from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — This Sunday and Monday (Sept. 11-12), The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will host the $320,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series championships, with eight $40,000 events for Keystone-sired horses divided by age, sex, and gait.

These horses earned their way into their rich finals by being the leading point winners during four preliminary rounds of competition at the various Pennsylvania tracks this late spring and summer.

The Stallion Series came into existence after casino-style gaming started in Pennsylvania, as an opportunity for horses who were quite good but not quite of absolute “A” quality to compete for significant money. Some horses have developed into top horses between ages two and three: trotting filly Miss Teszla won her Stallion Series championship at two and was the leading point winner in the Sire Stakes this season; pacing filly Weeper won her Stallion championship at two and her Sires championship at three. And sometimes improvement works another way: trotting colt Southwind Nitro won his Fair Sire Stakes championship at two and his Stallion Series championship at three.

The 3-year-olds will race on Sunday evening, when the first post is at 7:30 p.m. We’ll take a brief look at each division, and then examine the 2-year-olds, going the next day on a 4:30 p.m. twilight card.

3TC: Dominus Hanover was the leading point winner in the prelims, with two wins and two seconds, and he’ll be highly regarded; his trainer Dirk Simpson has been on a tear recently. The morning line favorite is Iholdon, with one win and three seconds, each by less than a length, in the prelims, and sponsored by the purple-hot teaming of driver David Miller and trainer Nikolas Drennan.

3TF: Goodtogo Hanover was three-for-three in the Stallions, but she’s not in this final. Instead of racing in the fourth prelim, she tried the Sire Stakes and was second, which gave her enough points to race in that series’ $50,000 consolation — where she’s favored. Two who won’t mind her absence are the two favorites: Glidinthruparadise, who has four wins and three seconds in her last seven starts, and Ameliosi, three-for-four since joining the Jenny Melander stable, but her loss was to Glidinthruparadise.

3PC: JJ Flynn has been established as the opening choice after winning two of his last three races, the only loss a good third in the Battle of the Brandywine consolation. Safensound Hanover, who was second, ahead of JJ Flynn, in that Battle consolation, must start from post eight. A surprise defection was Power Of A Cruiser, winner in all four prelims, but he did not enter; in his previous start at Harrington he had faded quite a bit in the stretch.

3PF: The top eight point earners all declared in for their championship, even Kryptos, who could have gone in a Sires consolation. She’s the favorite here for hot trainer Nikolas Drennan, after a win and a nose loss in her only two Stallion appearances. The horse who nosed her out, Hug A Dragoness, will be starting just inside her from post one. Also well-regarded is Terror At Night, top point earner with three wins and a second in her preliminary races.

2TC: The horses ranked 1-8 all put in for the championships in both freshman trotting sections as well. Backstage Pass was the leading prelim point winner with victories in all three of his starts, running his current win streak to four. Challenges he’ll face here including starting post seven, and Live For Greatness, winner of two straight for trainer Jimmy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras. Three other horses in the championship won twice during the prelims, ensuring a very competitive event.

2TF: One of the most interesting storylines in the Stallion Series championship is Electric Lemonade, who won her only two Stallion prelims in mid-July, but since then has raced only once — a fourth in a Sire Stake on Aug. 11. Trainer Takter will be taking a rare turn in the sulky behind this miss. This division also looks very balanced as the top point winner was It’s Hallright, and she was assigned 15-1 morning line odds.

2PC: Both pacing colt divisions had horses who had been four-for-four in the prelims, and like the 3-year-old Power Of A Cruiser, the 2-year-old Donttellmeagain did not declare in to start. Looking to make the most of the opportunity is morning line choice Western Hill, who is 4-3-1-0 lifetime and has dropped his race time in every one of his starts, with the last two victories coming in Stallion Series prelims.

2PF: Freakonomics was the top point winner, but her drawing post seven and her two victories coming by a head and a nose, drew her no higher than third rating in the early odds. The two horses ahead of her are Pink Gardenias, with two wins and a nose loss in the prelims, and trained by red-hot “local boy” Chris Oakes, and Brazuca, luring over Dave Palone, who has six Stallion Series championship victories all time to lead all other sulkysitters.