WILKES-BARRE PA – In winding up the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stakes races for the year at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon, the dominant players were the sophomore trotter Sir Pinocchio, who achieved one distinction while just missing two others in winning a division for his group in 1:51.4; trainer Åke Svanstedt, who sent out the divisional winners in the other three of the three-year-old diamondgaited action; and the pairing of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr., who swept the races for two-year-old pacing fillies.

In his division of the Ayres stake for his group, like the others carrying a $30,000 purse, the Met’s Hall gelding Sir Pinocchio made the lead early for driver Jason Bartlett and laid down rapid fractions of :27. :56.2, and 1:24.1, then came home in :27.3 to leave Bryant Bros S (yet another Svanstedt horse) 4½ lengths behind at the finish in the sensational win for trainer Ed Hart and owner Carolyn Atherton.

The clocking, on a cool day, was just a tick behind the Pocono track record for three-year-old trotting geldings recorded by Pinkman in 2015. It also was just a fifth behind the fastest trotting mile of the year at the northeast Pennsylvania track, a clocking shared by Sig Sauer (the Breeders Crown winner this past Saturday) and Warrawee Michelle (yet another Svanstedtite who equaled the filly track mark in that time). The clocking did lower Sir Pinocchio's lifetime record by a fifth.

Having already won the first three of the four divisions, the second-place check for Bryant Bros S meant the green, black, and white had to settle for $52,500 in stakes earnings, after winning two Crowns and $914,250 in Crown purses over the weekend.

Svanstedt himself drove two of the three Ayres winners from his barn: the faster was the front-ender Flying Kronos S, a Face Time Bourbon colt who flew home in :55.4 to win in 1:53, a new mark in a race where less than a length separated the first four finishers. Flying Kronos S is owned by Midnight Sun Partners Inc., Bruni Racing Team Inc., and Kronos Breeding Inc.

Åke also drove the Six Pack colt Mr Bluebird as he won in 1:54, also flying his back half in :55.4 in triumphing for Åke Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC, and Torbjorn Swahn Inc. Svanstedt drove another horse in the other trotting section, so frequent local Svanstedt deputy George Napolitano Jr. had the winning steer behind the Walner colt Southwind Metric, who continued on after his cover broke to win by three-quarters of a length in a lifetime best 1:53.4 for Westergaard Inc.

The Razzle Hanover was the stake for the baby pacing misses, and it carried at total purse of $100,200. The first division saw the Jim King barn go 1-2, and the other saw him send out finishers one and three.

First up was the Bettor’s Wish – Mcsauna miss Royally Hot, who has now strung together stakes wins in the Keystone Classic at The Meadows, the Liberty Bell stakes at Philly, and here her Simpson division in 1:53.2. Working gradually to the lead, Royally Hot had to keep the burners on late as she needed a :26.4 last quarter to stave off her barnmate Lyons Benz by half a length for Tim Tetrick LLC.

Pilar Hanover, a daughter of Papi Rob Hanover – Paula’s Best, also pulled off the Liberty Bell-Simpson double, authoritatively winning while recording a new lifetime speed mark of 1:51.2 for Jo Ann Looney-King and Paton Racing Inc. Beckoning Yankee got between the winner and her stablemate Lyons Anitasangel to thwart another 1-2 King finish.

The two multiple stakes-winning trainers were the only conditioners to have more than one win at Pocono on Monday, but no fewer than six drivers had a pair of victories: Jason Bartlett, Matt Kakaley, Napolitano Jr., Svanstedt, Tetrick, and Ridge Warren.

WILKES-BARRE PA – The John Simpson Sr. stakes series continued on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with $120,000 divided equally among four divisions of the Albatross three-year-old pace for males, and $117,010 distributed in three divisions of the Davidia Hanover for two-year-old trotting females.

