DRF HARNESS HOME DIGITAL HARNESS EYE HARNESS PPS DRF BETS ENTRIES ARCHIVE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 Talent aplenty in PA Sire Stakes Championships Eight Sire Stakes finals worth north of $2 million will be contested this weekend at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Harrah’s Philadelphia JAYWALKING By Jay Bergman @BergmanJay Inside this issue There will be more than $2 million in purses on the line this weekend in Pennsyl- Gimpanzee jumps the border for a vania as champions will be crowned in each chance at Maple Leaf title, Page 4 division for 2- and 3-year-olds over the two- day event scheduled at The Downs at Mohe- Play that funky music Vicroy: Scioto gan Sun Pocono and Harrah’s Philadelphia. announcer playing the hits, Page 6 Juveniles go first with four $253,000 divisions Spotlight on Scioto’s Sunday All-Stakes on Saturday afternoon followed on Sunday at Harrah’s as the cream of the 3-year-old Pick 8, Page 6 crop in the Quaker state go at it for $252,000 Bob Marks: Papi Rob Hanover has the per division with just eight horses lining up behind the starting car. potential to be a perfect stallion, Page 7 Pennsylvania arguably produces more top Derick Giwner: Entering September, pacers and trotters than any other state or Horse of the Year up for grabs, Page 9 province and this weekend’s clashes feature some certain mismatches along with a string DAWNELLE MOCK New York casino approval big news for of ultra-competitive contests where upsets Captain Corey could be one of the stars of state tracks, horsemen, Page 10 should be expected. the afternoon at Pocono on Saturday. Since getting a glimpse of this year’s crop of Road to the Mohawk Million, Page 11 2-year-old colt trotters in Pennsylvania back in early July, it has become apparent what an The Meadows, a 1:54 1/5 mile, I wouldn’t be On The Backstretch: Profile of driver impact first-year stallions have had in 2020. shocked to see him trot in 1:52 or better on Peter Wrenn, Page 12 Just consider that eight of the nine 2-year- Saturday, though it’s doubtful he’ll need to. old colts and geldings in the field are by first- For my money, the two juvenile pacing Industry News & Best Bets, Page 14 croppers, including one by a stallion that had finals could draw the most fireworks given his first crop in Pennsylvania in this group- the post draws and other factors that may Comments? Questions? ing. We’re talking specifically about Captain make favorites vulnerable. In the tenth race Email the Editor [email protected] Corey, a colt by Googoo Gaagaa that enters on Saturday, the final for 2-year-old colts and Saturday afternoon’s contest a likely prohibi- geldings, trainer Ron Burke has 45 percent of tive favorite. The Ake Svanstedt-trained and the field. including three that drew inside the TO ENSURE PROPER delivery driven colt looks more like a 4-year-old on the first four positions. Adding further intrigue OF THE NEWSLETTER VIA track and should get plenty of respect from was the poor draw of the only two horses in EMAIL, ADD [email protected]. his rivals given the value of finishing second the field to break the $100K mark in earnings or third to them. While Captain Corey’s fast- com to your contact LIST est time came in his first Sire Stakes score at CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Ohio Sires Stakes $300,000 Championships! for 2 & 3-Year-Old Trotting & Pacing Colts & Fillies Sunday September 6 Eldorado Scioto Downs For information contact Kimberly Rinker at 614-779-0269 [email protected] For conditions go to www.racingohio.net © 2020 Daily Racing Form, LLC - 10 Grand Central, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10017 $2.4 Million Ohio Super Night at Eldorado Scioto Downs Sunday, Sept. 6 Post Time 6:00 PM FEATURING: ·Eight $300,000 Championship finals for 2- and 3-year-olds ·$100,000 #SENDITIN Invitationals ·$10,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 with 14% Takeout (Races 5-9 & 12-16) ·$10,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 8 (Races 3-10) 10% Rebate on Exotic Wagers at DRF Bets BET NOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 this year. Always A Miki and Chase H Hanover go from posts eight and nine, respectively. with both entering the contest in top form. Though Always A Miki, a compact colt from the first crop of Always B Miki, was outsprinted in last week’s final preliminary, the Nancy Takter-trained colt has the talent to bounce back. The once