"We're on a budget," said Mitchell York when asked about his yearling purchases over the last couple of years. For some a budget means six figure sums when selecting yearlings, for York and his wife Erin, the budget is significantly lower. Despite what would appear to be unfathomable odds, the Yorks found the winning formula, and this weekend will send out three impressive pacing colts in stakes action across Pennsylvania. Annapolis Hanover was one of the better freshmen in North America in 2022, but like most of those the Yorks purchase, had limited opportunity to showcase their talent outside of the Keystone State. York's budget doesn't just apply to purchasing horses. When stakes payments are due there is also the need to keep an eye on the bottom line, and few races outside of Pennsylvania are on the list for eligibility. When horses perform to the level of expectation and are good enough to race on the Pennsylvania Fair circuit, things work out ideally for the couple. Yet, when horses of the caliber of Annapolis Hanover and this year's currently undefeated Rose Run Zeke exceed expectations, the opportunity to capitalize becomes an issue. Following Annapolis Hanover's impressive juvenile season, the couple anted up for the sophomore campaign, making the Stay Hungry-sired gelding eligible outside their home base in western Pennsylvania, venturing into Ontario where the horse could race in the Somebeachsomewhere and then North America Cup trials a week later. It was an ambitious move to say the least, but following a brilliant freshman campaign that saw seven wins in 11 trips to post, the $15,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase from 2021 deserved the opportunity. Annapolis Hanover rose to the occasion in his first venture outside of Pennsylvania, posting a 1:49 3/5 mile in capturing a division of the Somebeachsomewhere on June 3. A week later the results were not as impressive as Annapolis Hanover would struggle in the North America Cup trials at Woodbine Mohawk Park and fail to make the final. York returned three weeks later to chase the MGM Grand Messenger Stakes at MGM Yonkers Raceway but once again Annapolis Hanover didn't have a finishing kick and faded in the stretch. Prior to his last two races Annapolis Hanover had never finished off-the-board. "We took blood after the Messenger and discovered he had Lyme Disease," said York. "I'm sure that had a lot to do with his race in the North America Cup as well." Treating the disease cost Annapolis Hanover some time, but York has him prepped for Saturday's Max Hempt Memorial at Pocono this Saturday and hopes the horse will be ready. "We had to give him a couple of weeks off to recover," said York. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Annapolis Hanover returned to action on August 1 with York addressing other lung-related issues with the addition of Lasix. Annapolis Hanover won a qualifier in 1:55 at The Meadows and then returned a week later over the same surface with a 1:53 1/5 effort in preparation for Saturday's contest. Annapolis Hanover's earnings kept him out of the $300,000 Max Hempt, but he'll go for $200,000 in the first consolation and has drawn post seven with Hunter Myers in the sulky. "It's a good group of horses," York said of the field Annapolis Hanover will get to race against on Saturday. Annapolis Hanover will be inside last year's Breeders Crown champion Ammo (post eight) but outside of some talented horses, including a pair of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes stars named Ken Hanover (post five) and Ervin Hanover (post six). Not surprisingly, Annapolis Hanover was the least expensive yearling purchase of those sold in the eighth race competition, but that's to be expected of those from the York stable. "I've got 15 horses in training, mostly for the Fairs," said York, who is pretty much looking for horses that will fit that circuit. "If they turn out better it's a bonus." With over $300,000 in the bank already, Annapolis Hanover has gone well beyond expectations, but York has a pair of freshmen in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program who will race in separate divisions of four on Friday night at The Meadows that could be on their way to bigger and better things. Rose Run Zeke, a gelded son of Stay Hungry that York purchased for $14,000 in last November's Harrisburg sale, has been quite impressive with five straight wins to start his racing career. York sensed he had something with more ability over the winter and altered his training just a little to find out a bit more. "We worked Rose Run Zeke a little faster than I normally do with my horses. I wanted to try to find out a little more so that we could pay him into some stake races," said York. Rose Run Zeke's training led York to put him in a few more races as a freshman, with the Matron at year's end the most lucrative. On August 8, Rose Run Zeke won his first Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race, blasting from post seven at Pocono and going wire-to-wire in a 1:51 3/5 career-best clocking for driver Hunter Myers. It was the third stakes win of the year for Rose Run Zeke, the first foal from a Western Vintage mare named Rose Run Ultimate. The pedigree, like perhaps most of York's stable, doesn't immediately pop off the page but therein lies the secret to the success story. Rose Run Zeke is a first foal from a mare that lacked success on the racetrack but is a sister to some solid-producing mares, most notably Transference, a Camluck-sired mare that gave us $1.1 million winner Traceur Hanover, and then from her first mating with Somebeachsomewhere offered the stakes-level Tyga Hanover. Rose Run Zeke's second dam National Gallery is a full sister to champion Galleria. Of note along these lines is that when mated to Somebeachsomewhere, Galleria produced the 2020 Breeders Crown sophomore pace winner Sandbetweenmytoes, a 203-1 shocker. While York saw Rose Run Zeke as his best 2-year-old, he's now been pleasantly surprised with the $14,000 yearling purchase named Aintbluenomore. "We didn't stake him," said York when referring to the son of Heston Blue Chip that motored to a 1:51 flat Pennslyvania Sire Stakes victory at The Meadows on July 22 and then was a pace-setting second in leg two at Pocono on August 8. With over $50K earned in just six career starts, Aintbluenomore appears to have more green in his future. A Lexington Selected yearling, Aintbluenomore is just the second foal from the Bettor's Delight-sired mare Jenna's Delight. Perhaps with a pedigree line that suggests more solid racehorses than stakes performers, York appears to have found a bargain capable of both. York did drive a little bit on the Fair circuit but is more than happy to hand the lines over. "I'll leave that to the professionals," York said when asked about driving his own. "I've crossed that off my bucket list." York expects to go back to the yearling sales this fall with a similar plan. "My wife really loves the sales part," York said. "We'll go with a budget and be looking for about six to buy."