Stars set to collide at Pocono throughout Sun Stakes Saturday card

The highly-anticipated first-time matchup between Miki And Minnie and Chantilly is just one of many explosive battles on the highly anticipated annual card

by Brett Sturman

Traditionally, the James Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers doesn’t rise to the level of attraction of the other headlined stakes on the Sun Stakes Saturday card at Pocono, but that’s not the case this year. For that matter, even this year’s Delmonica Hanover for 3-year-old filly trotters one could argue is just as highly anticipated as the stakes for 3-year-old males — the Earl Beal Memorial or Max Hempt Memorial.

Starting with the Lynch, it’s going to be take two as last year’s respective Dan Patch and O’Brien winners Miki And Minnie and Chantilly take stage to do battle for the first time. These two were first set to square off in the Fan Hanover final at Woodbine Mohawk Park in June, but Chantilly scratched due to sickness in a race that Miki And Minnie would go onto win – narrowly.

Since that time, both star fillies have been once beaten this year (first time in her career for Chantilly), but it doesn’t take any luster away at all from the matchup. Miki And Minnie enters the Lynch with a four-race winning streak, three of which came at The Meadowlands including a 1:48.3 win two back in the Shady Daisy which tied her career best mark set in that Fan Hanover win.

For all the deserved talk of Miki And Minnie and Chantilly, the filly Rodeo Drive Deo shouldn’t be overlooked. In fact, the last time she and Miki And Minnie raced at Pocono, Rodeo Drive Deo tracked that rival down off cover to win fair and square. Rodeo Drive Deo hasn’t had the same success in nearly any other race against Miki And Minnie as readily evident by her past performance lines, but she may be able to stalk nicely from the starting rail position and launch one move to touch off everyone.

As for Chantilly, HRU’s Melissa Keith detailed her first defeat last week, though Keith handled the subject with more grace than I would have. I know what happened is far from unprecedented or even uncommon, but feel that a filly that was an unbeaten 13-for-13 across two racing seasons deserved better than that. For all the work that went into those wins — and I’d imagine the pride in having never been beaten — why give away a first loss like that?

You can’t wager based on emotion obviously, but the race from last week doesn’t sit well. When you combine that with the fact that Chantilly is racing outside of Woodbine Mohawk Park for the first time, races on a smaller-sized track for the first time, and draws an unfavorable post position compared to her top rivals in the race, there are legitimate reasons you could play against her. There’s tremendous anticipation to see how this race plays out as the first of the four consecutive main (non-consolation) stakes.

Moving from the pacing fillies to the trotting ones in the next race, Hambletonian Oaks heroine Conversano returns since that win two weeks ago and is going to face a set of stiff foes. No disrespect at all to the deserving New Jersey Sires Stakes and now Oaks champion who has now won five of her last six and seven of nine on the year overall, but her 5-2 programmed favoritism is likely going to give way to presumed post-time favorite Yo Tillie, who meets up with many of these for the first time this year.

Through five starts this year while non-Hambletonian Oaks eligible, Yo Tillie has been spectacular. Between four races at The Meadowlands and the most recent in Lexington, no other filly has yet to get any closer than a three-length margin. Post 7 isn’t ideal, but there’s no chance she’s taking back early in her shot against the division’s best with the money on the line.

Also in the mix is What A Bid Hanover, who comes off breaks in consecutive races but is a proven elite-level filly. I sometimes think Ake Svanstedt enjoys making things difficult for her just to see what she’s made of, and her race last out in the Continentalvictory was no exception to that when she had to advance uncovered from last before making a break and she was about to engage up to the leader.

Another one to watch out for could be Delaney Hanover. Huge in her Oaks elimination win two back, she had a regrettable trip in the Oaks final when stacked fourth-over into the cover flow led by a 70-1 chance, before doing all she could do to fly home when three-wide in :26.3 to make it somewhat interesting late from an impossible spot. For a filly though that doesn’t customarily show speed, it could be an uphill battle once again trying to close in this environment.

Next up comes the Max Hempt for the 3-year-old glamour boy division and unlike the prior two races, there is familiarity here between the market principles. In recent weeks, Prince Hal Hanover has done well to solidify his position at the top of the division (in my estimation), but we’ll see how long-lived it is as possible rightful owner of that spot Louprint qualified back this past week with a vengeance. Prince Hal Hanover has been exceptional with driver Todd McCarthy and following that first-placed-second Meadowlands Pace last month, he came back with a 1:48.1 score in the Adios and then just last week captured the Carl Milstein at Northfield with a fairly stress-free win on the front there in 1:50.1. Starting from the rail in the Hempt, I’d imagine he won’t want to be sitting worse than second at any point.

Messenger champion Twisted Destiny has had it tough in his last two. Used extremely hard early in the Adios final, he hung in there pretty well considering. Then, last out, he did all he could to try to close off cover on the half-mile at Northfield and land second while not having a reasonable chance to catch the leader. He remains right there near the top of the division as does Captain Optimistic who has now put together a couple of strong consecutive wins. Most notable was his most recent start in the Cane Pace on Hambletonian Day when he had to wait after having Madden Oaks get a couple of lengths jump on him before being able to angle and then confidently track down that rival anyway in a career-best time of 1:48.1.

Also in the race is Dandy Ideal who in addition to being a North America Cup finalist in June, was a 1:48.2 winner over this Pocono track four races ago. Not to be overlooked is Swingtown, who was a fast-charging second in the Adios three back and then was third last week in the Milstein. The posts are poor for both Manolete and Papis Pistol but even they aren’t impossible either if the race somehow sets up for closers.

Anchoring the four major stakes is the Earl Beal and this race looks different than perhaps it could have as recently as a week ago. With it being announced earlier in the week that Hambletonian winner Nordic Catcher S would be out for the remainder of the year with injury, along with top 3-year-old Maryland not entering, the two that conventional wisdom would say stand out in the race become Super Chapter and Emoticon Legacy. The Hambletonian reflected the first time this year each horse was defeated.

For Super Chapter, what looked like a good 2-hole trip in that race turned out to be less than ideal when the leader was passed by Nordic Catcher S and tried his best to close into an uphill task by that point. Emoticon Legacy was just an even third-over in that race where none of those coming off cover were particularly advancing through the stretch.

As for other alternatives, Meshuggah caught the eye in his Hambletonian elimination two back with a flying finish following a shuffle to last and then once again had stretch traffic troubles in the Hambletonian final; he’s back to Scott Zeron now also. Gap Kronos S had noticeable late trot to offer in the Hambletonian deep to the inside and don’t forget he actually proved better than Nordic Catcher S when those two raced against each other in the Reynolds at the end of June at The Meadowlands. Onajetplane steps up but comes off a couple of nice wins, including a career best 1:51 two back, and now lands the rail.