Wilkes-Barre, PA – Shalom Hanover, a 2-year-old pacing colt by Papi Rob Hanover – Sammy’s Magic Girl, captured his division of a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event for his grouping on Monday (Aug. 3) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, winning easily in 1:49.2 – a time which makes him the fastest 2-year-old of 2026 and the fastest 2-year-old of all-time at Pocono, and a clocking just a fifth shy of the all-time record for any freshman on a 5/8-mile track (Frantic Hanover’s 1:49.1 in last year’s Sire Stakes Championship at Philly).
Louis Roy settled his Dr. Ian Moore-trained colt, the heaviest of favorites, in third early, then was on the move just as Atomix Hanover passed the quarter on top in :26.3. “Shalom” quickly raced to the front then paced to middle splits of :54 and 1:22, with Atomix Hanover gallantly sticking right on Roy’s helmet. But the winning horse and driver looked relaxed and in firm control, and if they went around the oval again the 1-1/4 length margin that existed the entire last half between the two might not have been diminished.
Shalom Hanover has been victorious in all three starts to date – a Tompkins-Geers race at Woodbine Mohawk, the first PA Sires prelim at The Meadows, and now this second PaSS preliminary for the Shalom Hanover Stable. “Shalom” is a Hebrew word that can mean either “hello” and “goodbye” – or maybe the same thing at once, such is the ease and speed that this colt has exhibited.
Who had been the fastest 2-year-old of 2026, and who had held the Pocono mark for both all freshmen and for colts? The answer to most of that question had been provided 34 minutes earlier – and the rest of the answer goes back almost thirteen years.
The Captaintreacherous – Scarlett Hanover colt Starstruck Dreamer had toured the Pocono oval in 1:49.4 two races before Shalom’s race, also winning his second straight Sires prelim. In this race, the field appeared headed for a lineup, but then driver Tyler Buter thought that disadvantageous for his 1-5 shot starting from post five and quickly got him on the boil, striding right up to take over shortly after a :27.1 initial quarter and then passing the next two poles in :54.4 and 1:21.4.
The field bunched up down the backstretch, with everyone separated by less than four lengths at the three quarters – and then suddenly, nobody was making any further headway, and what was a 1-1/2 length stretch call lead became an 8-3/4 lengths rout under the wire. The 1:49.4 time made him the year’s first sub-1:50 freshman, and it also tied the Pocono record for 2-year-olds set by Somestarsomewhere in his 2013 Breeders Crown elimination. Noel Daley conditions the “Star” baby for Steve Wienick Racing LLC, Pryde Stables Inc., Jfoderatritchiecanamerica, and Hyatt Holdings Inc.
There is a very interesting breeding correlation involving the two Sire Stakes winners – the dam of Shalom Hanover, Sammy’s Magic Girl, is also the second dam of Starstruck Hanover through her O’Brien-winning daughter Scarlett Hanover!
It should be noted that Pocono hosts the $1.4M Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for 2-year-olds on September 7, Labor Day Monday – and who knows what the records will be by then?
And a word must be said about Starstruck Hanover’s driver Tyler Buter, Pocono’s winningest driver last year and this – for on Monday Buter won six times (tied for PcD’s high for the campaign), with five of them in stakes: this Sire Stakes contest plus four of the five Stallion Series events on a card where $231,892 was distributed to the state-sired males.
Buter drove the fastest Stallion Series winner, the Captain Crunch – Dandy’s Sweetness gelding, Dapper Station, who took a new mark of 1:52.1 in his second stakes win for trainer Hunter Oakes and H O Racing Inc., Louis Peachey and Tribbett Racing. Tyler also brought in Celtic Wave (gelding by Captaintreacherous – Certified Ideal, 1:52.3 for a maiden mark) for trainer John Berger, co-owner with Kiefer Elite Bldstock LLC and Theresa Donnelly, and Dujoe (Stay Hungry – Do Your Job, 1:54.3) for trainer Brandon Presto and owners Meredith Farms LLC and Rocco Stebbins.
And even Buter needs some occasional luck: Five Alarm Fire was going along in good order on the lead when he appeared to see a shadow from an infield lightpole on the track at three-quarters, flicking his ears and then making a “hurdling” break; with him in the centerfield, the fair circuit star Kurt (Always B Miki– Cheyenne Deo) lowered his mark six seconds with a 1:55 head victory for trainer Bill Daugherty Jr. and Stephan Brochu.
The final StS division saw some familiar names (driver Ron Wrenn Jr. trainer Ron Burke, owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Lawrence Karr, Knox Services Inc, and Brad Grant) associated with the Tall Dark Stranger – Tall Drink Hanover gelding Tom Collins, who reduced his mark to 1:53.1.
Pocono will be right back in action Tuesday (Aug.4) at 1 p.m., with the $16,000 feature for 2-year-old pacing fillies finding Heavens To Betsy going for two straight as the morning line favorite. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.