Pocono: Favorites reign in Pennsylvania All-Stars

The favorites got the job done impressively in each of three $30,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars event for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Nancy Takter each accounted for two of three divisions - though they teamed behind only one winner. That would be Wearinmysixshooter, a son of Captaintreacherous and the first foal of Just Like Kate, who has maternal generations of talented relations. Wearinmysixshooter won by only a neck, and went in "only" 1:53 2/5, but the victory showed the importance of fractions - Birthday got away with his own pace of 28 4/5, 58 2/5, and 1:26 4/5, but Wearinmysixshooter would quickly find a supersonic last eighth to catch the game pace-setter, coming his own back fractions in 54 3/5 - 26 1/5. A winner in a Pennsylvania Sire Stake in his only other purse start, Wearinmysixshooter is owned by Perry Soderberg.

Captaintreacherous is also a part of the pedigree of the other Tetrick winner, the Sweet Lou gelding JM's Finaltreasure, who like the "Captain," has Worldly Treasure as his dam. JM's Finaltreasure went patiently guided to the top after the 27 1/5 opener, rested to the half in 56 2/5, resisted a first-over challenge to the 1:24 3/5 three-quarters, and then paced home in 27 3/5 to finish in 1:52 1/5, a new mark. Ron Burke trains the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC., along with J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby and Phil Collura. JM's Finaltreasure had previously won a Home Grown division in 1:53 4/5 (25 4/5 last quarter), and then missed a head to I Did It Myway in a Sire Stakes contest.

Nancy Takter's second All-Star was Market Based, a Sweet Lou colt out of the champion mare Economy Terror, and thus a half-brother to One Eight Hundred. Dexter Dunn allowed the youngster to work to the lead past the 27 2/5 quarter, hung up middle fractions of 56 3/5 and 1:25, then hustled the horse home in 27 1/5 to take a new mark of 1:52 1/5. In his only other purse start (after a pair of 1:55 baby race wins), Market Based had the bad luck of suffering an interference break, but the freshman showed no ill effects and exhibited much talent, downshifting in early stretch impressively in winning here for Chuck Pompey, Ed Gold, and H&M Taylor Stable.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--