Pocono: Favorites prevail in PA All-Stars

Saturday's card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono featured the last of the Pennsylvania All-Stars races for the year, with two $35,000 divisions for 3-year-old pacing fillies, ahead of their $253,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship at the track next Saturday. The winners were horses who parlayed rail trips into checks in the Lynch Memorial Championship last Saturday.

The faster winner was the Sweet Lou filly Chase Lounge, who led at every call, then flashed home in 27 2/5 to hold off pocket-sitting Milieu Hanover by a neck in a lifetime-best 1:50 4/5. Just a half-length behind Grace Hill in a Sire Stake two starts ago, Chase Lounge was driven today by Tyler Buter, who along with Jason Bartlett, had three wins on the card, for trainer Rollie Mallar and owner William Hartt.

In the other section, the Somebeachsomewhere filly Thebeachiscalling, third in the Lynch, followed early brusher Darby Hanover, went on past that one, and retained control to the wire, besting that rival by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:51, with a 27 1/5 last quarter. Matt Kakaley had the driving assignment behind the winner of $283,522 for trainer Chris Ryder and Bella Racing LTD.

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In other action, Hambletonian Oaks winner Bella Bellini, making her first start since winning that classic three weeks ago, got away last against very tough opposition and made up a little ground but not enough as Big Oil, a son of Father Patrick, sped to a 1:5 3/5 lifetime-best in a $19,300 fast-class trot.

Big Oil, who set a world record for the fastest trot dead-heat ever when he tied with Real Cool Sam in 1:52 1/5 at Lexington in 2019, beat that mark by taking control of this race from the start, laying down quick splits of 26 1/5, 55, and 1:23 1/5, with Bella Bellini trying to get close uncovered, but coming up short. Andy Miller kept Big Oil burning to the wire to be 1 1/2 lengths clear over the mare P L Notsonice while going three-fifths of a second faster than the Oaks. Bella Bellini was timed in 1:52 3/5, just two-fifths behind her Oaks-winning time, off three weeks, on a five-eighth mile track, and uncovered from the outside post against veteran stock.

Team Orange Crush - driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie - are the braintrust behind Big Oil, the winner of $255,081, who is owned by Jason, Douglas, and Ronald Allen.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--