Dover: Super Chapter, Conversano triumph in Matrons for sophomore trotters

The Liberty Bell Stakes series continued on Friday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, with 3-year-old fillies on both gaits contesting a pair of $30,000 divisions. The "Ahle- Ake Show," driver Johnathan Ahle and trainer Ake Svanstedt, had a big day here on Thursday and continued on that success with the faster of the trotting winners, the Southwind Frank miss Hangover. She followed up a win in Pocono's Simpson Stakes with a Liberty Bell engine win by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:54 1/5. The co-owners of the victress are Ake Svanstedt Inc., Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Little E LLC., and Rivers Stable Inc. The other trotting winner, the Bar Hopping filly Bay Breeze Hanover, was the only one of the day's four stakes success stories who wasn't coming off a Simpson win (she was second to Hangover at Pocono), but bounced back to winning ways by taking a new mark of 1:54 2/5. A strong stretch headwind was a big factor on the day, but nevertheless this race had three across the wire, with Bay Breeze Hanover shooting the inside to defeat first-over Payback Moni by three-quarters of a length, with pace-setter Shes A Shoe In another neck back in third. Andrew McCarthy handled the winner for trainer Michael Seddon and owner Nick Shaw. The Bettor's Wish filly Time Of The Season and driver McCarthy saw a lot of early racetrack - she was four-wide, three-wide, two-wide, and finally one-wide and on top at the quarter - but she came home in 55 3/5 to be a clear winner in 1:52 1/5 in the faster pacing segment. Tim Twaddle conditions the winner of three of her last four for Birnam Wood Farms. Papi Rob Hanover, who sired both pacing winners Thursday, added another credit when his Gigglingonthebeach finished off a Liberty Bell-Simpson-Lynch Consolation I triple within her last four starts, going through the headwind in 27 3/5 after a pocket journey in a 1:52 2/5 mile. Asphalt, the pace-setter, was three-parts of a length off the winner, who was driven by George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Juan Cano and Hot Lead Farm. Mark Herschberger had three wins on the day; Andrew McCarthy had a stakes double as noted. Also with two wins were the pairing of driver Kyle DiBenedetto and trainer Bo Sowers, both newly-arrived from Monticello. Sunday's card at 12:40 will close out the Philly racing week; there will be Liberty Bell stakes action on both next Thursday and Friday.

