by Jerry Connors, for the PA Harness Racing Commission

Harrisburg, PA — The first of the series of fourth and final preliminary legs in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes pari-mutuel division and the Pennsylvania Stallion Series were held at The Meadows this past Friday, and the top pointearners for the $260,000 Sire Stakes championships and $50,000 consolations, and the $40,000 Stallion Series championships, have been preliminarily determined. Anyone seeing any error in the calculated stats is asked to contact the PA Harness Commission immediately.

The 3-year-old colt pacers who have earned their way into the championship at The Meadows on Friday (Sept. 13) were Dedi’s Dragon (100 points), Martini Hanover (95), Twilight Bonfire (85), Some Kinda Beach (75), Twincreeks Jesse (73), Beach Memories (70), Our Dragon King (69) and Lonewolf Currier (60), on a 35-25-15-10-8-5-4-2-1 system. PA Sire Stakes rules allow for only eight championship horses.

The next two in line, Net Ten Eom (59.5) and Normandy Invasion (55), are designated AE1 and AE2, respectively, and will be programmed on che Championship page, and can scratch in until 6 p.m. the day before the Championship. If not scratching in, they would be going to the consolation, where based on the preliminary final standings they would join outright qualifiers Sir Richard Z Tam (54.5), Delaware Hanover (44), Lex Vegas (41) and Johns Polyview (37). Nine can be in the consolation as The Meadows lines up that many on the gate, so the four-way tie at 35 points was broken by Sire Stakes moneyearnings, and Resistance Futile, Captaintreacherous and Apprentice Hanover made the grade in that order.

Should any of these horses not declare in, horses lower in the rankings and declaring in could “move up” and take place in the races — a fact in Pennsylvania finals competition at any level.

The Stallion Series championships will be held at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, with this 3-year-old class going nine-wide on Saturday (Sept. 7). The top pointearners are headed by two horses who were a perfect 4-4 in prelims and thus had 140 points, Big Time Promise and Shock It To ‘Em; after them come UF Dragons Cruiser (110), Storm The Beach and Ultimate Beachboy (95 each), Ilikeitrealhot (75), last year’s 2-year-old Sire Stakes victor Good Day Mate (70 while taking the Stallion route this year), Momma’s Jolt (65), and 2-year-old Stallion Series champion Eddie Sweat, who got the ninth and final spot on 64 points.