from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Somebeachsomewhere, newly-installed into the Living Harness Horse Hall of Fame, sired three of the five winners in the $268,940 first round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts on Wednesday night (July 15) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Curtis Salonick photo

Check Six was a 1:53.4 winner for driver Matt Kakaley.

The trio of winners by the great horse included two Ron Burke trainees: Check Six (out of Southwind Vanna), who quarter-moved to the top then snapped home in :55.4-:27.3 to tally in 1:53.4 for driver Matt Kakaley and owners Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, William Switala and James Martin, along with 3 Brothers Stables’ JK Will Power (whose dam is Whats New Pussycat), who paced an individual last quarter of :27.1 to be a 1:54.2 “pocket rocket” for pilot Yannick Gingras.

The other Somebeachsomewhere winner was Canadian invader Carter Beach (out of Flaming Diablo), who was in the “feature division” which contained three of the five Pennsylvania All-Star winners from earlier this month. But in his first start south of the border, Carter Beach showed his mettle by grinding uncovered in a :56.1 last half to post a neck triumph for driver Jody Jamieson and trainer/father Carl, the latter a co-owner with Thomas Kyron and George Harrison.

Neither the fastest winner or the longest-priced winner was a son of Somebeachsomewhere, however. Speed honors went in the opening division to the Western Ideal-Stolly Up Bluechip colt Spider Man Hanover, who produced a superhero-like :27.1 brush to the lead in the third quarter to win in 1:52.1 for driver David Miller, trainer Brian Brown, and owners Country Club Acres, Kenneth Vauper, Mike Mallett and Milton Leeman.

The 50-1 shot Whata Twist, last and gapping at the half, and then shoved four-wide late on the far turn due to chain-reaction interference, still managed to rally in the final strides for a 1:53 triumph. The Quik Pulse Mindale-Passage colt, driven by Brett Miller for trainer Chris Ryder, co-owner with Diamond Creek Racing, lived up to his name by producing a $107 return for a $2 win investment to his scattered backers.