Kissin In The Sand leads Pocono PASS Saturday
August 9, 2018,from PHHA/Pocono
Wilkes-Barre, PA — Top 3-year-old pacing filly Kissin In The Sand is the early favorite in one of three divisions of the group’s third preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, to take place Saturday (Aug. 11) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, trained by Nancy Johansson for owners Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables, provided one of the greatest thrills of the 2018 Pocono season when she overcame being parked virtually every step in the mile to win the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial on June 30. She has also won the Mistletoe Shalee and has not been worse than second in seven seasonal starts. Kissin In The Sand will start from post six in the third-race division, where her main competition figures to come from Reign On Me, among the top three in her last four races against solid competition.
The two horses who have won their first two preliminary Sire Stakes legs each top one of the other divisions. The fourth-race cut has Serene Stride as the early pick from post five for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Mark Harder and owners Emilio and Maria Rosati. The six-time winner this year will square off against Pearl Blue Chip, a recent 1:51 winner at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The other double winner is Sidewalk Dancer, guided by Brett Miller for trainer Chris Oakes and the ownership of Northfork Racing Stable, Omar Beiler and Dennis Coons. The daughter of A Rocknroll Dance must try to overcome the outside post seven in the fifth-race division, and in fact is the early second choice to Alexa’s Power, who won the Lismore and Adioo Volo stakes.
Three Stallion Series divisions will go to post at Pocono on Sunday (Aug. 12). Ten different fillies have won across 10 divisions in two Stallion Series prelims so far, and eight of them will be at Pocono on Sunday, including Miss Hill and Zuluwarriorhanover, who are jointly the fastest among sophomore pacing fillies in Stallion Series action with 1:52.2 wins.