Darlin’s Angel ran her win streak to four in winning one of seven $25,000 divisions of the fifth and final leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of each sex and gait Friday night at The Meadowlands. The four $125,000 Kindergarten finals take place on Saturday, Nov. 1. A daughter of Captaintreacherous-Darlin’s Delight, Darlin’s Angel got a late start in 2025, appearing for the first time in a Kindergarten preliminary, finishing fifth in a sparkling effort after leaving from the second tier on Aug. 23. “She had the 11 hole in her debut but she hit the line strong,” said Lauren Tritton, who has driven the Juan Cano trainee in each of her five career starts. “Since then, she’s just continued to improve.” Following that fifth-place finish, ‘Angel’ has given her foes a devil of a time, winning twice at Pocono Downs and twice at The Big M. She went wire-to-wire Friday night in the eighth race in the second of two filly paces in a never-an-anxious-moment stroll, and hit the wire 2¼-lengths in front of second-place finisher JK Fierce Lady. Heartofthesunrise was third. “She’s really smart,” said Tritton, the only female driver in history to win four races on a Meadowlands card. “She does nothing wrong. She tells me what she wants to do and I’m just along for the ride.” Because horses with three series starts are given preference, Darlin’s Angel may not go in the Kindergarten final (she has just two starts), but Tritton explained there’s another big fish to fry. “I think she’ll be a major player in the [$400,000] Three Diamonds [on Nov. 15].” As the 1-5 favorite, Darlin’s Angel, who is owned by Hot Lead Farm, returned $2.60 to her backers. Her final time of 1:51 was a lifetime best. Wave Dancer pulled off a 50-1 surprise in the first of two filly paces (race four) for driver Braxten Boyd and trainer Linda Toscano, winning for the first time in nine outings in 1:52 from well off the pace to nail even-money favorite Fabulous Hanover by a nose. Car Keys was third. “I didn’t know much about her. Linda said they have had problems that they have been working out,” said Boyd, who teamed up with the filly for the first time. “I took my time through the first turn and it worked out perfect. [I did not like my chances in deep stretch] but in the moment, she was pacing so hard. I thought we had a shot. She raced great.” A daughter of Perfect Sting-Making Waves, Wave Dancer scored for owner Brittany Farms and paid $103.40 as the longest shot on the board in the field of six. SLIP ME FIVE: The five other winners of Kindergarten dashes on the card were: Race 2 – Colt and Gelding Trot: Ultimate Betrayal (Calgary Games-Muscle Babe), driven by Niko Karna, trained by Noel Daley, winning time 1:54 recording his first victory from four lifetime starts, paid $25.80 as the 11-1 fourth choice in the wagering Race 3 – Filly Trot: Busy Miss Lissy S (Calgary Games-Hill’s Angel S), Johnathan Ahle, Ake Svanstedt, lifetime-best 1:55 to up her record to five wins in seven career starts, $2.40 as the 1-5 favorite Race 6 – Colt and Gelding Trot: Magic Punk (Wishing Stone-I D Entity No), Ahle, Svanstedt, 1:54.3 to win for the fourth time in seven starts, $4 as the even-money public choice Race 7 – Colt and Gelding Pace: Bookie J (a gelding by Perfect Sting-Skyy), Brett Beckwith, Chris Ryder, lifetime-best-equaling 1:51.1 to win for the third time in 10 outings, $7.60 as the 5-2 second choice Race 11 – Filly Trot: All Time Trot S (Googoo Gaagaa-Gorgeous Am), Ahle, Svanstedt, lifetime-best 1:55 to win for the second time in five tries, $7 as the 5-2 second choice A LITTLE MORE: Ahle and Svanstedt teamed up to win four times on the program to lead the driver and trainer colonies, respectively. … Meadow Twaddle excelled in her first appearance on the live simulcast presentation, selecting six winners on top. Her best score came in the 11th race when she correctly tabbed Create Escape ($11.60 to win) as well as the cold exacta, which returned $37.40. … All-source wagering on the 14-race card totaled $1,798,728. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.  PHOTO: Darlin’s Angel and driver Lauren Tritton won a division of the fifth leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-old filly pacers at The Meadowlands Friday night. (Credit: Lisa Photo)

The John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes continued on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with three $30,000 divisions of both the Hardie Hanover for 3-year-old pacing fillies and the Super Bowl for 2-year-old trotting males. Pocono's all-time leading driver George Napolitano Jr. won two of the three divisions of the Hardie Hanover, including the fastest split, a 1:51 victory with the Papi Rob Hanover miss Gigglingonthebeach. On a cool day with a stiff stretch headwind that saw only two of 14 winners have the lead at every call, Gigglingonthebeach had "1"s straight across her line, defeating two-holer Send It Down Slim by a length for trainer Juan Cano and Hot Lead Farm, giving "Giggling" another Pocono stakes triumph to go alongside her win in the Lynch Consolation I. "George Nap" also won a Hardie Hanover split with the Captaintreacherous filly Jordanna Hanover, who set a lifetime mark of 1:52 3/5 despite having to overcome going raw in a 56 1/5 last-half. She won by two lengths over the horse on her back, Calamity Hour, for trainer Tom Fanning and Fanning Racing LLC., consisting of himself and his wife Moira, who is busy with the Breeders Crown Championships this week. A win in the Hardie Hanover stake meant a great deal to the trainer of the other winner, Time Of The Season, as conditioner Tim Twaddle drove Hardie Hanover to many victories in top competition for trainer John Burns during the honoree's racing career. Here, Time Of The Season paced a wind-aided 26 2/5 third quarter to go up after leader Fansville, finally getting by that game filly by the shortest stakes margin of the day, a half-length, in 1:51 4/5 for Birnam Wood Farms. Tyler Buter, Pocono's leading driver, handled Time Of The Season, and in a maybe-not-so-odd situation, the six stakes were won by George Napolitano Jr. (second-leading driver at both Pocono and Philly), Buter (who had four victories on the day), and Philly's leading sulky-sitter, Tim Tetrick. Buter's win in the Super Bowl was behind the Six Pack-That Woman Hanover colt Nordic Dancer S, who moved to the lead early, then set a new mark of 1:56 1/5 in defeating Beer In My Hand by 2 1/4 lengths for the ownership of Flygind Gaard Inc. Nordic Dancer S is trained by Ake Svanstedt, who also sent out the 1-2 finishers in one of the two divisions of the baby stakes taken by Tim Tetrick. The piebald Captain Corey-Via Lattea IT colt Nebbiolo had the largest stakes winning margin of the day, 4 1/2 lengths, as he defeated Campanzia (who suffered far turn interference) for Knutsson Trotting Inc. Tetrick and sire Captain Corey continued the "doubling up" theme so prevalent in the Tuesday stakes with Captain Jordan, who was the other horse to make every pole a winning one in the fastest baby trot stake division, 1:56. Two lengths back was 56-1 longshot Storm Hanover, who rallied nicely but could not catch the Scott Di Domenico trainee, who is co-owned by Di Domenico's Triple D Stables Inc. along with Joe Faraldo. We would be remiss if not mentioning the $112.40 upset pulled off by The Bizzness N in the second race. It was noteworthy in that the talent behind the horse was the meet's leading driver Tyler Buter and the meet's leading trainer Ron Burke - and for Burke it was his third $50+ "bomber" of the meet, tying him for the seasonal lead. The next two cards of racing at Pocono, Saturday and Monday (both at 1 p.m. EDT), will each feature a pair of Simpson Stakes: Saturday's for sophomore colts and geldings, the Albatross for pacers and the Ayres for trotters, and Monday's for 2-year-old fillies, the Davidia Hanover for trotters and the Razzle Hanover for pacers. The four stakes will offer combined purses of $283,210. 

