Wilkes-Barre, PA – In the final morning session for baby qualifiers at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, five of the eight freshman contests were for pacing colts, and they were swept by trainers Travis Alexander and Hunter Oakes.
Alexander had three of the winners, including 1-2 finishes in two of the races; they also happened to be the quickest pair as well as both being repeaters. Primacy Station went down the road in 1:55.3 – :56.1- :27.4, with the American Ideal- Preeminence colt beating out barnmate Brookie Cookie for the ownership of Alexander Racing Stable LLC, C M T Farms, EVM Racing LLC, and James Scarpias.
Also with double success in the morning races was the Heston Blue Chip – Counterparty Risk colt Current Events, who sat in the pocket behind stablemate Takes Courage then beat that one by a neck in 1:56.2 – :57.2 – :28.3 under Ridge Warren’s handling.
Alexander’s third winner among the males was the American Courage – Ascending colt Bastonata Bluechip, with Kakaley guiding him to a 1:58.1 – :57- :28 victory.
Oakes’s two colts were both driven by Tyler Buter. Babylon Blue Chip (a Huntsville – Onassis Blue Chip colt) overcame interference past the three quarters and still finished in 1:57 – :56.4 first over for the triumph, making him a member of the Two Win Club, while the Captain Crunch – Dandy’s Sweetness gelding Dapper Station won from in front in 1:57.2 – :57 – :28; he too now has two baby victories.
There was one division for each of the other three groups of 2-year-olds, and Alexander-Kakaley accounted for the filly pace as well: Sublime Hanover (Stay Hungry – So Perfect) came out of the two-hole to win in 1:58.4 – :57.3 – :28.2 for Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC and Alexander Racing Stable LLC.
On the trotting side, the Walner – Bella Glos colt Extra Anelo wired his field in 2:00.3 – :58.3 – :29.1 for driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ray Schnittker, co-owner with Ted Gewertz and Nolamaura Racing LLC, while the Captain Corey – Swizzle Sticks filly Stir The Pot was first-over from well back in winning in 2:01.2 – :59.4 – :29.3 for driver Braxten Boyd, trainer Jenny Melander, and the partnership of Charles Stansley, Lenavitt Investments LLC, John Licausi, and Arden Homestead Stable.
It won’t be long now before the 2-year-olds begin their stakes careers: the first freshman stake at Pocono is an All-Stars event for the trotting colts on the Fourth of July, a Saturday, while the Pennsylvania fair season opens three days earlier in Butler.
Replays of the baby qualifiers can be viewed at www.phha.org.