by Evan Pattak, for the Meadows

Meadow Lands, PA — The state’s most precocious 2-year-old trotting colts and fillies made their stakes debut Saturday night (June 30) at The Meadows, flashing both talent and promise over 11 divisions of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes. They shared the spotlight with Dave Palone, who won seven stake splits and nine races overall on the 17-race program.

The six divisions of the $97,495 Meadow Gladys were captured by Athena Hanover, Marion Michelle, Diamondsonbroadway, Olivia’s Jewel, Are You Ready and Flower Lane.

The five winners in the $115,340 Hickory Pride were Lancer Springs, Lear Jetta, Andover America, First Pleasurelane and Surtees Hanover.

Trainers Jim Arledge, Jr. and Ray Schnittker scored training doubles while Dick Stillings recorded a driving double.

Meadow Gladys

Athena Hanover was right at home at The Meadows, where she was a $28,000 Adios Yearling Sale purchase by Vincent and Geraldine Molloy. To prep for the stake, she used two Meadowlands qualifiers, where John Campbell drove for his brother Jim, who trains the daughter of Tagliabue.

Athena Hanover was a 2:00.4 winner for Dave Palone.

“My brother said she was really trotting strong to the wire,” Jim Campbell noted, “and that’s what Palone said tonight.”

Palone gave Athena Hanover a second-over trip, and she responded with plenty of trot in the lane, scoring in 2:00.4, two lengths better than Caviar Girl. Digitized was third.

The victory was something of a maiden-breaker for the Molloys as well. Athena Hanover is their first yearling purchase, and they selected her without guidance from Jim Campbell — or anyone else.

“They sent me her video after the sale, and I thought she had a nice way of moving,” Jim Campbell said. “They did a very good job.”

Diamondsonbroadway and Palone used a quarter-pole move to open a daylight lead, then survived an inquiry for a break at the wire. They prevailed in 2:02.2 by 3-3/4 lengths over Sharkie’s Girl, with Provence As third.

“She got a little lost on the front end,” Arledge said. “We never popped the plugs the whole mile, and we probably should have. So we have a few little adjustments to make, but I think she’ll make a top filly.”

Joe Sbrocco, Thomas York, Jr. and William Donovan own the daughter of Broadway Hall, a $50,000 yearling acquisition.

Marion Michelle gave Arledge and Palone a bigger scare when she hit the inside wheel of her sulky and broke stride, falling nine lengths behind. The daughter of Broadway Hall, owned by Sbrocco, Donovan and Frank Dettore, rallied strongly to win by a length over Kalibrated and Eyedea, who deadheated for place. The time was 2:01.2.

“I’ve been impressed with her all year,” Arledge said. “She’s not overly big, but she’s really correct. She reaches and trots nice.”

The 2:00 win turned in by Flower Lane and Palone for Schnittker, with a final quarter in :28.3, was only the fourth 2:00 mile in the 38-year history of the stake.

Hickory Pride

Lancer Springs lagged 7-1/2 lengths behind with just a quarter-mile to trot, but he unleashed a powerful brush for Stillings to score in 2:00.2 by 2-1/4 lengths over Production, with Jealousy finishing third. That effort by the son of Lindy Lane surprised trainer Chris Beaver, who said the colt has shown his speed only recently.

Chris Gooden photos

Dick Stillings was in the bike for Lancer Springs’ PASS win.

“I would have said he was third or fourth best in the barn,” Beaver said. “I knew he was real nice, but he’s been babied so much in his qualifiers I wasn’t sure how much he could trot. I figured he could trot close to 2:01. Looks like he can go quite a bit more.”

Beaver owns Lancer Springs, a bargain $6,000 yearling purchase, with James Gallagher and David Lang.

Lear Jetta lived up to his name, jetting to the lead and fending off a challenge by Alex R to win in 2:01.3. The discouraged Alex R finished 17-1/4 lengths back but saved place ahead of Bacon Hill Bob. Trainer/driver Robert Myers, Sr. said his only anxious moments came when Lear Jetta neared the chute between the paddock and the track.

“He knows where that is, and he’ll get a little crooked,” Myers said. “He did that qualifying at Rosecroft. That’s why I was hollering at him through the stretch.”

James S. McAuliffe owns Lear Jetta, a $30,000 yearling purchase who remains eligible to the division’s richest stakes.

Andover America, a son of Andover Hall, fashioned a seamless wire-to-wire victory for Palone and Schnittker, winning in 2:03.1. Star Crossed was 2-1/4 lengths back in second while RT Dandy Lion was third.

“There was never a nervous moment, although there were a lot of things for him to look at,” Palone said. “He was very inquisitive. He was absolutely perfect to drive. Ray Schnittker brings trotting colts to their speed better than anybody in the game.”

Neal Goldman, Alan Caplan, Keith Dickstein and Richard Timbo own Andover America.

PASS Notes: Western Ace was much the best in the Preferred Handicap despite being assigned the outside post. He won for Palone and trainer George Teague, Jr. in 1:51.4.

The stakes provided a splashy debut for first-crop sire Broadway Hall, whose progeny won three divisions. Broadway Hall stands at Fashion Farms.

For more information on the PA Sires Stakes program, visit www.standardbredbreederspa.org