Pocono: Elista Hanover rallies to Weiss Series title

The International Moni sophomore filly Elista Hanover, racing in third-over position down the backstretch and still sixth at the stretch call, found her best strides late to easily win the $50,000 Bobby Weiss Trotting Series Championship at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania Tuesday afternoon, with her new mark of 1:53 1/5 also equaling the fastest trotting mile of the season at the mountain track.

Elista Hanover, starting from post four for driver David Miller, saw several of her rivals argue contentiously throughout fractions of 27 2/5, 56 1/5 and 1:24 2/5, then utilized a potent late kick to draw off to a three length decision over Tove Palema, who caught much of the worst of the early battle from her starting spot of post eight. Elista Hanover had won in the first two prelims of the Weiss, then took last week off, but she certainly showed her "A" game Tuesday for trainer Annie Stoebe, co-owner with R. Lynn and Philomena Curry.

The 1:53 1/5 local trotting standard for 2024 had first been posted by Fight Song on April 9, and then was equaled by the very same trotter in the second race of Tuesday afternoon, with Anthony Napolitano bottoming out the field with the Kadabra gelding as he won his fourth race in his last five starts. Deborah Daguet trains the speedy diamondgaiter for the partnership of Donald Mac Rae and Daguet Racing LLC.

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A $20,000 Weiss Consolation event was won by the Walner filly Sister Diane, coming up the Pocono Pike to break her maiden with a 1:56 4/5 tally for trainer Ake Svanstedt and the ownership of Stable Why Not and Ake Svanstedt Inc. Sister Diane was driven by Andy Miller, top pilot on the day with three winners; his other two success stories are trained by his wife Julie.

There will be no live racing at Pocono this Kentucky Derby Saturday, but the day afterward Sunday racing returns to the Pocono program, with a first post of 6 p.m. This program will also mark the return of the stakes program for Pennsylvania-sired horses, as there will be three $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--