by Jerry Connors, for the PA Harness Racing Commission

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Check Me Out obliterated the world record for 3-year-old trotting fillies on a five-eighths-mile track when she cruised to a 1:51.3 victory in her $200,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship on Saturday night (Sept. 1) at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

The daughter of Donato Hanover reached the lead nearing the opening quarter from post six for trainer/driver Ray Schnittker and put up splits of :27.3, :55.2 and 1:23.

Superstar Hanover maintained valiant contact from the pocket, and Maven started her patented grind at the five-eighths, but neither could approach the winner of $2.7 million, with the final clocking breaking the world record shared by Hidden Viggorish (in a PASS final) and Holier Than Thou (set at Pocono earlier this year) by an amazing 1-3/5 seconds. Maven was up for second late over Superstar Hanover.

“She was good at the gate, and once we made the top I was very confident,” noted Schnittker, co-owner with Charles Iannazzo, after the race.

“Very strong throughout,” he continued, adding that her next start would be at Lexington.

The Western Terror filly Economy Terror set a world record in winning her pacing fillies championship last year, held at Pocono, and the return to “home cooking” (trainer Chris Oakes is based at the mountain track) provided “déjà vu all over again” — another world record, this time in 1:49, a tick better than place finisher Big McDeal’s seven-week-old mark, and the fastest PA Sire Stakes championship ever.

After a contentious :25.4 opener, Dave Palone guided his filly to the command position, and later spoke of the middle splits of :54 and 1:21.3 as “actually a good breather for her.”

The afterburners kicked in approaching headstretch, however, as Economy Terror opened wide daylight to become only the fifth 2- and 3-year-old Sire Stakes “repeater” in modern times (all fillies, and all but one pacer). Chuck Pompey, Howard Taylor and Ed Gold saw their 2011 divisional champion surpass $1.2 million in earnings.

Dapper Dude, just a half-length off in the North America Cup, easily caught defending champion Sweet Lou in the stretch while taking the colt pace in 1:49 — a personal mark — and equaling the newly-minted mark of Economy Terror as the quickest in Sire Stakes championship history.

Sweet Lou got to the half in a mild :55, but then was forced to pace a :26.1 backside to keep out first-over Easy Again — a speed which allowed driver Jim Morrill, Jr. to drop the second-over Dapper Dude into a gaping pocket nearing the three-quarter pole.

With the breather around the turn, Dapper Dude easily picked up Sweet Lou late, with Dapper Dude’s earnings now over $550,000 for trainer Bob McIntosh, co-owner with Al McIntosh Holdings Inc.

An alert drive by Eric Goodell was the key to the victory of Magic Tonight as the Andover Hall colt notched the other trotting event in 1:54, a stakes record. Goodell left for the top and yielded, then made another move when he saw favored My MVP forward-bound and yielded for the two hole behind the chalk.

The Pocono Pike then provided the passage to victory for Magic Tonight, a tough second to Hambo winner Market Share at Vernon last week, as he pushed his earnings over $430,000 for trainer Noel Daley and owner Adam Victor & Son LLC.

Magic Tonight was also the only outright preliminary point leader to take a championship (Economy Terror was co-leader in her section).

Also on the Sire Stakes championships card were consolation races for the four classes, worth $50,000 apiece (with thanks to a late supplementation by the MSOA and PHHA).

Go Tapaigh, second in his championship race as a 2-year-old, was forgotten by the crowd at 8-1 in this year’s sophomore trotting colt consolation, but an expert steer by Hall of Famer Mike Lachance saw the Andover Hall gelding eke out a 1:55.1 decision in a blanket finish.

Lachance put Go Tapaigh in the three hole leaving, then founded clearance when the outer tier collapsed at headstretch, and under Lachance’s urging made the first step he led in the race the last one, but the all-important one, for trainer Danny Collins and owner Wayne Zollars while coming within a hair of $200,000 lifetime.

While Go Tapaigh “dropped” in class for his victory, 2011 divisional Stallion Series winner Dream Of Winning “stepped up in company” and took a 1:51.1 personal best in the 3-year-old filly pace event. Brett Miller reluctantly accepted a three hole trip with the daughter of Yankee Cruiser, as had Go Tapaigh, but Dream Of Winning slid up the Pocono Pike passing lane and held off a bunch breathing down her neck on the money.

Now with 11 wins and nary an off the board finish in 17 starts while going over $250,000 in earnings for Debra Schoeffel, Thomas Taylor and Brooke Dumont, Dream Of Winning took down this $50,000 contest for trainer Aaron Johnston — who, ten hours and 261 miles earlier — had trained and driven a winner in a $1,221 event at the Stoneboro Fair.

Pocono’s leading driver, George Napolitano, Jr., won his fifth and sixth races of the night by taking the card’s last two events, the first of this duo with the McArdle colt I Like Dreamin in the Sire Stakes consolation colt pace. I Like Dreamin liked the front end so much he moved there twice and thereafter held that position to take a new mark of 1:50.2 for conditioner Sam (Cosmo) DePinto and owners Lomangino Standardbreds and Leo Lomangino, Sr.

“Nap” then rallied the SJ’s Caviar filly Komma Ka Z out of the pocket to catch stubborn pacesetter Cocktail Attire in 1:54.3, a new speed badge, in the filly trot consolation curtaindropper. Dean Collins conditions this victorious miss for the D&G Racing Stable, who now own a diamondgaiter with a six-figure bankroll.

Fashion Note: Drivers with basic colors of red and white won 11 of the night’s 15 races: six for Napolitano, four for Dave Palone, and one for Mike Lachance. Brett Miller, Ray Schnittker, Eric Goodell, and Jim Morrill, Jr. apparently did not get the memo (although Morrill does have maroon in his colors, which according to most men is the same thing).