by John Zimich, publicity director, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Caviar Crown, described as an overachiever and a yearling purchase for $6,500, will be favored to win the 3-year-old trotting colt and gelding division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship Finals on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

There will be four Pennsylvania Championship Finals for 3-year-olds Saturday afternoon with each race carrying a purse of $200,000. In addition to these races there will be four consolation finals that will have purses of $50,000 each, adding up to $1 million in stakes races alone on the card.

Dave Palone, one of the top catch drivers in North America, will be driving Caviar Crown and was in the sulky back on June 12 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs when this SJ’s Caviar stallion established a world record of 1:53.1 for a five-eighths-mile track.

“Caviar Crown is a real nice horse to drive,” said Palone prior to hitting the golf course Wednesday morning. “The trotter has been a pleasant surprise and an overachiever. He’d rather follow than be on the lead early on. But he can leave the gate well and has a good attitude.”

Palone noted it was a very tough decision to make as to which trotter he was going to drive in this $200,000 final. That’s because he had won with both And Heez Perfect and Triumphant Caviar, two of the other trotters that will be in the Saturday afternoon final.

“I really believe that all three of trotters have equal ability and it will all depend on the posts drawn for the $200,000 race,” said Palone. “This will be the biggest moment for Caviar Crown since he wasn’t staked to any of the other big races this season.”

Kris Rickert, the 32-year-old trainer for Caviar Crown, agrees with Palone.

“This is definitely the biggest race I have ever been involved in,” said Rickert. “I never in my life would have dreamt that he would establish a world record. I’m really looking forward to Saturday afternoon at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. My horse has been looking good this week. We swam him a little bit and he’s ready. He’s a real gutsy horse.

“I’d like to see him coming out of a hole in Saturday’s race but he’s starting to learn on the front end.”

Rickert noted that Caviar Crown was the first-ever yearling purchase made by owner Dale B. Wareham of Fredonia, Pa. He paid $6,500 at the Morrisville Sale.

“Dale came to our farm and was talking to my parents about purchasing a riding horse,” noted Kris. “I talked him into getting a race horse.”

And race horse indeed as Caviar Crown has lifetime earnings of $121,345 with six wins, six seconds and two thirds in 15 starts.

Shermans Mountain, a 3-year-old trotting gelding that also established a world record in those races back on June 12 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, actually was tops in the point standings for the sire stakes leading up to the championship finals. Shermans Mountain, trained by Chris Oakes, had 110 points to Caviar Crown’s 103. But Shermans Mountain injured himself on the farm a few days after the race and will not be in Saturday’s $200,000 race.

“He hurt his leg and it was just one of those tough luck deals,” said Oakes, the leading trainer at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. “I could have patched him up but I didn’t want to push the envelope. He’s just too good of a horse and will be back in 2010.”