PHHA / Pocono

WILKES-BARRE PA – The favorites got the job done impressively in each of three $35,000 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars event for two-year-old pacing colts during the Sunday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Nancy Takter each accounted for two of three divisions – though they teamed behind only one winner. That would be Wearinmysixshooter, a son of Captaintreacherous and the first foal of Just Like Kate, who has maternal generations of talented relations. Wearinmysixshooter won by only a neck, and went in “only” 1:53.2, but the victory showed the importance of fractions – Birthday got away with his own pace of :28.4, :58.2, and 1:26.4, but Wearinmysixshooter could quickly find a supersonic last 1/8 to catch the game pacesetter, coming his own back fractions in :54.3 - :26.1. A winner in a Pennsylvania Sire Stake in his only other purse start, Wearinmysixshooter is owned by Perry Soderberg.

Captaintreacherous is also a part of the pedigree of the other Tetrick winner, the Sweet Lou gelding JM’s Finaltreasure, who like the “Captain” has Worldly Treasure as his dam. JM’s Finaltreasure went patiently guided to the top after the :27.1 opener, rested to the half in :56.2, resisted a first-over challenge to the 1:24.3 three-quarters, and then paced home in :27.3 to finish in 1:52.1, a new mark. Ron Burke trains the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, along with J&T Silva – Purnel & Libby and Phil Collura. JM’s Finaltreasure had previously won a Home Grown division in 1:53.4 - :25.4 and then missed a head to Idid It Myway in a Sire Stakes contest.

Nancy Takter’s second All-Star was a Sweet Lou colt out of the champion mare Economy Terror and thus a half brother to One Eight Hundred, Market Based. Dexter Dunn allowed the youngster to work to the lead past the :27.2 quarter, hung up middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:25, then hustled the horse home in :27.1 to take a new mark of 1:52.1. In his only other purse start (after a pair of 1:55 baby race wins) Market Based had the bad luck of suffering an interference break, but the freshman showed no ill effects and exhibited much talent, downshifting in early stretch impressively in winning here for Chuck Pompey, Ed Gold, and H&M Taylor Stable.