Pocono: PA Sire Stakes prelims conclude for 2YO filly trotters

Two-year-old trotting fillies met in their fourth and final preliminary leg of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series on Monday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, looking to secure themselves a spot in their upcoming rich Championship events as the track surface slowly improved throughout the day.

Daughters of Greenshoe won both of the $79,569 Sire Stakes divisions. Princess Jackie (dam Frisky Magic) became the only three-time Sire Stakes winner (one at every track) when she took a new mark of 1:55 over a track then rated "good." Jim Marohn Jr. moved the filly to the top after a 28 4/5 opener, established a clear lead at the 57 second half, dealt with the first-over Ms Prada before and after the 1:25 4/5 three-quarters, then withstood the pocket-sitter Seal The Deal AS by half a length. Princess Jackie, now four-for-five in her brief career, has earned $128,661 just in the Sire Stakes for trainer-owner D. R. Ackerman.

The track had been rerated to "fast" by the time Divine Thing (dam A Thing Goin On) was victorious in 1:54 4/5, just a tick beyond her time in winning a Meadows Sire Stake in her last outing. David Miller guided Divine Thing to the pocket amidst some early confusion and was content to wait while Country Victory laid down splits of 27 4/5, 57 3/5 and 1:26 3/5. Divine Thing then came her own last quarter in 27 4/5 to win by a half-length over the pace-setter for trainer Steve Carter and the partnership of Jay Mossbarger, Brent Hopper and Kyle Gray, for whom the filly has won $105,823 in the PaSS and also has a victory in the Kentucky program.

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After four $20,000 divisions of Stallion Series events on Monday, another daughter of Greenshoe, Saints Preserve Us (dam Firm To Stay) remained undefeated in three lifetime starts, all of them Stallion Series races (and one at each state pari-mutuel oval) with a 1:56 2/5 lifetime mark after the track had been upgraded to "good." Matt Kakaley guided Saints Preserve Us for trainer Jim Campbell and Runthetable Stables.

Saints Preserve Us was in fact the only filly among the Stallion Series winners to have won before Monday, in the StS or at all in their young careers. The biggest surprise among the maiden-breakers was the Southwind Frank-Andovermizbrenda filly Bizzy Brenda, who took her cut at a $124.40 mutuel, second-highest of the year at Pocono. Trained by Karen Garland, Bizzy Brenda was driven by Steve Smith to a maiden mark of 1:57 3/5 (good track), and Smith is also co-owner with Joseph Di Leo.

The track was still rated "sloppy" for the first two Stallion Series contests. Southwind Frank picked up another StS credit when Serena's Girl (dam Muscle Work) got her first win in 1:57 1/5 for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt and Little E LLC. Can It Be Magic, a daughter of Cantab Hall-Blonde Magic, also earned her first victory in the other Stallion Series cut, also posting a time of 1:57 1/5 for driver Mike Wilder, trainer Dan Altmeyer, and the ownership of Ruth Altmeyer, June and Thomas Durand, and Heather Wilder.

Tuesday's 1 p.m. program closes out Sun Stakes Saturday week at Pocono, with a $15,000 feature for developing horses on each gait to be featured, along with a carryover in the fifth race Pick 5 wager.

--press release (PHHA/Pocono)--