Driver Tyler Buter, leading pilot on the day at Pocono with four visits to Victory Lane, teamed with trainer Nifty Norman for two wins among the stakes males. They both fulfilled he basic “blueprint” of the day’s stakes winners – be well-supported by the public, and race on or near the lead, that decision sometimes influenced by strong winds that varied in direction during the day.

The faster of the Buter/Norman successes were the Always B Miki gelding Its Saturday Night, who took a new mark of 1:51 on this Saturday afternoon. Its Saturday Night, the second choice, was used to make the lead, then pushed favorite Rush In to clear to the half and then sit a pocket journey. Buter kept the sophomore in behind the favorite until early stretch, then moved him out and ran down the chalk to win by the shortest possible margin for Dune Road Stables LLC.

The second of the pairing’s winners was the Bettor’s Wish gelding Wish You Well, who fit the “blueprint” in the opposite way from his stablemate: he was the favorite, and hr set the pace, getting his own fractions and holding on by a neck over the potential pocket rocket De La Hoya Hanover by a neck in 1:52.3. The winner, owned by Kovach Stables LLC, has now earned $485,440, tops among the card’s stakes winners.

Sire Bettor’s Wish got a second credit in this section when the gelding Arbitrage Hanover won for the ninth time in twelfth starts during 2024. Jack Pelling kept the favorite behind leading second choice Maxim Hanover for the meat of the mile, then turned his own last quarter in :27 to get home first by 2¾ lengths in 1:51.4 for trainer/father Brett Pelling and owners Pelling Racing LLC, Rojan Stables and Bridle Path Stables LTD.

The fastest Albatross winner was the Huntsville gelding Huntingforchrome, who shone in 1:50 while steaming home from the two-hole to catch Vengeance Blue Chip, bet to 1-2 vs. Huntingforchrome’s 2-1, by 1¾ lengths. The potent Pocono pairing of driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander combined to get a winning performance for NY Seb Inc.

The Davidia Hanover also saw a double win situation for a driver-trainer combo – driver Ridge Warren and trainer Marcus Melander, and again following the normal pattern of the day. The Gimpanzee-Zeta Wise AS miss and favorite Mimosatomartini S made every pole a winning one, setting her own pace then holding the pocketsitter Swoop by a half-length in 1:56.3 for Courant Inc.

Warren/Melander success also came to the Maharajah- Hot Mess Hanover filly Margareta Hanover, the odds-on favorite, in 1:56.4. Margareta Hanover was just behind a prolonged duel between pacesetter Halfadozen and Bouquet, then responded quickly when taken to the Pocono Pike and won by 1¼ lengths over the uncovered dueler for owner Russell Williams.

The fastest filly stakes winner broke her maiden while winning her cut in 1:56.2 – the Southwind Frank – Musical Morning miss Hangover. The winner’s five-horse field saw two horses break early and one starting to gap early, so this race was basically matchup between the winner and leading Princess Jackie, with the winner rallying to  a three quarters of a length margin on the money for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Åke Svanstedt, and the partnership of  Åke Svanstedt Inc., Joe Sbrocco &  JAF Racing LLC, Little E LLC, and Rivers Stable Inc. (And if we said that the winner was the third choice, especially in a five-horse field, the race still did follow the “bluepoint”: the favorite, who broke, was 3-2, the pacesetter was 8-5, and the winner was 9-5!).

On probably the last day the temperature will reach 80 degrees at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania for the next six months, Pressure Cooker (1:50) and Staying With Emily (1:50.2) won divisions of the $80,000 Hardie Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies, while the two-year-old pacing gelding Dandy Ideal equaled the local standard for his division, 1:50.3.

The Heston Blue Chip filly Pressure Cooker was away on the boil for driver George Napolitano Jr., getting to the quarter in :26.2, getting a breather to the half in :55.1, then rattling off successive :27.2 splits to be three lengths clear at the finish while taking a new mark. The winner of three of her last four, all in stakes company throughout Pennsylvania (PA Stallion Series Final at Philly, a Keystone stake at Meadows, and now a Simpson stake here), Pressure Cooker is trained by Linda Toscano for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Odds On Racing, and Mac Nichol.

