SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
FIRST RACE – Some rain before the card on an overcast day but the track was officially called “fast” throughout the card even though a mist developed midcard. … MY LINDY WINNER finally went outside 5/8 and finally got wanted cover 11/16, but lost it to a break midturn, found better strides midstretch and was along late. FILLED DONUT made the front quickly and rolled right along, just failed to hold late. MARION GONDOLIER left and got the two-hole, outside headstretch, evenly. CONSUS VICTORY sat in, gained some between horses late. HOT SUMMER KNIGHT also stayed in, to the Pocono Pike, not enough. CRAZYCAT broke early, caught the field, but didn’t do more. LORD CROMWELL gapped early, was waited on by the winner and finally came out 11/16, gained some before making a break midturn.
SECOND RACE – JOHNNY Q was three-wide before the 3/16 then followed cover all the way until it cleared to the lead far turn, then raw, kept on going in an amazing victory. WHATS INTHE ESKY A is one of a handful of horses that in the last 50 years this correspondent has seen getting a “1o 1o 1o” call while battling with the inside leader (and the pace was hot), actually crossed over mid-far turn, held for second in an equally-amazing race. KEYSTONE STEAM joined the parked horses 5/8, three-wide midturn, good to be third. MAYFIELD DUKE dove inside past the 1/8 and wound up defending the pocket, outside in a blindswitch later on the turn behind the winner, had some late pace. LOUD SPLASH left a gap behind the battling four almost to the 11/16, Pocono Pike, so-so. RAZOR’S EDGE was in the outside flow, four-wide late turn, couldn’t reach. DOJEA SOLO and BEACH PRO were always in the back. WISE IMAGE left from the rail and kept the challenger parked, was the one who caved in midturn.
THIRD RACE – OUR CORELLI N left and got the top right away, forced a tuck, rated the half, then came home in 54.2 to hold safe his only challenger, VIRGIN STORM. The latter wanted the lead but accepted the pocket past the 1/8, tried the winner up the inside and did well but was second-best today. JEREMES GENERAL sat in, had to wait for the Pike as trapped in, but only had a mild response once clear and just did get third. REDBANK BLAZE A gapped at points the first half then gapped the top two the rest of the mile by a bigger margin. MAJOR OFFENSE moved uncovered before turn two, couldn’t get by the gapping 3-holer. HIGHRTHANANEAGLE A and TULLOW N had dull cover; GINGER TREE MARTY and DAKOTA JACK stayed inside and never entered the picture.
FOURTH RACE – SPANISH ART got in the cover flow early and was third-over, stayed in the two-wide/blindswitched lane on the turn then angled wide when the sweeper flattened, had good pace late to explode the board at $191.40. ALEX TYE was flushed outside 5/16 as horses came up on him, reached the leader by the half and battled with that one the rest of the way, finally took the outright lead midstretch but was caught by the horse who wound up on his back. XPERT BAYAMA was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide to the quarter for the lead, set the pace with solid pressure, held decently. IYQ YQR maintained the pocket early, gapped slightly as the pace picked up down the back, had to wait for the Pocono Pike, OK+ once clear. TODDLER TANTRUM backed out to fourth-over, had to go four-wide midturn as the three-wide flattened, not bad. FERNADO moved at the ¼ and soon secured second-over, three-wide from the 11/16 but really only served to clog that tier. POKERFACE BLUECHIP was blocked inside but didn’t seem to have much late. BETTER B ROLLING was shuffled, moved wide but showed little.
FIFTH RACE – BELLOWS BINGE was pushed to the 3/16 in a 26 quarter for the lead, yielded and sat the pocket, came out early stretch and caught DAAMERICANSKY. The latter was three-wide to the 3/16 then two-wide to the fast quarter, slowed the half then took off again, couldn’t stall the pocket rocket. BARBADOS sat in, looked to be edging out midturn but ducked back inside, OK late. LACHIE MAGUIRE N kept the top two out a long way in the lightning opener before yielding, moved raw 11/16, couldn’t gain but didn’t lose too much. BELL I NO took back to last, moved out 5/8 but looked rough and fell back.
