by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows
Washington, PA — Prospect Hill captured his second straight stakes with a persuasive 1:56.3 score, fastest in Tuesday’s (July 17) $184,588 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows. The event for freshman trotting colts and geldings, known as the Hickory Pride, was contested over four divisions, with White Tiger, Demon Onthe Hill and Mass Fortune K taking the other splits.

Chris Gooden photo
Prospect Hill and Andy Miller were fastest of all with a 1:56.3 win in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows.
A $130,000 yearling acquisition for Stroy Inc., Prospect Hill broke his maiden with a front-end score in a Pennsylvania All-Stars division. In the Hickory Pride, he quarter-moved to the front for Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller and was an easy victor from there, downing early leader Amico Mio Bi by 1-3/4 lengths. The first-up Marseille finished third.
“He seems to really like the front, and he really charges home strong when he’s commanding the race,” Andy Miller said of the son of Muscle Hill and Louise Kemp. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. His first start he followed and was really good. He’ll go to the next sire stakes or the Peter Haughton. We haven’t decided for sure.”
Anthony MacDonald, who drives White Tiger and participates in the colt’s ownership through Thestable White Tiger Group, notes that the Muscle Massive-Just Not Into You gelding is unusually sensitive and responsive to sounds.
“He hears a lot of voices,” McDonald said. “As long as you get him on a day when he hears the right one, he’s real class. I wanted to keep him a constant enough gear to where he wasn’t startled. Around the last turn when I called on him, I figured he had enough racetrack. He’s an incredibly fast horse. He has the Peter Haughton next.”
He listened to his better angels Tuesday, as he brushed wide through the lane to edge Ginger Tree Skyr by a head in 1:57, with Fashion Possessed third. Andrew Harris conditions White Tiger.
Demon Onthe Hill launched his career by breaking in the Pennsylvania All-Stars, but he was well behaved in the Hickory Pride, saving ground and firing late to score in 1:57 for Mike Wilder, trainer Marcus Melander and owner Vicky Trotting Inc. Flippen Creek finished second, beaten 2-3/4 lengths, while Northern Express completed the ticket.
“When he broke at Pocono last week, he just took a bad step in the last turn,” Wilder said. “His connections felt he could have won in 1:56, and I don’t think they were far off. He was on cruise control today. He showed a lot of manners and felt terrific.”
In the $20,000 Preferred Handicap Trot, Call For Justice vaulted over $500,000 in career earnings with a 1:53.3 victory — his second straight — in the Lightning Lane. Swell Chap was second, 1-3/4 lengths back, with early leader Classicality third. Ron Burke trains the son of Justice Hall and Mika’s Mazurka for the Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Dave Palone and Brian Zendt each piloted a pair of winners on the 13-race card.