Pocono: Lyons Legend, Geocentric now two-for-two in PA Sire Stakes

Both Lyons Legend and Geocentric notched their second straight Pennsylvania Sire Stakes wins among the four divisions of the $168,864 second prelim PaSS event for 2-year-old pacing fillies, and both the repeaters at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania Sunday were guided by the Driver of the Weekend, Tim Tetrick.

Surprisingly, neither of these two winners took a lifetime mark, as they had gone faster in afternoon Sires action at The Meadows. Lyons Legend will get top billing here because she was the faster of the two this night at 1:52 4/5, and because she is now perfect in three purse stats. The daughter of Stay Hungry-Skinny Dip let the dust settle to the 28 1/5 quarter, moved and took over the top at the 57 2/5 midway point, maintained control past a 1:25 3/5 three-quarters, then came home in 27 1/5 for trainer Jim King Jr. and Threelyonsracing.

Geocentric, a daughter of Sweet Lou-Geometry, was looped early and got command by the 28 3/5 quarter, got a breather to the half in 58 2/5, then stepped up the pace so that the timer read 1:26 3/5 at the three-quarters and 1:53 1/5 at the wire - her own back fractions in 54 4/5 - 26 3/5. Geocentric has now won both of her starts for trainer Brian Brown and the partnership of Milt Leeman, Alan Keith, Jim Stambaugh, and Joe Sbrocco.

Tying Lyons Legend at 1:52 4/5 for fastest Sires mile of the night was the Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace freshman Caviart Belle, who took the top early for Yannick Gingras and posted fractions of 28 2/5, 57 2/5 and 1:26, sprinting home in 26 4/5 for a lifetime mark. Second in a Kindergarten event in her only other purse start, Caviart Belle is trained by Nancy Takter for Caviart Farms.

Crashing the Sire Stakes winner's circle party as the longest (38-1) shot in her division, Canigetalouploup lowered her mark to 1:54 3/5 in her second purse victory. David Miller worked out a good inside trip with the daughter of Sweet Lou (a PaSS double)-Continual Velocity behind fractions of 28 2/5, 58 3/5 and 1:27, then kicked home sharply into the 27 3/5 last quarter to post the upset for people not normally associated with equine outsiders – driver David Miller, trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC. and Weaver Bruscemi LLC., Larry Karr, and Phil Collura.

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All four of the Sire Stakes were won by 1 1/2 lengths or more; four of the five $20,000 companion Stallion Series divisions were decided by a neck. The fastest StS winner was the only one to have had a purse start before Sunday, the Stay Hungry-Dance Until Dawn miss Stayinforthedance. She was also an upsetter, being dismissed at 22-1 yet winning in 1:54 1/5 for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Joseph Lucas, co-owner with At The Wire Farms.

Andrew McCarthy drove two of the successful Stallion Series fillies: the Sweet Lou-Caviart Sarah distaff Caviart Sophie, a 1:55 2/5 winner for trainer Tony Alagna and Caviart Farms, and Bares All, a daughter of Heston Blue Chip-Skinny Dipper (not Skinny Dip, who is Lyons Legend's dam) whose 1:55 4/5 victory for trainer Robert Cleary and Let It Ride Stables Inc. was accomplished by the "luxurious" margin of a half-length.

Capatintreacherous is the sire of Shebebakin Hanover (out of the great mare Shebestingin), who won her StS section in 1:55 1/5 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Nifty Norman, and Pinske Stables, Yankeeland Partners LLP., and David J. Miller. And a son of "The Captain," first-crop sire Captain Crunch, got the other production credit in the PaStS with Duffy's Opinion (dam Strong Opinion), home first in 1:54 4/5 for driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Brett Pelling, and owner David McDuffee.

The racing week at Pocono will continue with cards on Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m, with a Pick 5 carryover of $1,702.15 carryover into Monday's sequence on races eight through 12.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--