from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Sunday (July 15) featured six $20,000 sections of the first leg of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series for 2-year-old pacing colts and in the end two hot stallions came away with honors, as Captaintreacherous and Sweet Lou each fathered three of the winners.

Curtis Salonick photo

Latissimus Hanover never looked back from the pole while taking a mark of 1:52.2.

Fastest of the sextet of winners was the first on the racetrack, Latissimus Hanover (dam Ladyking), who never looked back from the pole while taking a mark of 1:52.2, burning home in :55–:27.1 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ray Schnittker, the latter co-owner with Mary Kinsey Arnold and Ted Gewertz.

Captain Disomma (dam Ramona Disomma) went first-over and still was able to catch favored Hilarious Lou by a half-length in 1:54.1, a personal best, for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Roland Mallar, and Anatolia Farm.

Rounding out the Captaintreacherous sweep of the card’s first three races was the longest shot on the board, 20-1 Captain Panko (dam P Note Blue Chip), who tipped wide from second-over and was along by a neck over No Pulse Richie, tallying in 1:54.3 in his purse bow for driver Corey Callahan, trainer John Butenschoen, and Harmony Oaks Racing Stable Inc. and William Wiswell.

Corey Callahan also drove two of the Sweet Lou colts who won in Stallion Series competition, including two for trainer Tom Cancelliere and owner John Cancelliere.

The second-fastest StS victory was turned in by first-time purse starter Love Me Some Lou (dam Shark Lightning), who cut the pace in front of Captain Hill, then held that one off by a neck in a 1:52.3 mile which featured back fractions of :55.2-:27.3.

The 1:52.3 number was also achieved by his stablemate Sugar Factory (dam Cam Swifty) in a Meadowlands qualifying session; on Sunday, his first purse outing, he fronted the field from the quarter while winning safely in 1:54.4, with big back fractions of :55.4-:27.3.

The two winners for Team Cancelliere were the only chalk to prevail in the Stallion Series.

The other victorious son of Sweet Lou was Costello (dam Laughandbehappy), who got a relatively soft half on the engine, then had enough in a :27.3 last quarter to withstand Flameproof Hanover by a length while taking a personal speed badge of 1:54.2. Matt Kakaley was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Lawrence Karr, and Phillip Collura.

The sire whose offspring earned the biggest check of the night was Mr Cantab, as his double world record-holding son Homicide Hunter took a $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series event in 1:52.1. The gelding moved to the lead early for driver George Napolitano Jr., got to rest to a :57.2 half, then despite being off 28 days sprinted home in :54.3–:27.1, winning easily by 1-1/2 lengths over Smalltownthrowdown, who caught the pocket horse Moonshiner Hanover to take second. Chris Oakes conditions the winner of $1,255,907, who raised his lifetime win percentage over 50 percent (34 for 67) for Crawford Farms Racing. Homicide Hunter also took a bigger lead at the top of the Great Northeast point standings.