Harness: PA Sire Stakes wraps up this weekend with rich finals

The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program will close out the 2022 season this weekend with The Meadows hosting four $253,000 finals on Saturday afternoon for sophomores of both sexes and gaits. On Sunday afternoon the scene shifts to Harrah's Philadelphia where 2-year-olds will be in action in a quartet of $252,000 finals to determine the year's best from the Keystone State.

Trainer Nancy Takter will be well-represented on Saturday afternoon with solid entries in three of the four championship races. Asked who she thought her best chance was of the five finalists, Takter said, "Keg Stand. He put in a big mile last week at The Red Mile. He's only had a few starts this year but he's getting better."

That's good news for the Takter stable and perhaps a tough pill to swallow for the eight rivals Keg Stand faces on Saturday afternoon. A son of Bar Hopping that required "entrapment" surgery earlier this year to help with his breathing, Keg Stand drew post six with Andrew McCarthy in the bike in Saturday's sixth race on The Meadows program that commences at 12:45 p.m.

"He didn't surprise me with his last effort. He may have surprised some other people," said Takter of the pace-setting second to Rebuff in an $80,000 Kentucky Championship Series event at The Red Mile this past Sunday (August 28). Keg Stand cut all the fractions and lost by a scant nose in a 1:51 4/5 mile.

"He's an overachiever," Takter said of Keg Stand, just a $30,000 bargain at the Harrisburg auction in 2020 that has earned over a quarter-million thus far in his career, and could add significantly to that on Saturday and in the weeks ahead.

Famous Father gives Takter a pair in the nine-horse field. The Father Patrick-sired homebred has but one win in nine tries this year. "I'd be happy if he gets a check," said Takter.

Takter also has a two-ply attack in the seventh race on Saturday, the $253,000 Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old pacing fillies, with Sweet Treasure (post one) and Treacherous Dragon (post nine) drawing the opposite sides of the spectrum.

"Treacherous Dragon is getting better," Takter said. "I'm not happy with post nine obviously, but I've put Dexter Dunn up to drive, and he'll have to figure it out."

After winning her first six starts this year, Treacherous Dragon's fortunes have struggled in her last four starts, though she hasn't been racing badly. In three of the four outings she ran into the buzzsaw that is Max Contract.

Of Sweet Treasure, Takter is more than happy with her progress. "She's a bit of a kooky filly," Takter said. "But she's got extremely high speed." While Takter likes both of her fillies, she felt that Captain Cowgirl (post four) was the likely horse to beat considering that Tim Tetrick elected to drive the filly for trainer Jim King Jr., thus leaving the vacancy for Takter to fill behind Treacherous Dragon.

The Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies (race nine) appears to be a toss-up on many fronts, and the homebred Mon Cheval (post two) appears to be in the right spot.

"I took her shoes off for the [Hambletonian] Oaks final and that sored her up," said Takter. "It usually helps 90 percent of the horses but not her."

With two weeks off after the Oaks, Mon Cheval returned with a reasonable fourth-place finish in the Delmonica Hanover on August 20 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono behind Hambletonian runner-up Joviality S.

Mad Max Hanover is the likely favorite in the $253,000 final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings after landing the pole position versus eight rivals in Saturday's tenth race at The Meadows.

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On Sunday, freshmen will be in action, and trainer Jim Campbell is hoping that his hot hand that propelled him to the greatest heights on the first weekend in August can continue on the first Sunday in September with a pair of prospects. Fashion Annie, a daughter of Donato Hanover (post seven), enters the $252,000 final at Harrah's Philadelphia (race four) with an even slate against likely favorite Bond (post two).

"We beat her one time and she's beaten us once," said Campbell. "I'm happy with the way my filly is coming into the race."

Fashion Annie has won three times and finished second in her other two starts during her freshman campaign and was a determined second behind Bond after that filly was able to control the pace in the August 21 final preliminary at Pocono.

Bond, a daughter of Southwind Frank, lost a nose decision to Fashion Annie when the pair met in a Kindergarten leg at the Meadowlands on August 5 but has since captured consecutive Sire Stakes races on her journey to the final.

Portulaca was a 1:55 3/5 winner in the last leg of the Sire Stakes at Harrah's Philadelphia on August 28, but the homebred by Donato Hanover landed the outside post eight in the field.

Campbell's Once In A Lifetime has already earned back twice his purchase price in just six starts this year and could be favored in the $252,000 final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Once In A Lifetime, a son of Father Patrick, has won his last two Sire Stakes races in convincing fashion with Tim Tetrick at the lines and drew post five for the final, carded as race 11.

"He's a very athletic colt," said Campbell. "Very racy."

Campbell chalked up a pair of miscues on the past performance lines to "greenness," suggesting that the colt has worked through his issues and is ready for the biggest race of his career this Sunday. "He's very well staked," said Campbell, with the idea that Once In A Lifetime has Grand Circuit aspirations.

The freshman trotting male division was led earlier this year by Crantini, a colt from the first crop of International Moni who captured his first two legs convincingly and then finished second behind Once In A Lifetime in the third leg. Crantini made a break in the August 26 leg at The Meadows and needs to rebound from post three on Sunday.

Beach Cowgirl hopes to remain unbeaten (post one) in the $252,000 final for juvenile pacing fillies (race five). That may not be as simple as the draw makes it look with the talented fillies My Little Captain (post six) and Proud Mary (post five) likely to have a say in the outcome.

On the pacing colt and gelding front, Annapolis Hanover (post three) and Fulton (post one) paced sub-1:51 miles respectively in separate Sire Stakes divisions at The Meadows on August 19 and should be well-supported in the $252,000 event (race 13). Lyons Surfing (post four) is a colt from the first crop of Stay Hungry that could spring an upset.

Sunday's post time at Harrah's Philadelphia is 12:40 p.m. for the 15-race card.