Wilkes-Barre, PA — Just as they were the day before, in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championships, 2-year-olds were the name of the game on Tuesday (Sept. 8) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with five $16,000 events for rookies the central attraction. Matt Kakaley drove three of trainer Lucas Wallin’s trotting babies to victory amidst a five-win afternoon.
Wallin had the impeccably-bred Greenshoe-Cee Bee Yes fily Shoobie ready to go in her first lifetime start, making two moves for the lead before coasting away for Kakaley in 1:58. Jason Allen is the owner of the promising miss.
That was not the end of the Kakaley/Wallin freshman trotting fillies who won, however. The stakes-placed Walner-Mazzarati filly Caught Speeding, racing against older company, was not caught speeding after setting most of the pace, breaking her maiden in 1:57 for Weisman Farms LLC, Harbor Racing Stable LLC, Wallin Racing Stable Inc., and Christoffer Pihl-Svensson.
There were two divisions of the feature event for freshman trotting males, and Wallin and Kalaley clicked in that action as well, with another firster, the Fourth Dimension-Sheismydream SS colt Whatachapter SS S (the “SS” referring to the breeder, Norway’s Skele Stable). The winner was second-over up the backstretch, then came on late to catch a stubborn pacesetter in Kountry Infusion by a neck in a quick 1:55.3 for Wallin Racing Stable Inc. and Mjolby Fastighets AB.
The other event devoted to baby male trotters went to the debutant Celtic Ri in 1:58.1. After the pacesetter made a break on the far turn and Ice Wall took over, Tyler Buter and his Alrajah One IT-Abbie’s Celticlass gelding steadily narrowed in, also winning by a neck for trainer Nifty Norman and his Enzed Racing Stable Inc.
Neck decisions in the 2-year-old colt races even carried over to the pace, where the Papi Rob Hanover-Barefoot’npregnant gelding Barefoot Papi captured his third race in his last four outings, keeping Doc’s Del Mar at bay by a neck margin in 1:54.3. Ridge Warren had sulky duty for trainer Richard Dunn, co-owner with MBC Stables LLC.
The Huntsville-Tequila Monday pacing filly Wine Down Wensday was sent right to the lead by driver Brian Sears, who then held her together to defeat two tough challengers in pocket horse Wish For A Captain and first-over Spider Claire while breaking her maiden in 1:54. Hunter Oakes is the conditioner for Flying A Racing Stable and Chuck Pompey.
In addition to Kakaley’s quintuple, multiple winning drivers were Tyler Buter, Brian Sears and Ridge Warren – who just happened to win the three highlighted 2-year-old races that Kakaley and Wallin did not. Wallin was the only trainer on the day with more than one win.
The next card of racing at Pocono will be on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m., with that card to be drawn this Wednesday (Sept. 9). On that card, there will be a carryover into the first-race superfecta and the last-race Hi-5. Free Pocono program pages will be available at www.phha.org.