The Stay Hungry filly Staying With Emily made her way forward after hotly-contested numbers of :26.4, :55.;2, and 1:22.2 in her Simpson division, then held off the horse on her back, Parkavenuelisa (denying trainer Toscano a stakes double), with a neck success. Tyler Buter handled driving duties for trainer Ron Burke and owner Brad Grant.

Not only did the freshman gelding Dandy Ideal (American Ideal – OK Heavenly) defeat older rivals on Tuesday afternoon, but driver Braxten Boyd had to use the baby three times, yet he still responded late to equal the Pocono sectional mark of Yankee Bounty (2014) and also become the current listee on the track record table achieving his place latest in the year. Jenny Melander conditions the precocious baby for Exceed Stables LLC.

The John Simpson Sr. stakes series started its 2024 run at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania during the Monday afternoon card. The two-year-old pacing gelding No Trespassing came within three-fifths of a second of the divisional track record with a 1:51.1 victory in one of two $58,000 events for his group, while Åke Svanstedt trained and drove two of the four winners in $30,000 sections of the stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies. Today’s races were called the Bret Hanover and the Elma, respectively (all Simpson divisions carry the name of a top horse with whom Simpson had some association throughout his Hall Of Fame career).

No Tresspassing, a son of  Sweet Lou – Flirtswell who in his last two outings missed a head in a “nw 2” race then was downed by a head in a Grand Circuit stake at Lexington, found himself on the right side of a photo on Monday. With the railshooting neck victory over Lochland Hanover while coming home himself in :54.3, No Tresspassing also came close to the ten-year-old divisional standard of Yankee Bounty at the mountain track while also recording a lifetime best. Jim Pantaleano guided the fast freshman for trainer Deborah Daguet and owners John Darrah and Lawrence Keethe.

The other division for freshman pacing males was won by the Papi Rob Hanover – Kiss Dont Bite colt Beach Club Monte in 1:52.1, a mark. The baby lost some ground to pacesetting favorite Inflation Proof on the far turn, then found better strides to run down the chalk by 1¼ lengths while himself closing in :55.1 for driver Tim Tetrick, and has now won two straight for trainer Brett Pelling and the partnership of South Merrick Stables and Andrew Berg.

The faster of Svanstedt’s pair of winners in the Elma for sophomore trotting misses (and the quickest sectional winner overall) was the Southwind Frank miss She Shaq, who lowered her mark to 1:53, going back numbers of :56.1 - :27.2. The winning diamondgaiter moved out raw nearing the far turn and overhauled favored frontstepper Sister Mary Maude by the day’s biggest stakes margin, 2½ lengths, for Åke Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC , and Matt Franklin.

The Swedish native also sent out the Six Pack distaff Cocktailwithakick, who set all the pace to hold off Fannie Lipkowitz by a half length, with the others far behind. Cocktailwithakick lowered her speed mark to 1:53.1 while also giving  Åke Svanstedt Inc., partners with  S R F Stable, an owning double.

Joining Cocktailwithakick as the only winning favorites in Monday stakes action at The Downs was Sapphirerainstar, who broke her maiden in her last start and here picked up a stakes victory while going a lifetime best of 1:53.4. After sitting behind leader Diamante Hanover most of the mile, the winning daughter of Walner passed that rival to win by a length for driver Simon Allard, trainer Mark Akins, and A 1 Racing.

Completing this sector’s quartet of winners was the Uncle Peter filly She’s Spicy, who fashioned a 1:54.4 victory after two breaks: one early by a foe which allowed her to race in the pocket, and another by the pacesetter, which gave her a clear chance to come up the inside to defeat closer Mon Ami Martine by three quarters of a length. Jason Bartlett drove the pupil of Per Engblom for Morrison Racing Stables.