Pocono: Trotting fillies to compete in PA-sired races Sunday

The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes / Stallion Series for 3-year-old trotting fillies makes its stop at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during Sunday's twilight card, with this third preliminary leg consisting of two Sire Stakes divisions in races 10 and 11 and three Stallion Series cuts in races 7, 9, and 12.

The biggest question in race 10 is whether the Donato Hanover filly Anoka Hanover can regain her winning ways. Last year's Dan Patch award winner won her seasonal debut at Philly while tying the divisional track record in 1:52 3/5, but then on a sloppy track at The Meadows last Saturday she never got going into the race and finished back. Driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Noel Daley are hoping that day was an aberration as Anoka Hanover starts from post one in a field of seven.

You Ato Dream, also a daughter of Donato Hanover, has won both of her Sire Stakes races so far, at odds of 12-1 and 23-1, but it's not likely that that kind of price will be available Sunday as the Jeff Gregory- trained and -driven filly begins from post four.

In race 11, there are all sorts of fillies who earned distinction at 2 -- the PA Sire Stakes champion Flawless Country (by Southwind Frank, post two, trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt), Canadian star Donna Soprano (Donato Hanover, post six, driver Bob McClure, trainer Luc Blais), Breeders Crown winner Lady Chaos (Cantab Hall, the outside post eight, driver David Miller, trainer Linda Toscano), and Pennsylvania Stallion Series champion Love Muffin (Andover Hall, post six, driver Andy Miller, trainer Julie Miller).

If asked, just on those credentials, to pick the one out of the quartet who would win her first two Sire Stakes starts in 2021, one might not go for Love Muffin, but she's the filly from this division who will be going for her third straight. In fact, none of the others has a PaSS triumph to her credit this year.

In the three Stallion Series divisions, only Piper Hanover in race 9 has notched two 2021 victories against this type -- the only two wins of her career to date -- but six other single winners will be looking to raise their profiles with a repeat triumph.

Program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

-edited release (PHHA/Pocono)