from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Art Dancer, pushing his winning streak to five and handled by the red-hot Brett Miller, became the only two-time Pennsylvania Stallion Series winner in the 3-year-old pacing colt ranks, spurting up the Pocono Pike to take his $20,000 division of the Stallion Series in 1:53.1 Sunday (May 20) at the mountain oval.

Curtis Salonick photo

Art Dancer became the only two-time Pennsylvania Stallion Series winner in the 3-year-old pacing colt ranks.

An altered son of A Rocknroll Dance trained by Mark Harder, who co-owns him with Rick Phillips and VIP Internet Stable, Art Dancer was content to sit behind Winston most of the mile, then made his lefthand turn in early stretch and showed sharp speed to win by 1-1/4 lengths in raising his lifetime record to seven-for-eight. Ironically, he was the only of the five stakes winners not to post a new mark.

Brett Miller also had the fastest Stallion Series winner at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, taking the opening section with Heartbeat Hill in 1:51.3. The Somebeachsomewhere gelding quarter-moved to command and went on to an easy 3-3/4 length victory for trainer Bruce Clarke, co-owner with Patricia Waldeck and John Coffey.

Brett also had the co-second-fastest Stallion Series winner as he took three of the five divisions, this one with the Ponder gelding Yupper in 1:52. The Jacob Hartline-conditioned sophomore rode cover second-over, then tipped wide and caught Ideal Flip, who had gone first-over to the stretch lead, by a neck for Anatolia Farm.

Two Meadows-based trainers made the long ship east worth their while by coming away with Stallion Series wins. Norm Parker sent over the Bettor’s Delight colt Return Of The Sith, who came uncovered into a :55.4 back half and used all of his force to edge out Bobby K Hill by a neck in 1:53.1 for driver Jim Pantaleano and the Megan Rogers Racing Stables Inc.

In the next race conditioner Dan Altmeyer saw his Well Said gelding Daddyofemall get a great drive from son-in-law Mike Wilder, with the pair weaving through traffic and then pacing by Somebaddude by three-quarters of a length in 1:52 to run his record to five-for-nine for Ruth Altmeyer and Richard Kelson.

In the top event for fast-class trotters, worth $21,500, it was Brett Miller time again as he gave Tyson a perfect second-over trip, the pair sweeping wide in the lane and then ending the four-race winning streak of Golden Son by catching the pacesetter by a neck in 1:54.3. The Donato Hanover gelding, raising his earnings to $151,625, is trained by Ed Gannon Jr., who is also co-owner with Yannick Gingras and Frank Canzone.

In all, Brett Miller had three Stallion Series victories among his four wins at Pocono on Sunday night; earlier in the day at Harrah’s Philadelphia he visited Victory Lane five times (including a win with a $106.40 winner) to run up a nine-bagger for the most-productive day.