The second night of Grand Circuit Week at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, held Wednesday, featured 2-year-old pacing fillies grabbing the spotlight and producing the fastest times of the 2009 season for freshman fillies on a five-eighths-mile oval.
Hope Lane Hanover, an Allamerican Native-Harlow Hall filly trained by Randy Bendis and driven by Mike Simons, strutted her stuff with a front-end victory in the second division of six $25,000 W. N. Reynolds Memorial Stakes.
Leaving from the one post, Hope Lane Hanover wired the field, getting to the opening quarter in :27, half in :56.2, three-quarters in 1:24 before stopping the timer in 1:53.1. Second in this race was Rosie’s Pride (Andrew McCarthy) with third going to Manuo Cornuto (Jim Morrill Jr.).
“She’s scary fast,” Bendis told Simons prior to the race. Bendis also said she was the best filly he’s ever trained and she didn’t disappoint Wednesday night in the second division.
“I attempted to calm her down,” said Simons in the winner’s circle. “But she hit the sulky and really started to go. She’s a work in the progress.”
Later in the evening, it was Sand Windsor’s turn to strut her stuff, and this Real Artist-Time N Again youngster also didn’t disappoint. Brett Miller was in the bike with Sand Windsor, who won in 1:53.2 with Bordeaux Nourrir (Greg Grismore) second and Feel The Jolt (Joe Pavia Jr.) third.
A 17-1 long shot, All Heart Gal won the first division with Greg Grismore in the bike. Grismore gave the daughter of Allamerican Ingot-Nine Of Hearts a two-hole trip and beat front-runner Sammy’s Magic Girl (Miller) by a neck. Luis Porfilio trains All Heart Gal, now two-for-two lifetime after winning a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race at the Meadows in her only other start.
Miller also wound up sweeping the two divisions of the Reynolds for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters. In the first division, he piloted Wuthering Hanover to a head win over Magic Carpet Ride (DeWayne Minor) with Howthehaloareyou (McCarthy) third. Time of this mile was 1:54.3.
Jonas Czernyson trains Wuthering Hanover, a son of Andover Hall-Windswept Image and winner for the first time in 2009 on the third start of the season.
Czernyson and Miller also won the second division of the Reynolds sophomore trotters with Select Yankee. Select Yankee is a son of Yankee Glide-Fun For Us. Winning for the second time in four starts this year, he stopped the timer in 1:53.4, just three ticks off the world colt mark of 3-year-old Caviar Crown, established this past June 10 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs with Dave Palone in the bike. (Pocono Downs)