Bella Bellini, Lady Chaos newest PASS winners

WILKES-BARRE PA – Bella Bellini and Lady Chaos added their names to the list of three-year-old trotting fillies who have won a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event this season, taking the two divisions of the third preliminary leg at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono during a twilight harness racing card.

The Bar Hopping filly Bella Bellini posted a clocking of 1:53.1, a fifth off her lifetime best, but it was her last quarter of :26.3 which really drew the eye. Bella Bellini sat fourth while You Ato Dream, who won in the first two legs of the PaSS, led the field to a 27.1 quarter, then yielded to favored Anoka Hanover, a first-round prelim winner, who got to the half in :57.2. The pacesetter got to the three-quarters in 1:26.2, but by that time Bella Bellini was roaring up uncovered at her with Dexter Dunn, and the two fillies went at each other with fury all the way to the wire, where “Bella” beat out her game rival by half a length.

BELLA BELLINI REPLAY

Winless at two, Bella Bellini is now 6-4-2-0 in 2021, with the two seconds by a half length and three-quarters of a length in Sires races. Nifty Norman trains the much-improved filly for David McDuffee, who raced first and second dams Bella Dolce and Pizza Dolce with much success.

Breeders Crown winner Lady Chaos had her luck improve after starting the season with a fourth and a third in Sires races, using the famed Pocono Pike to take a 1:53.4 victory by a length over Donna Soprano. It was Donna Soprano to whom Lady Chaos yielded after the :27.2 quarter (favored Love Muffin, coming off two Sires wins, made an early break), and continued to track her in middle splits of :57.2 and 1:25.3. 2020 PaSS champ Flawless Country made a huge move at the pacesetter in the latter part of the backstretch and actually got a small lead into and through some of the turn, but Donna Soprano fought on, only to see Lady Chaos pass her on the inside late.

LADY CHAOS REPLAY

The Cantab Hall filly Lady Chaos, who was let go at 10-1 from the outside post eight, was driven by David Miller for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of Richard Gutnick, Thomas Pontone, Joseph Lozito Jr., and Enviro Stables LTD.

In the Stallion Series races, Father Patrick was the sire of all three winners, including Piper Hanover, who now is perfect in three StS starts while taking a new mark of 1:52.4. The Tony Alagna trainee sped home in :55.2 – :27.3 under the guidance of Andrew McCarthy and seems to have really found herself for Brittany Farms, Marvin and Lynn Katz, and Al Libfeld.

Andrew’s brother Todd also accounted for a Stallion Series contest, as Dazzling Reign lowered her mark to 1:54.1 while running her scorecard in this series to 3-2-1-0 for trainer Claude Huckabone III and owner James Crawford IV. Also taking a new speed record was A Hopeful Prayer, who had been nosed out in her only previous Stallion Series race, winning here on the lead in 1:53.3 for driver Andy Miller, trainer/wife Julie Miller, and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Little E LLC.

Pocono continues its racing week with Monday and Tuesday cards at 12:30; program pages will be available at www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

For full race results, click here.

From PHHA/Pocono