Pocono: Team Miller takes aim at Weiss Series on Saturday

The Bobby Weiss Series for 3-year-old pacers kicks off on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania with three $20,000 divisions for sophomore fillies and six divisions slated for their male counterparts interspersed among 15 races on the program that begins at 1:00 p.m. (EDT). Driver Marcus Miller's season gets into gear this weekend as he readies to drive a few sophomores from his dad Erv's collection of stakes contenders.

Mystic Bell will be the first starter for Miller on the program (race two), and the New York-sired filly by American Ideal makes her second career start following a third-place finish in her career debut at Pocono on March 25.

"She did everything I asked her to," said Miller of the filly that drew post seven in her debut, then paced home in 26 3/5 to finish third behind a filly she'll face again on Saturday by the name of Beautiful Roz.

Mystic Bell was a $87,000 purchase at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale in 2022 and was unraced as a 2-year-old. Miller suggested that many of the sophomores he'll be driving for his dad showed talent training down as 2-year-olds but were immature, with the conditioner giving them time to develop before sending them to the racetrack. Mystic Bell is the ninth foal from the $374K winner and 100 percent producer Hypnotize. She's a half-sister to the $614K winner Blank Stare.

Mystic Bell will have competition outside of her pole position with Beautiful Roz, a $260,000 yearling daughter of Always B Miki (post four), and Paper Heart (post six), a daughter of Heston Blue Chip with five wins to her credit this year. Top trainer Per Engblom sends out the New Jersey-bred Pull Through (post eight) for her soph debut following a pair of winning qualifiers at Pocono.

Miller sits behind Lazaruls (post four) in race six, the second Weiss division for colts and geldings.

"He was a little grabby in the first qualifier," said Miller of the Jacob Hartline trainee. "Jacob made some changes and he was better in the second."

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Miller sounded excited to be sitting behind a pair of colts going in the fourth Weiss division (Lounar Eclipse, race 11) and the sixth (Port Royal Hanover, race 13).

Lounar Eclipse will make his pari-mutuel debut two days before the Solar Eclipse on Monday, and Miller is hoping to get him some experience while getting a good share of the purse.

"He's got wicked quick speed," said Miller, who drove Lounar Eclipse in a qualifier at Pocono on March 27. "I took it easy with him through the final turn, and then he just took off like he was shot out of a cannon."

Lounar Eclipse, a $180,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase in 2022, is a Sweet Lou-sired half-brother to the $2.1 million winner Bythemissal and just the third foal from the dam.

"Drawing outside is tough but I'm going to try to give him a trip where he finishes strong," said Miller.

Lounar Eclipse faces six rivals, with Ante Up Hanover (post four) the 5-2 morning-line choice. Despite nine wins as a 2-year-old, Ante Up Hanover remained eligible to the Weiss (NW2 pari-mutuel races) due to his wins coming on the Pennsylvania Fair circuit with no wagering permitted. Swifty Lazar (post one) was one that the Burke stable had high hopes for as a freshman but went winless in seven tries while racing at the top level of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program.

Port Royal Hanover (post six) will be making his career debut in the final Weiss division for colts and geldings, and Miller liked what he saw and felt driving the Captaintreacherous-sired colt in his qualifier on March 27.

"He feels like a big brute," Miller said of the $170,000 yearling purchase that paced a final half of 55 seconds while winning his qualifier in 1:55 here at Pocono. Port Royal Hanover previously qualified in Florida in 1:59 with a back-half of 56 seconds before shipping north.

Port Royal Hanover is a Captaintreacherous-sired half-brother to first-crop stallion Papi Rob Hanover and just the sixth foal from the mare Panera Hanover. The Erv Miller trainee faces six rivals in his division, with Ain't Nostopn Time (post seven), a Lazurus-sired half-brother to Always B Miki, making his third start for trainer Per Engblom after a purchase in early March. Ain't Nostopn Time has been an impressive winner at Yonkers, winning in 1:54 3/5 in his most recent start on March 26.

Perhaps one of the better contests on the Saturday program comes in race 10, the third Weiss division for colts and geldings, with Sweet Beach Life (post five), a 1:51 4/5 winner in his sophomore debut at Pocono on March 26, facing a solid group. Bonaparte (post one) won his first lifetime start at Pocono back on March 5 in 1:52 4/5 before taking on tougher competition at the Meadowlands. The Bettors Wish-sired gelding gets his first good draw of the year.

The Bobby Weiss Series will be contested with three preliminary legs (April 6, 13, 20) and the top point earners returning for the $50,000 guaranteed finals on April 27.