Top fillies to battle in PA All-Stars

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Many of the three-year-old trotting fillies who raced in stakes company at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono last Sunday will be back at the mountain oval this Sunday, contesting two $35,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest.

In the first section, a field of nine going as race eight, the Andover Hall filly Love Muffin was accorded early favoritism despite making a break here last week. Before that, though, Love Muffin had recorded two Sire Stakes victories, and last year’s PA Stallion Series champion will look to rebound for driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie as she starts from post four. Just outside her will be Dazzling Reign, who has two wins and a second by a neck in three Stallion Series starts, and the Father Patrick filly will be tested to see if she can handle the rise in company for driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Justin Huckabone III.

The tenth race eight-horse field finds both of last week’s Sire Stakes winners starting side-by-side, with the Bar Hopping filly Bella Bellini accorded the early nod off the strength of a 1:53 victory that included her trotting her last quarter in a sizzling :26.3. Dexter Dunn will be in the sulky for trainer Nifty Norman.

Just inside them will be the Cantab Hall miss Lady Chaos, the 2020 Breeders Crown champion, who notched her first win this year when she was triumphant last time out in 1:53.4 for driver David Miller and trainer Linda Toscano.

The second group also features other stars: Anoka Hanover (sire Donato Hanover, post six, driver Todd McCarthy, trainer Noel Daley), last year’s Dan Patch award winner who pushed Bella Bellini to the limit last time in losing by only a half-length, and the 2020 PA Sire Stakes champion Flawless Country (Southwind Frank, post eight, trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt), who has two good thirds in her only seasonal starts.

First post for the Sunday card will be at 5p.m.; program pages will be available at www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

From the PHHA/The Downs