SIXTH RACE – OUR ZAK WHITBY A moved around dull cover from far back ¾ and gained three-wide through the turn, kept on coming and did make it past MY DELIGHT at the end. The latter tucked fifth 1/8, moved outside into turn two and came boiling off that curve, pacing a 26.4 third quarter while easily going by 5/8, couldn’t quite make the lead last. SUMMER SIDE was three-wide to the 1/8 to the pocket 3/16, backed out to two-wide 5/8 as that was the lively tier, couldn’t go with the speed of that path but kept on coming steadily, flattening only in deep stretch. BRUCE’S MAGIC tucked at the 1/8, was badly shuffled, out in a blindswitch far turn but still blindswitched, finally found room wide upper stretch and passed quite a few horses. THISBEACHRGHTHEREA moved behind the place horse and had the speed to race up into the pocket behind him ¾, but then faded. ROCK ON PRECIOUS never surfaced on the major radar. DOO WOP HANOVER moved out but gapped and was blindswitched by the winner. MCBOOGITTY was sent to the top in 26.2, pushed the quarter-mover before yielding past the 3/8, then was badly shuffled after that one was passed. JOE MCDUDE quarter-moved but was out almost the length of the frontstretch to clear, gave way when challenged 5/8.
SEVENTH RACE – A misty rain began to fall, but the track as noted would stay “fast” the rest of the card … TRUEMASS VOLO quarter-moved and easily made the lead, rated the half then stepped it up to meet the hard challenge of the first-over, maintained the advantage to the wire despite drifting slightly, with many having him in their sights. OPTIMIST BLUE CHIP was looped and three-wide to the 1/8 onward to command before the ¼, yielded for the pocket, backed out ¾ when the first-up put a head up, swung wide into the stretch and even wider through the stretch but kept gaining. MYSTICAL WYNN stayed in and advanced inside on the turn, found a seam upper stretch and finished willingly. INAPERFECTWORLD started raw past the 3/8, went a 27.1 individual third split to bitterly contest the lead, held gamely. ABBIE’S CELTICLASS circled the field early, yielded, to the pocket before the ¾, into the Pocono Pike but couldn’t gain. VALLEY OF SIN had nonproductive cover, blindswitched and ducked in, to the deep Pike, may have been in tight. CR BLAZIN BEAUTY tried to circle around nonproductive cover, did gain some from a hard spot. SILVERMASS VOLO was second-over but struggled.
EIGHTH RACE – CHEYENNE JEFFREY left between horses and went to the front just before the 5/16, didn’t get much outside pressure, then dealt with CLASS SIX and won the win photo. The latter was quickly away, yielded for the two-hole, outside in the stretch and another who drifted out but gained while doing so to just fail. WAGON MASTER sat in, went wide in the lane, steadily although not reaching the top two. BRANDON HANOVER and ALWAYS THE SUN parlayed ground saving journeys into the final checks. A REAL MIRACLE was three-wide around a gapper 5/8, flattened in the three-deep tier the last quarter. SOMWHERENBROOKLN N took an early tuck, moved raw to challenge but was ineffective. NEWBIE had an big excess of stale cover. JINS SHARK spotted midpack, then was second-over but had nothing.
NINTH RACE – KEYSTONE SERGEANT went into the pocket 3/16 and had a fine trip, made use of the Pocono Pike and caught FRONT STREET. The latter was the Front Street for this field without too much pressure, couldn’t hold off the winner. UP THE ALLEY protected third early, could wait until near the 11/16 to go uncovered, tired a bit late. PRETTY EDGY was blocked inside, got clearance inside and was next. CATCH THE BOUQUET took back and tucked early, little response in the lane. PENNIMAN started uncovered off the second turn but didn’t get cover until almost the other end of the backstretch, then gapped it. THE OTHERS did not make their presence felt.