unbeaten Lou’s Pearlman proved he wasn’t invincible, going down as the chalk two starts back, but he rebounded with a solid third-place finish last Saturday afternoon at The Meadows and is one of two serious threats for trainer Burke. The other is Southwind Gendry, who won at nearly 10-1 last week, odds you may never see again from this altered son of Always B Miki. Southwind Gendry is interesting in that he’s won all three of his races when he hasn’t made a break in stride. Trainer Brian Brown has a pair of CHRIS GOODEN Somebeachsomewhere-sired colts that Party Girl Hill looks to run her string of perfection to nine with a win in Sunday’s $252,000 he was high on before they debuted PA Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing fillies. this season and they have lived up to his billing just to reach the Sire Stakes final. The Legend Hanover and Bayfield Beach are likely longshots on Breaking down the contenders in the field of eight in post order, the tote board but have enough ability to upset. we find Baby Your The Best in post two as a legitimate threat to be On paper some may say that Grace Hill (post 4) is the odds-on favor- the first horse to defeat Party Girl Hill. You could say there hasn’t ite to capture the juvenile pacing filly final, race 12 on Saturday’s been an unluckier filly in North America this year than Baby Your card, but the race is far from a walk-over. As a matter of fact, again The Best. Until the draw for Sunday’s contest, Baby Your The Best Ron Burke has four of the fillies in the field, with a few that are more raced seven times with her best starting position post five. She drew than capable. As for Grace Hill, who has taken all three of the Penn- post 10 in two Meadowlands stakes appearances and posts eight and sylvania Sire Stakes preliminaries she appeared in, the major ques- seven in two other stakes races. Given clear sailing in her last start, tion is what has she done lately? The answer is she hasn’t raced since Baby Your The Best was vicious winning a Kentucky Sire Stakes at August 10 when she captured a bitterly-fought division at Pocono by The Red Mile in a career-best 1:50 1/5 clocking. She will be joined by a nose. That nose was just ahead of Continualou, a Burke ownership her richer stablemate in the Linda Toscano barn, Rocknificent (post homebred that may be every bit her equal. While Grace Hill has been 5). On the board in all eight starts this year, Rocknificent has never off the track, Continualou put in a huge mile while finishing seventh faced Party Girl Hill in her career. Rocknificent tuned up for the final in a hotly-contested single Sire Stakes dash last Friday. That Joe accepting a two-hole journey and finishing second behind JK First Bongiorno returns to the bike makes Continualou (post 6) a major Lady in a Pennsylvania All Stars division at Pocono. player in this field. Trainer Linda Toscano does have a logical choice Adding serious punch to this field will be JK First Lady (post 6), a in this group with Marsala Hanover (post 2), a daughter of Captaint- homebred daughter of Western Ideal from former Horse of the Year JK reacherous. Marsala Hanover has shown that she can sit and she can She’salady, and last year’s divisional champion Lyons Sentinel (post sprint, and that should work to Scott Zeron’s advantage in this group. 7), who has just one victory in six starts this year but five second-place Marsala Hanover was able to overcome a Burke barrage in last week’s finishes, including an epic overland journey in the Mistletoe Shalee. Sire Stakes leg and she will likely have to do so again. Let’s not give less mention to Party Girl Hill, the winner of last Of Sunday’s four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship events Saturday’s Fan Hanover at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Trainer Chris for 3-year-olds, race 12 is the one that is likely to get the most atten- Ryder has been associated with many champion-caliber fillies, with tion and not just because the undefeated Party Girl Hill is in the race. Put On A Show and I Luv The Nitelife a pair that stood above the While on paper having drawn the pole position it would be easy to crowd as 3-year-olds. Should Party Girl Hill defeat this incredible convince oneself that Party Girl Hill is a lock in this field, but that collection of sophomores and remain unbeaten, she could very well couldn’t be further from reality. Despite an unblemished record thus exceed Ryder’s past stars.