Wilkes-Barre, PA — Two horses trained by Ray Schnittker and driven by Mark MacDonald turned heads during Wednesday morning (April 7) qualifiers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with Splash Brother (1:50.4) and Billy Clyde (1:52.4) winning by a combined 36-1/4 lengths.
A 4-year-old So Surreal gelding, Splash Brother went down the road while posting fractions of :28.2, :56.3, 1:23.3 and 1:50.4 for the partnership of Schnittker, Nolamaura Racing, Steven Arnold and Tammy Flannery.
He took a mark of 1:48.2 at The Meadowlands last year and won $300,722, including a victory in his Empire Breeders Classic and a second in his New York Sire Stakes final.
The sophomore Always B Miki colt Billy Clyde posted a 1:52.3 qualifying mark in limited campaigning last year, and just missed that clocking Wednesday after hanging up fractions of :29.4, :58, 1:25.2 and 1:52.4.
Billy Clyde, owned by Schnittker and Dr. John Egloff, may be pointing for the first Pennsylvania Sire Stakes of the season, to be held at The Meadows on May 1.