Pocono for three-year-old trotting fillies.
The last time she was at Pocono, Designed To Be (Donato Hanover-Sheer Soul), trained by Julie Miller, broke stride as the heavy favorite in a Breeders Crown elimination race in October. This time around, in just her second start of the year following a Sire Stakes win at Chester in early May, the filly, an 8-5 second choice, had to face off with defending division champ Shake It Cerry. Driver Brian Sears made the lead with Designed To Be on the front stretch and rebuffed the challenge of Shake It Cerry on the final turn. In the stretch, she trotted away from closing Lifetime Pursuit to win by 2 ¾ lengths with Shake It Cerry fading to 3rd. The winning time of 1:51:3 matched the world record for three-year-old trotting fillies on a 5/8-mile track, previously set by Check Me Out at Pocono in 2012.
Trainer Julie Miller was able to claim a sweep of Sire Stakes action on the night, as her filly Take The Money (Donato Hanover-Repititions) took advantage of some racing luck to win her division in 1:52:4. In that split, Cooler Schooner was the heavy favorite and was in command heading into the final turn, but she spun way out wide and lost too much ground to hit the board. Take The Money, the 7-5 second choice with Dave Palone in the bike, inherited the lead from the pocket and toughed it out in the stretch to win by a length over Cantabs Fortune in 1:52:4. Tweet Me picked up the show.
Jun 3, 2014 | Racing
May 25, 2014
Shake It Cerry returned to the scene of her Breeders Crown win a year ago with a dominating victory in the Historic Series Coaching Club Oaks on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race, part of the Grand Circuit series, was one of two divisions held on the night for 3-year-old trotting fillies, each of which carried a purse of $33,212.
Driven by Ron Pierce for trainer Jimmy Takter, Shake It Cerry (Donato Hanover-Solveig), who won the 2-year-old distaff trotting Breeders Crown title at Pocono in October, moved to two-for-two as a 3-year-old with an unhurried victory by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:56:1. Cooler Schooner finished second in her 2014 debut while L Dees Scripture captured the show.
In the first division, Broadway Socks (Broadway Hall-I Gotta Feelin) went gate-to-wire for a three-quarter length victory in a career-best 1:55. Dan Rawlings did the driving for trainer David Wade aboard Broadway Socks, the 2-1 second choice who was coming off a Stallion Series win in her previous start. Highest Peak finished second while favored Lifetime Pursuit settled for third.
May 30, 2014 | Racing
May 10, 2014
Classic Martine trotted faster than any distaff trotter on a 5/8-mile oval in harness racing history on Saturday night when she rolled to victory in a $25,000 Preferred trot at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Classic Martine (Classic Photo-Drinking Days), a 4-year-old mare from the Chris Oakes barn making just her second start of the season after a stellar 2013, left from post position #5 in a field of seven as the 3-5 favorite. The mare sat second early behind Fearless Man before jumping to the lead on the front stretch. She took pressure from Coraggioso first-over for most of the second half of the mile, but, with Simon Allard in the bike, held him off by three-quarters of a length for the victory. Fearless Man finished third.
The winning time of 1:51:2 not only broke the world record of 1:51:4 for her age group, which was set by Maven in a Breeders Crown elimination at Pocono in October, it also broke the all-ages distaff trotting record on a 5/8-mile oval of 1:51:3, shared my Check Me Out and Cooler Schooner.
Classic Martine, owned by Susan Oakes, Conrad Zurich, Earl Gold, and Hauser Brothers Racing Enterprises, is now two-for-two in 2014. It was her 14th career win in just 29 starts, and she pushed her lifetime earnings to $566,224.
In other action on Saturday night at Pocono, Emeritus Maximus (Rocknoll Hanover-Eternity’s Delight) rallied late from far back for a victory in the $25,000 Preferred pace. Driven by Andrew McCarthy for trainer Tom Cancelliere, the 4-year-old gelding got away at 8-1 but corralled even-money favorite All Star Legend in the stretch to win by a neck in 1:49:3a. Eighteen finished third.
Aug 26, 2013 | Racing
August 21, 2013
It was clear sailing for the freshman filly trotter Cooler Schooner in the 4th and final division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. With John Campbell at the helm, the daughter of Broadway Hall-Pine Schooner breezed through panels of :26.4, :54.4 and 1:23.2 before stopping the teletimer in an eye-popping 1:51.3 to win by 1 ½ lengths. Shake It Cerry finished a fast closing second after going a long first-over trip in the $66,446 event. The new world record holder – for any size track – is trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms of New Hope, Pa.
The first division of the night was captured by Lifetime Pursuit (Yannick Gingras) in 1:55.4 for trainer Jimmy Takter. The Cantab Hall filly is owned by Brittany Farms, Versailles, Kentucky. Struck By Lindy followed first over cover up the backside and took the lead for good at the three-quarter pole to take the second division, worth $66,846, drawing off by 3 ½ lengths in 1:55.4 for driver David Miller. The Explosive Matter daughter is owned by Melvin Hartman, R A W Equine Inc. and Adam Victor & Son Stable LLC and trained by Richard Norman. In the third division, A Perfect Gem, piloted by Marcus Miller led from start to finish to record her third win-a-row for trainer Erv Miller. Paymaq Racing, Louis Willinger and Daniel Plouffe are the owners of the Yankee Glide filly, who now has seasonal earnings of $113,907.
