from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Truemass Volo and Love Matters both became two-time winners in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotting colts with victories within the four divisions of the $251,780 third preliminary leg event on Wednesday night (Aug. 26) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

First to record the double was the Muscle Massive-Tresbien Volo colt Truemass Volo, who set the pace, then held off Sliding Off to his inside and Milligan’s School to his outside in taking a new mark of 1:56.2 under the guidance of Tim Tetrick.

Truemass Volo now has three consecutive wins after making breaks in his first two outings, peaking at a good time for trainer Doug Hamliton and owners John Erdner and Martin Garey.

Curtis Salonick photo

Love Matters was a 1:55.2 winner for driver Marcus Miller.

The Explosive Matter-Lotsa Love colt Love Matters went in the race immediately after Truemass Volo’s, and he is now undefeated in five lifetime starts (and two PaSS races; he skipped a leg), here lowering his mark to 1:55.2 while triumphing for driver Marcus Miller and trainer/father Erv, whose Ervin Miller Stable Inc. is the co-owner along with Paymaq Racing and Harvey Eisman.

The two first-time PaSS winners both paid off at better than 20-1, and one of them put up the fastest clocking of all. That would be the colt Iron Mine Bucky, giving Explosive Matter a siring double (his dam is My Foolish Dream) and lowering his mark to 1:54.4.

Driver George Dennis moved the winner, who has now taken half of his six lifetime starts, first-over on the second turn, and Iron Mine Bucky threw a :28 uncovered third quarter to clear to the lead and win nicely for trainer Colby Hubble and Iron Mine Branch LLC.

The Cantab Hall-Likeavirgin Lindy colt Landjack Hanover did get a little help on the way to his maiden victory, and given the luck he knew what to do and tripped the timer in 1:57.1 under the guidance of Corey Callahan. Landjack Hanover was third-inside at the three-quarters, but first pocketsitting Alexander Hanover jumped mid-turn and went to the infield, and then Desert Runner, still with about a 2-1/2 length lead in mid-stretch, unfortunately lived up to the second half of his name, with Landjack Hanover there to pick up the pieces for trainer John Butenschoen and owners Give It A Shot Stable, Jerry Graham, and VIP Internet Stable LLC.