Chester, PA – Another C Note stayed undefeated in three Pennsylvania Sire Stakes preliminary starts and seven races overall in 2026, lowering his mark to 1:50.3 in one of three $37,335 divisions on Harrah’s Philadelphia’s Super Sunday card (May 24).
A Captaintreacherous colt driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Ron Burke (their third successful collaboration before the three Invitationals), Another C Note fired away wide and worked to the front in a :26.4 quarter, with Apocalypse Blue Chip stepping away well to defend pocket position. The winner put up midsplits of :55.3 and 1:23.1, with second choice Always B Charlie advancing uncovered approaching the latter pole. But Another C Note had another gear in him, easily warding off Always B Charlie by 1-1/4 lengths while finishing out his lucky seventh victory for Burke Racing LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Let It Ride Stables Inc., and Scott Dillon.
Melillo, a national stakes contender at two and a good second in each of his two previous Sire Stakes races this season, showed himself a likely contender throughout North America again this season with a powerful 1:48.4 victory, equaling his mark and giving trainer Burke a second PASS victory.
A colt by Burke Brigade “mascot” Sweet Lou, Melillo had the lead before the middle of the first turn under Tim Tetrick’s direction, and paced on to fractions of :27.1, :54.4, and 1:21.4, at the last-named station beginning to leave his opposition further behind. The victorious colt, now a winner of $427,502 for Burke Racing LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with the winner’s namesake, Jason Melillo, saw two longshots finish closest to him, 33-1 Easy Breeze second and 50-1 Talbot Andretti.
Sneaky Squeaky was trying to ring up his third Sire Stakes victory, but the Papi Ron Hanover gelding Papi Rick, handled alertly by Andrew McCarthy, worked out a pocket trip behind the favorite, who set fractions of :27.2, :56.1, and 1:23.3. McCarthy had room in the passing lane and gained into a :27 last quarter to win by three-quarters of a length in a lifetime best 1:50.3.
Papi Rick had been absent from Victory Lane since last July 27, but had shown progress going up the Pennsylvania ladder from Stallion Series to All-Stars to Sire Stakes, and he reached the winner’s circle in the last stake of Super Sunday for trainer Noel Daley and Patricia Stables, Sjoblom Racing, and L A Express Stable.
Pennsylvania Stallion Series winners each take lifetime marks
The Stay Hungry gelding Spunky Hanover became a two-time PaStS winner when he commanded the pace in another division and kept a distance of a half-length between him and pocket pursuer Ballroom Affair, who had been two-for-two in the PaStS, at the wire, turning in a career-best 1:50.1 clocking. Jason Bartlett guided Spunky Hanover for trainer Tim Lancaster, who shares ownership in the winning sophomore with Mark and Joy Lancaster.
Another Stay Hungry gelding, McHungry, moved uncovered down the backstretch, had a chance to get a rest in the pocket behind favored Callmebigpapa, then proved strong in the stretch to draw away to an easy victory in 1:50.2, a lifetime best. Mike Wilder had the drive for trainer Dan Altmeyer, with Altmeyer Wilder Racing, Hutchison Harness LLC, David Wills, and Jean Allred.
The Sweet Lou gelding Sounds So Sweet raced third-inside, then came up the passing lane and stopped favored Really Bright’s two-race run in the Stallion Series, catching the pacesetter by a neck in a lifetime best 1:50.4. Chisholm gave his horse a patient drive to get the big money for trainer Brett Pelling and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc., Morrison Racing Stables, Jesmeral Stable, and Donald Hawk. Sounds So Sweet surely picked the right occasion for the best mile of his life – his dam, Southwind Tempo, won the first two Betsy Ross Paces.
Chisholm, Pelling, Let It Ride, Morrison, and Jesmeral came back later in the card to win a second Stallion Series division with the Captaintreacherous gelding Barrow, also in a career best 1:50.4. The race came down to the two favorites, 6-5 Barrow and 4-5 Treacherous Lou, and the pacesetter had built up enough of a lead to fend off the closer by 1-1/4 lengths for his second straight win, both in the Stallion Series.
Another altered son of Sweet Lou, Winnercircleseeker, lived up to his name, making two forward moves early, yielding to the favorite Sea Bistro Hanover, then rallying back up the inside to win by open lengths while reducing his mark to 1:51. Yannick Gingras drove the Ron Burke-trained winner for Burke Racing Stable, Lawrence Karr, Phil Collura, and Brad Grant.