Chester, PA — In Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 24), 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings contested their fourth and final preliminary leg, racing for a combined $177,378 and adding enough points to make their upcoming rich Championships: the Sire Stakes horses at Philadelphia on Friday, Sept. 5, and the Stallion Series competitors on Monday, Sept. 8, at Pocono.
The three Sire Stakes divisional winners were all sent away as the third choice – and that’s quite surprising in the case of Mr Big Spender, who made a break in his last race but had won four stakes in a row before that, including two Sire Stakes legs. On Sunday, the Captain Corey-Reilly K colt made it three PASS victories, making a move for driver Mike Wilder nearing the :28.2 quarter, getting the lead and a breather to the half in :57.3, and then just overpowering the competition from there, passing the three-quarters in 1:26 and drawing off to an easy 3-1/4-length win in 1:54.2, just a tick off the divisional track record at Philly set last year by Father TJ, and equaling his mark.
Mr Big Spender now has five wins in seven lifetime starts for trainer Norm Parker and owners Bart and Todd Brice.
Opening the card was Minoan, a Bar Hopping-Regal Woman colt who now has a pair of Sire Stakes prelim wins after a 1:55 triumph. Johnathan Ahle took the Noel Daley trainee straight to the engine, put up splits of :28.1, :58.3 and 1:26.2, then won by three lengths over favorite Mr Penner, who attacked strongly first-over but then could not sustain. Minoan, who also had a second in a PASS prelim, is owned by Patricia Stable, L A Express Stable, Sjoblom Racing and the trainer.
After only mustering a single fifth-place finish in the first three Sire Stakes, the International Moni-Legal Lady gelding Oversear put it all together in his third start since adding hopples, breaking his maiden in 1:55.1. Trainer/driver Charlie Norris sat third off early splits of :28.2 and :58, was on the move uncovered well before the 1:26.2 three-quarters, and did not falter to the line in overhauling favored Dublin Hanover for owners Carrie Norris, Max J. Hempt, James Zito and Dr. James Sautter.
Mr Big Spender’s sire, Captain Corey, also fathered the fastest of the three Stallion Series winners: Captain Jordan (dam Jordan Blue Chip), who took a new mark of 1:55.2 after controlling the pace under Jim Marohn Jr.’s handling. Captain Jordan won his purse debut in a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest, then broke in his last two starts, with Scott DiDomenico adding trotting hopples at that point. With the new equipment, he has two Stallion Series wins as he beat a field which had four other series winners in it for the ownership of Joseph Faraldo and Triple D Stable Inc.
Driver Mike Wilder and sire Bar Hopping notched a stakes double when the two combined with the gelding Glenlivet (dam Ireland), who broke his maiden in 1:59.3 in the only stakes of the day won by less than a length. Glenlivet turned away Almost Free by three-quarters of a length, utilizing the inside lane for success for trainer Bill Daugherty and owner Susan Daugherty.
The other Stallion Series winner also broke his maiden, after four second-place finishes in his first five career starts: the Cue Hall-Happy Everything gelding Bayside Cue marched to the lead on the first turn and finished out a 1:58.3 win for driver Brandon Givens, trainer Les Givens, and J M B Ventures.
Philly racing will resume on Thursday (Aug. 28) with a 12:25 p.m. starting time, with usual mix of developing horses and fast-class trotters in the feature spotlight. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.