Harrah's Philadelphia: Dunn, Melander sweep PA Sire Stakes with Birr Castle, Two Day Hangover

There were two divisions of 2-year-old trotting fillies racing in preliminary number two of the group's Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action on Thursday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia. The two winners shared an amazing number of similarities: trainer Marcus Melander, driver Dexter Dunn, sire Captain Corey, being laid off for 23 days, favoritism, lowering their lifetime-bests, staying undefeated and setting a track record for their group. The one place there wasn't agreement was in the times: Birr Castle won the first grouping in 1:53 4/5 to equal the Philly divisional track standard, and then Two Day Hangover stopped the clock in 1:53 3/5 in the second cut to take sole possession of the record.

To recap chronologically, Birr Castle (dam Melania), who had been victorious in the first PaSS prelim round, recorded her success before her stablemate, going right to the lead and setting fractions of 27 2/5, 57 seconds and 1:25 2/5, then holding off a late challenge from pocket-sitter Orinoco by three-quarters of a length for Pheasant Hill Farm (Ed Lohmeyer). The time of 1:53 4/5 equaled the mark of Country Victory (2024) and Ginger Hill Lex, who got her share of the record becoming last year's Sires champ in this division; this victory pushed Birr Castle's record to staying unblemished after three starts, with her other win in a Pennsylvania All-Stars race.

Those three lost their shared line in the local books 68 minutes later when Two Day Hangover (dam Sherry Lyns Lady, whose second dam was the famous D Train) captured the second division while lowering the record. With leavers to both sides of her, Dunn decided to duck "Two Day" into fourth early, and after fractions of 27 2/5 and 57 3/5 came uncovered. The new record-holder, whose only other start was also an All-Stars success, gained ground to the 1:25 4/5 three-quarters, gained more around the turn and into the stretch to take the lead, and won off by 2 1/2 lengths for Brittany Farms LLC. and Marvin Katz LLC.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

The five $20,000 complementary Stallion Series divisions, which brought the day's stakes purses to $211,892, had some commonalities too: the winners all established lifetime-bests (four of them maiden marks), and none of the five were the crowd's choices. The fastest StS winner was the only non-maiden, Opa Mearas S (International Moni-Lily Kronos IT), a 1:55 winner for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Nicklas Andersen, and Snogarps Gard Inc.

McCarthy gained a second StS win with Sevenoops Hanover (Greenshoe-Sevenopper), a 1:57 winner for trainer Petter Engblom and Engblom Farm LLC., Evans Nation, and Hickory Hollow Stables.

Trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer also doubled in the Stallion Series: giving International Moni a second siring credit with Southwind Galli (dam Southwind Gilly), a 1:58 3/5 winner for American Viking Racing Stable and M3 Racing Stable, and with the debutante Sevecorey (Captain Corey-Seven Wood), home in 1:58 for Purple Haze Stables LLC.

Captain Corey got a second StS siring winner, and a fourth stakes win on the day, when T'wouldmakemesing (dam Woman Of Power) avoided wholesale early confusion en route to a 1:56 2/5 victory for driver Trae Porter, trainer George Ducharme, and FTM Racing Stable LLC.

All fifteen races on Thursday were for trotters, and the highest classes had their weekly features, both won by driver Yannick Gingras. Developing horses, going for $14,000, were fronted by $76.80 winner Captain Parker, a Musical Rhythm gelding who dropped his mark to 1:53 for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and owners Barbara Boese and Wendy Crissman. A $13,000 handicap for fast-class established horses went to the Wishing Stone gelding Guido Di, coming east from The Meadows and promptly winning in 1:53 for trainer Steve Schoeffel and owners Kathy Schoeffel, Lewis Falton, and Marian Schilling.

Yannick Gingras was the big human winner on the day with four sulky successes, two of which were for the new Hall of Famer Ake Svanstedt (one of Svanstedt's was with fellow new Hall of Famer Al Libfeld as a partner). Trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer doubled; trainer Nicklas Andersen had his winners driven by Andrew McCarthy and Philly leader Tim Tetrick, each of whom also had two; and of course the featured Marcus Melander-Dexter Dunn combo.

Distaffs have the spotlight on Philly's 12:25 card on Friday; on Sunday at 12:40 there will be PA-sired action for the 2-year-old pacing filly set. And, of course, you can watch and wager on the big Hambletonian Day card at the Meadowlands Saturday, which begins at noon, through the track's simulcasting system.

--press release (PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)--