Buter, McCarthy big winners in Weiss Series

WILKES-BARRE, PA – The $20,000 divisions of the second-round preliminaries of the Bobby Weiss Series for three-year-old fillies on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono had a driving star on each harness racing gait – Tyler Buter won three of the trotting sections, and Andrew McCarthy won three of the pacing cuts.

Buter was perfect with his Weiss series trotting drives, and he handled the most impressive winner of the day, the Bar Hopping filly Mimi Ocean Hanover, who bounced back from a break in the first prelim, trotting to a new mark of 1:55.1 and posting the largest win margin of any Weiss section, 1¾ lengths, for trainer Annie Stoebe and owner R. Lynn Curry.

After guiding “Mimi” to her second win in three seasonal outings, Buter was on the road to Yonkers to drive free-for-allers on their evening card.

MIMI OCEAN HANOVER REPLAY

Tyler also guided the only repeat winner in the trotting action, the Credit Winner miss We Could Be Heros, who was 1½ lengths to the good in a new mark of 1:57.3 for trainer Rob Harmon and the ownership of Harmon Racing Stable LLC and Harvey Eisman.

Buter’s third winner was appropriately-named – the Chapter Seven distaff Storybook Ending, who was last save a misbehaver past the head of the stretch but still could rally to break her maiden in 1:58.1 by three-quarters of a length for trainer John Butenschoen and the ownership of Harmony Oaks Racing Stable Inc. James Crawford IV, Heritage Standardbreds, and Carl Austin Jr.

Chapter Seven got a siring double when Gettinmystepsin broke her maiden in her seasonal bow, winning by a length in 1:57.3 for driver Andy Miller, trainer Julie Miller, and owners James, Ronald, and Douglas Allen.

While McCarthy won three of the pacing divisions (and added a fourth success in an overnight to take the day’s driving honors overall), the other two sections produced the fastest times, including the fastest by Jillian B Miki.

The daughter of Always B Miki equaled her career mark of 1:53.3 in taking her second Weiss prelim and fourth race overall, three-quarters of a length to the good for driver Jim Pantaleano and trainer Tye Loy, the latter co-owner with Rich Gillock.

JILLIAN B MIKI REPLAY

Joining her as a doubler in the Weiss was the Captaintreacherous filly Silent Crossing, taking her third straight by a length in 1:54.1 for driver Mark MacDonald, trainer Jessica Fallon, and owners Hutt Racing Stable and Blake MacIntosh.

The sires of the two Weiss pacing doublers, Always B Miki and Captaintreacherous, each earned a second siring credit with a McCarthy-driven horse, both winning in 1:54.4. Always B Miki is the sire of IQ Hanover, who disappointed as a favorite last week, but here showed gameness in overcoming a hung-the-mile journey to notch a length margin for trainer Tony Alagna and the ownership of Robert LeBlanc, David Anderson, Joseph Barbera, and J Fodera ‘n’ M Frank Stable (spelling verified).

Captaintreacherous’s second victory came from Southwind Java, a three-quarter length winner in her 2022 curtainraiser in 1:54.4 for trainer Mark Harder, who is part of her ownership with Dean Lockhart, Wayne Carleton, and Deena Frost.

Andrew’s other winner was 32-1 shot Covenant Woman, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance, who was a roughgaited last, 13¼ lengths off the leader at the three-quarters, but who found a weaving path via McCarthy between horses, coming her own last quarter in :28.1 to decision Some Kinda Angel by a nose while breaking her maiden in 1:55.4 in her third lifetime start for trainer Kenneth Hess Jr. and owner Troyce Craig Thomas.

Weiss Series action continues for “the boys” on Saturday at 1:30, with trotters in their third and final prelim leg and pacers in their second prelim round; these races will be joined by a $25,000 fast-class pace. Program pages will be available at www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html. It is also noted that Pocono will be dark in observance on Easter Sunday the day afterward.

For full race results, click here.

From the PHHA/The Downs