Sun Stakes Saturday was a memorable one at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with $2 million in purses and the top horses in the country.
Races 10 through 13 were the top headliner races, with the James M. Lynch Memorial, Delmonica Hanover, Max C. Hempt Memorial, and the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial. In addition, there were two consolations races for each.
Star power was on display throughout the afternoon, with fast times and brilliant performances not only in the feature races, but in the consolation races as well.
One race in particular lit up the tote board at 44-1, and had fans rushing to the rail to see PA bred Thai Hanover return to the Winner’s Circle after a triumphant win in $200,000 Consolation I of the Max C. Hempt Memorial open for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings. The Stay Hungry gelding set a new lifetime mark of 1:50.1.
Thai Hanover, by Hanover Shoe Farms, returned a whopping $90.20 for his fifth and biggest score of the year.
Dexter Dunn picked up the catch drive for the gelding, co-owned by trainer Mitchell York and Erin L. York. Mitchell is based in Cranberry, PA, and has been training horses since 2019. He was “bitten by the harness racing bug” while visiting his father-in-law, David Brickell many years ago. Dave asked him if he wanted to jog a horse, and one thing led to another, with that leading to barn work, and then partnering on a horse. The rest, as they say, is history!
A retired state trooper, Mitchell has partnered with Dave on several horses with much success, the most recent Tiamogonedancen, a two-year-old pacing filly who set a record of 2:01.1 at the Wayne County Fair in 2018.
Staking him to the Max Hempt Consolation race earlier this year, Mitchell believed in him to put in a good effort. “I was confident in him that he would do his best,” he said. “The new lifetime mark was nice.”
Just six days prior to that huge race, Thai Hanover delivered a 1:57.4 win at the Washington County Fair in PA Sire Stakes action. That clocking was almost three seconds faster than any other mile recorded at Washington 2026, and only .2 behind Washington’s all-age track record of 1:57.2 delivered 16 years to the day ago by Straight Character.
“He raced at the Washington County Fair because they didn’t write his race at the Meadows the Saturday before the fair,” Mitchell explained, about the decision to enter him in a fair race. “He would have been three weeks without a race.”
He followed up his Pocono race with a 4th in the final leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at the Meadows, and is heading to the Sire Stakes Finals Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Dexter Dunn will be in the bike for the $50,000 Sire Stakes Consolation, race 9 on the card.
According to Mitchell, Thai is poised to continue his powerful season with plans to ship to Lexington for the Bluegrass Series, as well as the Liberty Bell at Harrah’s Philadelphia and the Matron Series at Dover Downs a few months out.
Almost two weeks after his huge effort in the Max Hempt Consolation, the congratulatory messages and texts are still flooding in. Even Martin’s Starting Gates joined in on the excitement, with a special message to the Thai Hanover team on Facebook – “From behind our gate at the Washington Co. Fair to the Winner’s Circle at Pocono Downs for the Max Hempt Consolation at 44/1!
We are screaming for our friends Mitch York and Erin!! Congratulations, so well deserved!” May those congratulatory messages keep the momentum going for Thai Hanover and his team!
PA Harness – Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association
Thai Hanover – Major Stakes Wins
66,667 division of The Standardbred – John Simpson Memorial at Pocono Downs
2026 – Starts 17
1st 5 , 2nd 1 , 3rd 2
2025 – Starts 14
1st 4 , 2nd 4 , 3rd 2
Lifetime $282,744
Cover Photo By: Hannah Bright – Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association
