Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Melander brothers, driver Mattias and trainer Marcus, won two of the four $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for 2-year-old trotting fillies on Tuesday (July 14) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, while driver Tyler Buter and trainer John Butenschoen combined to win the other two.
But neither team did as well as red-hot sire Captain Corey, whose offspring won three of the four sections.
Both of the Melander horses were by Captain Corey, both were six-figure yearlings, both were betting favorites, and both set the pace through most of their miles. The fastest of the four winners, Two Day Hangover (dam Sherry Lyns Lady), was making her career debut, but she was ready for a 1:55.1 victory, 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Slave To Fashion, for Brittany Farms LLC and Marvin Katz LLC.
The other of the brothers’ winners, Birr Castle (dam Melania), followed up on a victory in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in her career bow with a 1:56 mile Tuesday, withstanding potential pocket rocket Orinoco by a half length for Pheasant Hill Farm.
The third Captain Corey stakes success was the Buter/Butenschoen horse Winner Hanover (dam Won An Done), and she enjoyed the biggest victory margin, 4-3/4 lengths over One Tequila after setting the pace. Winner Hanover suffered interference in her first outing but bounced back nicely for a maiden mark of 1:57.3 for owners James Crawford IV and Rich Preziotti.
The second of the Buter/Butenschoen winners was Patty’s Girl, a Father Patrick-Day At The Spa miss owned by Bay Pond Racing Stable. Patty’s Girl made an auspicious first start with a victory in 1:55.2, getting passed down the back by favored Cabaletta Hanover yet able to rally to defeat that foe by a half length.
Buter, Pocono’s leading driver, had his two stakes successes as part of a natural five-bagger, his total wins on the day. The victories came in races 5 through 9 – which happen to be the races of the Pick-5 wager at Pocono, which, ironically, went unsolved, necessitating a carryover to Saturday’s (July 18) card.
In addition to Buter’s five-timing exploits, George Napolitano Jr. drove three winners. And as mentioned, driver Mattias Melander had two victories, as did trainers Butenschoen and Marcus Melander, the only conditioners with multiple winners.
Saturday’s 1 p.m. Pocono card will feature carryovers in the Pick-5, as mentioned, and the Hi-5 in the last race. A crack field of fast-class pacers will highlight the racing, competing for a $29,000 purse. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.