Four $12,600 features races at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon were split evenly between male pacers and trotters.
Always B Sweet, a Pennsylvania Stallion Series winner earlier, defeated Curbside Pickup and favoured PaSS winner Literl Lad Hanover in a 1:50.1 section of the features for pacing males. The Always B Miki gelding, even coming off a sick scratch, was just too much to overhaul, posting fractions of :27, :56.1, and 1:23 before crossing the wire and knocking more than a full second off his lifetime mark. Curbside Pickup was a neck ahead of Literl Lad Hanover but 4-1/4 lengths behind the winner, who was guided by Andrew McCarthy for Team Cancelliere – trainer Tom and owner John.
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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.
The Art Major mare Crazy Cute overcame a sloppy track, a cool early evening near 50 degrees, and a rough two-move journey to win the $13,000 featured distaff pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:55.1 during the Sunday (May 30) card.
Crazy Cute tucked into fourth leaving, then had to come uncovered to try to catch pacesetter Caviart Cherie, who had gotten away with a :59 half. But driver George Napolitano Jr., who had five wins on the card, got his mare to pace her own last half in a swift :55.2 in the muck to catch the pacesetter by a length. Trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera also shares ownership in the winner with Barbara Arnstine.
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