Pocono: Jimdougie Armitage leads four-bagger for Svanstedt

The Ake Svanstedt stable sent out three winning sons of Captain Corey in PA-sired third preliminary round stakes action for 2-year-old trotting males Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, including the colt winners of both divisions of Sire Stakes events contested over a "sloppy" oval.

The quicker of the two, Jimdougie Armitage (dam Quick Bet), broke his maiden in fine style with a 1:55 1/5 victory. Svanstedt, elected to the Hall of Fame last week, was in the sulky behind the winner, coming first-over and still able to win by 2 3/4 lengths over Dream Shaq, who had to rebound from an early bobble as he sought his third straight PaSS win but had to settle for the deuce. Second in a PaSS event and third from post ten in a Kindergarten leg before Monday, Jimdougie Armitage graduated with flying colors for the ownership of S R F Stable, Knutsson Trotting Inc., Brochart Stable Inc, and Svanstedt & Midnight Sun.

Yankee Boss (dam Brigit Of Kildare) won in 1:56 3/5 just after a midcard storm changed the track from fast to sloppy, reducing his mark from a previous overnight win. The "Boss" was the boss after making the lead past the quarter, with his only end-stage challenger, Big Time Trot S, losing stride in the stretch while close enough to contend. Svanstedt drove "Big Time," which gave the catch-driving opportunity to a top driver, but one you might not associate with Ake's horses – Jonathan Roberts. The longtime Mid-Atlantic star is part of the horse's ownership of Kiwi Stables LLC. and Graham Grace Stables LLC., who are also partners in the millionaire pacer Beau Jangles.

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The other Svanstedt / Captain Corey connection was in the Stallion Series, which was conducted in four $20,000 divisions to swell the day's stakes money to $191,292. Hook N Reel (dam Flos Conch Shack) added a second victory in the Stallion Series series in back-to-back starts, the gelding winning in 1:57 3/5 (three of the StS races were held over fast going). Driver-trainer Svanstedt is also an owning partner with Brochart Stable and S R F Stable, giving those entities a second stakes ownership win. Svanstedt also won an overnight race to end his day with three sulky successes and four training triumphs.

Captain Corey earned a second PaStS credit and a fourth stakes victory on the day in the fastest StS cut, as the gelding Strapped (dam Borrow And Spend) ran his record to two-for-three with a new mark of 1:55 4/5 for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Nicholas Devita, and owners David Hamm and Glenn Phillips.

The other fast track Stallion Series contest went to the Greenshoe-Tuscany colt Scarpa, bringing Pocono's leading driver Tyler Buter a second stakes win while breaking his maiden in 1:57 3/5 for trainer Nifty Norman, whose Enzed Racing Stable Inc. shares ownership with Melvin Hartman.

Friday Night Fats, a Cantab Hall-Lovely Liv colt, also notched a second win in StS races, also in consecutive starts, with a 1:57 1/5 success over a surface which had gone over to sloppy. Mike Wilder drove the Matthew Burkholder trainee for Dark Horse Farm LLC.

Pocono will be hosting the $1.4M Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships on September 7, Labor Day Monday; the best of this card's horses should be on hand, as will many performers highlighting the Tuesday 1 p.m. (EDT) card, which has four $16,000 overnights for freshmen.

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