Wilkes-Barre, PA — Driver Tyler Buter, trainer Jeff Cullipher, and co-owner (with Cullipher) Pollack Racing combined to sweep the two $79,569 divisions of the third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotting colts, held Sunday evening (Aug. 11) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
In both cases the winners were breaking their maidens as well.
The faster was the Bar Hopping–Expect A Lot colt Elan Hanover, second and third in the previous PaSS legs and here making his breakthrough in 1:54.4. Elan Hanover benefited from boiling early contention for the lead while he sat fourth, then followed favored Meshuggah out nearing the three-quarters and circled wide in the lane to run down that one by a neck.
Team Buter/Cullipher/Pollack also prevailed in the other Sires cut with Father T J, a Father Patrick–Dip Me Hanover colt who stopped the timer in 1:55.3. Father T J brushed to the lead in front of the grandstand and got a breather to the midway point, then shifted to a faster gear to keep out the brushing favorite Portobarosso AS NL, finally turning back that one and then defeating Dive Bar Hanover by 1-1/4 lengths while stepping his last half in a notable :56.1.
Fashion Green, who won in his starts in the first two PaSS legs, was not entered Sunday, but he remains the only double winner in the Sire Stakes group.
The International Moni–Shared Past gelding Scudo Hanover is perfect in his three Stallion Series events as he took one of five $20,000 divisions of that grouping in 1:58.3, ironically the slowest time in his grouping. Keystone Stable owns the winner, who tallied for the team of trainer Syl King Jr. and driver Braxten Boyd.
Sire Bar Hopping, who fathered a Sire Stake winner, got two credits in the StS competition, including a win with Hey Porter (dam Chelsees A Winner) in 1:57.2, giving that one two wins in the Stallion Series. Buter handled this colt (the only colt among the five StS winners) between his Sire Stakes wins, and got him home in a nifty :27.4 to win for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Steve Stewart.
The other Bar Hopping winner was Gimlet Hanover (dam Ginger Tree Bren), who posted a race record of 1:57.1 for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and trainer-owner D. R. Ackerman.
Fastest of the Stallion Series success stories was Lefties Righties (Greenshoe–Swizzle Sticks), who started his career with two overnight wins, then here dropped from the Sire Stakes level and promptly took a new mark of 1:57 for driver Victor Kirby and trainer Chuck Sylvester, the latter co-owner with Charles Stansley, Lenavitt Investments and John Licausi.
Also winning in the StS was Bell Hall (Cantab Hall–Eight Bells), who after twin seconds in the StS earlier broke his maiden in 1:58.1 for driver-trainer Wilbur Yoder and owner Joe Nesselroad.
Racing continues on Monday and Tuesday with 1 p.m. cards at Pocono. For free Pocono programs, go to www.phha.org.