Wilkes-Barre, PA — Those watching the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series are very used to seeing sons and daughters of sire Captain Corey sail away sail away sail away in the stretch to victory. Captain Corey swept the two PaSS divisions of the third preliminary round for baby freshman trotters Monday (Aug. 17) afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania: with Orinoco, who followed two Sires seconds with a win, and then Two Day Hangover, now two-for-two in the Sires while handling an off track brought out by midcard rain.
The “Captain”’s offspring also won two of the four Stallion Series divisions during a card which featured $189,892 in stakes action, and which was soaked by rain midcard, changing the surface from fast to sloppy.
Orinoco (dam Bonnie Lou) flowed right to the lead for Åke Svanstedt, rebuffed several challenges along the way by favored Birr Castle, who was bidding for her third straight PaSS win, and finally won out by 1¼ lengths over that pesky foe in a new lifetime best of 1:54.1 before the rain came. Svanstedt trains the successful filly, and his Åke Svanstedt Inc. co-owns her with Knutsson Training Inc.
Absent from the first Sire Stakes leg, Two Day Hangover (dam Sherry Lyns Lady) set a moderate pace in the off going, then sprinted home in :28.1 to win in 1:55.2, with first-over Miss Eliza (a previous Sires winner) photoing Patty’s Girl for the deuce. Two Day Hangover also has a PA All-Stars victory on her resume and starts off unbeaten in three starts for driver Mattias Melander, trainer Marcus Melander, and the partnership of Brittany Farms LLC and Marvin Katz LLC.
Captain Corey also sired one of the three third prelim contestants in the PaStS who now have two victories in that category: T’wouldmakemesing (dam Woman Of Power), who followed cover then won in 1:57.3 in the first race (including all the Stallion Series races) conducted in sloppy going. Tyler Buter guided the winner for trainer George Ducharme and FTM Racing Stable LLC. The fourth Captain Corey winner was Andersson Hanover (dam Angel Eyes Hanover), grinding to a maidenbreaking 1:57 win for river Patrick Ryder, trainer Chris Ryder, and owner John McKeon Jr.
The other two second time StS winners were the International Moni – Lily Kronos IT filly Ops Mearas S, fastest of the StSers at 1:55.4 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Nicklas Andersen (no relation to Andersson Hanover) and Snogarps Gard Inc., and the Greenshoe – Sevenopper miss Sevenoops Hanover, up in 1:56.2 to give Tyler Buter a second Stallion Series win as he guided her for trainer Petter Engblom and Engblom Farm LLC, Evans Nation, and Hickory Hollow Stables.
Mention must be made of the Met’s Hall millionaire gelding Sir Pinocchio, who prepped for a slot in the Sebastian K S Free-For-All Trot during Sun Stakes Saturday at the end of the week by going down the road on a still-fast track in 1:51.1 in a $21,000 overnight. Brian Sears got the drive behind the Linda Toscano trainee for owner Carolyn Atherton.
Meet leader Tyler Buter had four wins on the day, all for different trainers and as mentioned two in the Stallion Series. Driver Dan Rawlings and trainer Jose Godinez mutually benefited each other in two victories.
The Sun Stakes Saturday card has now been drawn, and a separate story has been posted about the $2.3M in stakes action. Before that, Pocono will race on Tuesday (Aug. 18) at 1 p.m., with four $16,000 races for freshmen, one of each gait/sex combination, spotlighted. All free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.