Wilkes-Barre, PA — Sophomore fillies were in the Weiss Series spotlight on Tuesday afternoon (April 7) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, as four fields of trotters and three of pacers each went for $17,500 purses in their first-round preliminaries.
Despite being dismissed at 16-1, the Huntsville miss Vanna By The River made a shambles of her division, pacing wire-to-wire in 1:53.3 to break her maiden in her 13th career start. Braxten Boyd opened his advantage on the rest of the field throughout the last quarter, as Vanna By The River scored the powerful victory for trainer Cory Stratton and Our Three Sons Stable LLC.
American Cheese, fresh off winning her 2026 debut at Yonkers six days ago, came right back to take her Weiss division in 1:54.4. Jason Bartlett guided the daughter of American Ideal for trainer Jared Bako and the partnership of Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc. and Philip Steinberg.
In the other section on this gait, the Bettor’s Wish filly Miss Jum Jabber sat just off a dawdling pace set by Sundownsomewhere then gained into a :27 sprint to the wire to beat the pacesetter by a head in 1:55.2 and win her second consecutive start, with Bradley Chisholm handling the lines for trainer Brett Pelling and his Pelling Racing LLC.
Driver Tim Tetrick and sire Captain Corey accounted for two of the four trotting cuts of the Weiss, including the quickest and most decisive winner, Cynic, who came from The Meadows and ran her 2026 tally to 4-3-1-0 while lowering her mark to 1:55.3, 5-3/4 lengths to the good for trainer Britney Dillon and Joseph Musser Trust. The other successful pairing between the driver and sire came with Lady Tessie Marie, who won her seasonal bow in 1:58.4 for trainer Scott DiDomenico and the ownership combine of Angela Cornell and Tessie Esry.
Jason Bartlett added a Weiss trot win to his pacing triumph in guiding the Gimpanzee filly Concise to a 1:57.4 mark in her first race since last July. The only victorious trotting favorite is trained by Nik Drennan, whose Drennan Stable LLC shares ownership with Joseph Davino and Brad Stockman.
The Tactical Landing miss Allioop Blue Chip reduced her tab to 1:56.1 by taking another Weiss trot for driver Andy McCarthy, trainer Noel Daley, and owners R. Lynn and Philomena Curry.
Tetrick and Bartlett posted driving doubles on the day; they were joined by Boyd, who also won an overnight, and Simon Allard, who bookended the card. Fourteen different barns sent out winners on the afternoon.
Pacing males come back for their second Weiss preliminary when racing returns to the Downs on Saturday (April 11) at 1 p.m.; all four first-round winners will be looking to repeat. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.