Favored Gigglingonthebeach went a :26.2 quarter getting by Westwinds, then still had enough to stave off that potential pocket rocket while coming home in :27.2 to win the $125,000 Lynch Consolation I by a neck in a career-best 1:50 at Pocono Downs. Driver James MacDonald and trainer Juan Cano, a hot combination in recent weeks, combined for the win with the daughter of Papi Rob Hanover , who is owned by Hot Lead Farm.

East Rutherford, NJ – An early give-and-go proved the winning move for Conversano , who rallied from an earned pocket to collar Walspea in the final 100 yards of the 55th edition of the $500,000 Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, for 3-year-old trotting fillies, on Saturday (Aug. 2) at the Meadowlands. In line to James MacDonald, the daughter of Muscle Hill -Celebrity Ruth found herself in the middle of a three-filly scrum for the early lead, flanked on approach to the first turn by Sound Judgement (driven by Kevin Oscarsson) and Aperfect Annie (Todd McCarthy), who cleared for a brief lead. After being looped, Conversano pushed forward to seize control at the end of a :27.1 first quarter, only to yield to Walspea (Trond Smedshammer) — who brushed out of midfield upon reaching the backstretch — with five-eighths to go. As Walspea and Conversano raced one-two through middle fractions of :55 and 1:24.1, Sound Judgement made her second move, sustaining gradual first-over gains through the far turn to put mild pressure on the leader while towing Miss Belmar (Andy McCarthy) and Deja Blu (Yannick Gingras) into striking range for the stretch drive. Walspea did rebuff Sound Judgement off the corner for home, but Conversano had plenty left to emerge from the pocket in the final furlong and grind to the fore late in a lifetime-best 1:51.2 mile. Walspea held second, beaten a length; Delaney Hanover (Scott Zeron) rallied boldly off failing cover to eclipse Deja Blu for third, another three-quarters of a length back. The Oaks wasn’t even on MacDonald’s radar until a week ago, when he drove Gigglingonthebeach to a second-place finish in a Tompkins-Geers division for trainer Juan Cano, who in turn found himself in need of a driver for Conversano when Andy McCarthy opted to remain with Hambletonian Oaks elimination winner Miss Belmar for the final. “It’s just a case of right place, right time,” said MacDonald. “It wasn’t even on my radar, and Juan came to me, ‘Are you coming next week?’ I said, ‘I’ll probably come for Gigglingonthebeach (in the Shady Daisy). It’s Hambo Day; I love being here.’ He said, ‘Maybe I’ll put you on the one in the Oaks, too.’ I was just shocked. Any time you can pick up a winner, it’s unbelievable.” The Ontario-based MacDonald has enjoyed a flurry of recent success in major Meadowlands races, having won the 2024 Meadowlands Pace, with Legendary Hanover , and a pair of Breeders Crowns, with Coach Stefanos and Lady Landia. Conversano is now a nine-time winner with $513,636 in earnings from 17 starts for breeder Joseph Parisi’s Hot Lead Farm. She paid $6.80 to win as the 2-1 favorite.