Longtime Pennsylvania horsemen Don and Dave Wiest and Ed Kimmel developed a champion two-year-old trotter last season in the filly Love Muffin, who sold to Team Orange Crush over the winter after becoming the Pennsylvania Stallion Series championship. Now it looks like the longtime partners may be ready for another good season with baby trotters, as they took events for both sexes as The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono hosted the two-year-olds for the first time on Wednesday morning (June 2).
First was the filly Gumdrop Hanover, who came a last half in :58.1 to win her bow in 2:01.4 for Kimmel and co-owner-trainer-driver David Wiest. The baby is a daughter of Bar Hopping out of Grits N Seven, a half-sister to $1.6M-winning champion Royalty For Life.
American Courage, who started his career seven-for-seven before an out-of-character seventh-place finish in the New York Sire Stakes final last September, began his three-year-old campaign in style with an authoritative 1:52 victory in one of four W.N. Reynolds Memorial divisions for sophomore pacers of both sexes that took place on Friday night at Yonkers Raceway.
Driven by Matt Kakaley in the $23,750 event, American Courage gunned out from post six and was able to clear 1-5 choice Ill Drink To That (Dexter Dunn) before the :27.1 opening quarter. American Courage remained the boss through the :56.1 half and the 1:24.3 three-quarters, then paced home in :27.2 to defeat Ill Drink To That by a length and three-quarters. Shakespeare (Todd McCarthy) followed along in third throughout and ended up finishing in that spot.