TENTH RACE – PRINCE OF TIDES showed gate speed then yielded, was forced out 5/8 by an impatient horse looking for cover, came home in 54.2-27.1 raw to be an impressive winner. ROCKAPELO set the pace with two moves, held on to the lead a long way, just photoed JOESSTAR OF MIA A for place. The latter was three-deep to turn one, briefly had cover then pressed on to the point 5/16, yielded to the retaker, into the Pocono Pike and went on gamely. WESTERN FAME sat in, had no clear path through the stretch. HEAVEN’S GAIT wanted out early backstretch but waited for the winner’s cover, got it 5/8, moved wide for the drive but flattened. BRANQUINHO gapped at the back the last half.
ELEVENTH RACE – MUSCLE M UP was kept out three-wide to the 3/8 and cleared shortly thereafter, but that rough early journey proved no detriment as he won under a hold. NO DRAMA PLEASE was actually the first to show but then saw others march forward, moved outside midturn and just took place. GOES DOWN SMOOTH had cover in the two-wide lane very early then went up between horses, got in behind the winner 3/8, photoed for second. CROSSFIT made the lead at the 1/8, kept the wide challengers out most of the next quarter-mile before yielding, stayed connected, was in tight quarters in the stretch and might have been second with more room. NEED LUCK N offered little. JESSIEJESORJESSICA was behind the dull cover of MAGIC VACATION, tried to go three-wide around that one, but neither horse went anywhere.
TWELFTH RACE – STONE HANOVER vacated fourth to the ¾ and immediately went three-wide when the pocketsitter came out after that spot, swept to the lead and was home safely. REPEAL OR REPLACE came out 11/16, followed the winner from the ¾, finished steadily. FABRICE HANOVER was three-wide to turn one then two-wide to the top nearing the ¼, saw two go by in quarter two, raced behind the gapping pocketsitter and was caught in on the far turn, out into a blindswitch, got going after the top two were gone and salvaged third. J M MANDARIN made two speed moves then sat a very loose pocket as the pacesetter sped away, popped out midturn but didn’t have much left. BAY MEADOWS moved 5/16 and went to the top, was clear on the lead from before the half to nearing the ¾ while pacing a 54.1 middle half, was tired when challenged. NUTCRACKER SWEET was no factor; CAPTAIN MALICIOUS was far back.
THIRTEENTH RACE – ALLUNEEDISFAITH left, gradually worked into the pocket before the ¼, sat a trip, came out late turn and was strong enough to gradually wear down BENSON BOYS N. The latter quickly made the lead and set the pace, came home in 55.1 and still got caught. DECLAN SEELSTER got early position, eventually did give up the pocket at the ¼ and stayed in, to the Pocono Pike but was outkicked by the top two. LYONS NIGHT HAWK was second-over at the half, three-wide just past the ¾ but couldn’t gain enough. OLLIE’S ZTAM and WEONA SIZZLER A were near the back and were not contenders. STORMONT CZAR A came raw at the half, got a nose up on the pocket horse 5/8 but never any closer, faded the last quarter.
FOURTEENTH RACE – DEALT A WINNER moved in front of the stands and cleared at the half, went clear ¾ and wasn’t threatened late for a six-bagger, by George. LETS ROLL was two-wide almost to the ¼ before working into the early pocket, stayed in, shuffled on the turn then to the Pocono Pike and had a good late response. WARRAWEE UNIQUE tucked early, didn’t hold the early pocket, stayed in and also was blocked, started to edge outside headstretch but found no path so ducked back to the Pike and was along for third. DREAMS BEACHBOY was three-wide past the 1/8, raced into the 4-hole before the ¼, came again raw early backstretch, didn’t reach the leader but held well. WAR-N-MUNN forced everybody in behind with a 26 opener, pushed the winner when he came then yielded at the half, unplugged ¾. THE OTHERS could not enter the main picture.