Pocono: Ms Prada, Elaine T S victorious in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes

$162,166 was contested among Pennsylvania-sired 3-year-old trotting fillies on Sunday night at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with two divisions of Sire Stakes and three sections of Stallion Series action in the group's second preliminary round over a track re-rated to "fast" after being listed "wet-fast" early.

The faster Sire Stakes section went to the Greenshoe filly Ms Prada, who has now won two straight outings and here reduced her mark to 1:53 4/5. Yannick Gingras bypassed an early hole to get the lead, and was willing to pay a 26 4/5 price to get control. After soft middle numbers of 56 1/5 and 1:25, Ms Prada held off a late inside thrust by favored Hangover, a first leg PaSS winner who rode the rail all the way after 20 days off and still made a good race of it, beaten only 1 1/4 lengths. Ms Prada was the second half of a giant stakes weekend for trainer Ron Burke, who conditions this four-time seasonal winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC., Beasty LLC., Joseph Di Scala Jr., and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.

Like her Ake Svanstedt stablemate Hangover, Elaine T S was coming off a 20-day rest, but she was able to win off the time away and surprised the crowd with a $69.80 victory while lowering her mark to 1:54 1/5. Favored invader Divine Thing made two moves to control the tempo of 26 3/5, 56, and 1:25 2/5, but when the Southwind Frank filly Elaine T S came up first-over and challenged, the chalk lost gait, and Elaine T S was clear after that. Italian-bred Goodgirl Bi, in the pocket and then avoiding interference, came on for second, 1 1/4 lengths off the winner and ahead of first round Sires winner Payback Moni. Svanstedt drove and trains the surpriser for Brochart Stable Inc., Ecuries Diocles AB, and Ake Svanstedt Inc.

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In the Stallion Series, the Father Patrick filly Per Capita became the only two-time winner among this stakes group of fillies so far, coming out of the pocket to just catch another first round winner, Tally The Tab, by a nose while covering the mile in 1:57 1/5. Brady Brown kept his filly steady late to work to the win for trainer Steve Schoeffel and owners Kathy Schoeffel, King Fam Stable, and Mary Owlett.

The Greenshoe miss Dearly Beloved might ultimately prove the one to beat in these Stallion Series races as, with only two races since her 1:53 4/5 Weiss Series Consolation win on April 28, she dug deep late and was along in 1:54 3/5 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Jenny Melander, and owner Donald Bartling. Dearly Beloved went to early command, yielded to race favorite Bay Breeze Hanover at the half and sat in the two-hole, then wheeled outside and finished strongly for the victory, with Santa Cristina, a first round winner, photoing the chalk out for second.

The Cantab Hall filly Tabdone made a successful stakes debut for the red-hot Trond Smedshammer barn in 1:54 4/5, going right to the lead and backing off the pace, then sprinting home in 27 3/5 well ahead of the rest. The filly, unraced at two, now has three wins and three seconds in six starts for driver-trainer Smedshammer and his principal owner Purple Haze Stables LLC.

The big stakes card also featured a $25,000 fast-class handicap trot, with Aetos Kronos S, despite starting from the outside post seven, trotting the fastest mile of the year at Pocono, 1:52 2/5, while winning handily. Resolve To Win forced a foe to tuck by the 28 second quarter; Southwind Coors took over shortly thereafter, with Aetos Kronos S and Dexter Dunn then proceeding forward to the lead into turn two, before the 56 3/5 half. The three-quarters came and went in 1:24 2/5, and no one could make a dent into the Maxie Lee Invitational winner's lead in the last stanza, with Southwind Coors just lasting over Resolve To Win for the deuce. Aetos Kronos S, a son of Bold Eagle and now four-for-five Stateside, is trained by Marcus Melander for Jeffrey and Michael Snyder, and has now won $1,464,041 lifetime.

Pocono will be presenting 1 p.m. cards on both Monday and Tuesday.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--