Pocono: Manchego preps with strong qualifier

A trio of distinguished mares, with lifetime earnings of $4,684,907, put in distinguished appearances during Wednesday morning racing at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono -- and all three of them were trained by Nancy Takter.

The biggest earner ($3,142,936) in the group is the Muscle Hill 6-year-old Manchego, currently #1 in the Top Ten polls. Dexter Dunn came to Pocono to drive and he sent Manchego to the front in very moderate splits of 29 4/5 and 58.3, then shifted into a faster gear and the mare hit the three-quarters in 1:25 3/5 and the finish in 1:53 1/5. She remains in fine shape for Black Horse Racing and fans eagerly await a matchup with archrival Atlanta, who won the Sebastian K S Invitational here this past Saturday in a track record 1:50 1/5.

There are 12 horses declared in the Roses Are Red pace for mares at Woodbine Mohawk Park a week from Saturday. Nine will go in a prep race there this Saturday; a tenth, divisional leader Lyons Sentinel, beat male rivals at Philly this past Sunday in 1:50; and the other two, JK First Lady ($853,900) and Peaky Sneaky ($688,071), were in their own private qualifier at Pocono on Wednesday. JK First Lady, a daughter of Western Ideal out of former Horse of the Year JK She'salady, rallied out of the pocket for Dunn, Takter, and 3 Brothers Stables to catch Peaky Sneaky (Matt Kakaley) by a half-length in 1:50 3/5 after the latter had put up splits of 28, 56, and 1:23 3/5.

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These qualifiers (no sound) can be seen through the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's website on YouTube here.

-edited release (Pocono/PHHA)