Wilkes-Barre, PA – Another C Note and Sneaky Squeaky both captured their second straight win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stake preliminaries for 3-year-old pacing males at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon (May 16). The winners were driven respectively by Tyler Buter and Joe Bongiorno, who between them drove nine of the 15-race program’s winners.
Another C Note started his season paying $60.40 in “nw 4 races” company, but he is now six-for-six in 2026 after equaling his mark of 1:50.4, controlling most of the pace and defeating stablemate Melillo by a length for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Let It Ride Stable Inc., and Scott Dillon. The son of Captaintreacherous was one of six overall winners on the card for Pocono’s leading driver Buter, two of which came for trainer Ron Burke.
Bongiorno trains and drove the winners of the other two Sires divisions, both of which resulted in a victory margin of only a nose. Sneaky Squeaky (a son of Heston Blue Chip), who now matches Another C Note not only with two Sires wins but with an unbeaten record in six starts this season, showed great gameness in again winning a PaSS contest by the smallest possible margin, here over Captain Apple in 1:51.1 after a pacesetter vs. pocket-sitter stretch duel. Morrison Racing Stables owns the developing youngster.
The other nose winner was $58.40 proposition Apocalypsebluechip (Papi Rob Hanover), who in fact was a nose ahead of both second-place finisher Superchamp Hanover and third-place Southwind Spencer after utilizing a pocket trip. Apocalypsebluechip, despite this being only his second lifetime win, had the day’s fastest stakes clocking, 1:50.3, a new mark, in triumphing for Bongiorno’s Joseph Bongiorno LLC, Country Club Acres Inc., Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, and Don Latore.
Buter and Bongiorno drove the two Stallion Series winners who won for the second time in their grouping’s prelims. Buter, who had three Stallion Series wins in addition to his Sire Stakes success, guided the faster one, Really Bright (Tall Dark Stranger), who was one of four StS winners in 1:51, all of whom took a new lifetime speed badge. Hunter Oakes trains Really Bright for owners Howard Taylor and Chuck Pompey.
The other StS doubler was Ballroom Affair (Papi Rob Hanover; he and Captaintreacherous would have siring victories at both levels of stakes), in 1:51.4 for Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing. This horse completed the Bongiorno triple; Joe’s win rate and UTR at the mountain oval are 27% and .394, which are great but still lag a bit behind his incredible success stats at Philly, which are 52% and .693!
Buter had a pair of the other 1:51 winners for trainer Nancy Takter: Always B Charlie (Always B Miki), reducing his mark in his third lifetime start for Upstart Racing, and Louaville (Sweet Lou) for owners Lemon Drop Racing, R A W Equine Inc., Christina Takter, and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing.
The fourth 1:51 win in the Stallion Series was Spunky Hanover (Stay Hungry), who was driven by Braxten Boyd for trainer Timothy Lancaster, co-owner with Mark and Joy Lancaster. Completing the StS winners was Barrow (Captaintreacherous), who lowered his mark to 1:51.1 for driver Brad Chisholm, trainer Brett Pelling, and owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. (three stakes winners including two in the Stallion Series), Morrison Racing Stables (a win in both sections), and Jesmeral Stable.
In addition to all the stakes action, a crack field of fast-class horses were gathered for $27,500. That event was captured by the Sweet Lou gelding Lou Grant, three-wide from just past mid-backstretch but still able to grind to a mark-equaling 1:50 time in a race where five entrants were within a length at the wire. Simon Allard handled the sulky assignment for trainer Rick Hercules and owner Jack Piatt III and Howard Alexander.
And with all that great racing and all those great horses, we still haven’t mentioned the fastest time of the day. That would have belonged to the Captaintreacherous gelding Vengeance Blue Chip, who used the Pocono Pike to overhaul game pacesetter Congressional by a head in 1:49.3 in an overnight for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Joe Pavia Jr., and owners Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Kayser, and Pint Size Racing LLC.
After all catch their breath, Pocono will be back in action on Monday (May 18) at 1 p.m., featuring three $30,000 divisions of Pennsylvania All-Stars racing for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.