FIRST RACE – Stretch headwind, with occasional gusts … FULL VIEW was in the outer flow two- and three-wide, went four-wide midturn and circled everybody to draw off easily. LOU’S SWEETREVENGE made the lead, kept an early challenger parked, kept a sweeper parked to the ¾ through the turn, held for second. FIND ONE MORE yielded for the pocket and kept it closed, stayed close for third. MOONLIGHT SHADOW was outside, followed the first sweeper then was left three-wide raw to the ¾ and through the turn, fair. DEO PICASSO stayed in and left a gap off the early fight, never in the main picture. SUPER MAC broke well before the start, caught the field but never contended. BOLTMAN was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide with cover to a midpack tuck, came out at the half and was three-wide before the 5/8, to two-wide before the ¾, but the hard trip tired him late. BEACHMASTER TWO gapped. DOGFIGHT went up to challenge for the lead but got the cold shoulder, fought on until almost the ¾ before fading.
SECOND RACE – TRICKY DICK, prepping for a stake in three days’ time, got away fourth as there were four early breakers, made one move off the second turn and made the lead by the end of the backstretch, no problem. TRAIN was innermost of three horses behind the leader, yielded to the middle one after the wide one and the leader broke, shuffled a little far turn then to the Pocono Pike and had some trot. VINCENTI backed out to follow the winner ¾, lost that cover, so-so. DAGON HANOVER was between horses much of the ¼ after being looped, finally claimed the top, couldn’t resist the winner ¾ and tired. GRANT HALL was leaving when breaking, caught the field rather quickly but broke again at the half. CIRCUIT PARTY left and was looped, three-wide 1/8 then taking back for a hole but broke. MY SON TY HANOVER broke 3/16. BANKSTER jumped well before the start.
THIRD RACE – ROCK THREE TIMES got a great second-over trip, looked full of pace when tipped three-wide midturn, came home in 27.3 and ran down ABSOLUTE INTENT midpond at 22-1. The latter headed down the road, got a breather to the half, then had to pick up the pace, good but couldn’t keep the winner at bay. THEFREEDOMFIGHTERN took the pocket and stayed close, couldn’t gain in the Pocono Pike late (in a fast last quarter). IWILLMAKEYOUSAYWOW started uncovered to turn two and steadily gained until late turn. AUDACIOUS WARRIOR never entered the main mix. DULL ROAR got in third at the 3/16, looked about all-out to keep up from the half. THISBEACHRGHTHEREA broke going to the first turn, recovered and was third-over, gapped midturn. RACE ME VILLA fell back.
FOURTH RACE – NINETEEN CRIMES left, yielded, moved to the lead to the 3/8 as the horse yielding the lead broke, had ANNA BOLENA make a good challenge but left her behind with a 28.1 last quarter in a 2YO nw2 trot. The latter moved raw past the 5/8, reached the leader ¾ and gave her some competition while those two drew away, second-best. DIFFIDENT started raw at the half, got cover 5/8 but couldn’t go with it, ducked inside and was third. CHEESY HANOVER made the lead at the 1/8, yielded, went back up to the pocket as a rival broke, tired ¾. BELAIR BEAUTY was outside but never got close. MOODY BLUE was gapping by the half. PRAIRIE TRINKET broke early in the backstretch before the start. EVIL EMPRESS gradually ranged up to the lead off the first turn, broke yielding to the winner.
FIFTH RACE – KYUQUOT moved strongly at the half and challenged, fell back slightly into the stretch and saw the Pocono Pike horse get a stretch lead, but surged on by late under confident handling. MOVE THE LINE left, was battling with an outside challenger when that one broke past the 1/8, yielded to a 3/8 rusher for the pocket, as noted to the Pike and got a short lead, could not sustain. MASTERY left well and had a slight lead but wasn’t clear when breaking before the 3/16, quickly settled and went into a gaping pocket, then moved to the front 3/8, did well considering the break. SEXY BLUE CHIP had good cover second-over but didn’t have the needed late punch. ACUP O JOE HANOVER was not prominent; nor was NUTTIN BUT FINESSE. HARD ROCK HULK gapped at a couple of points, backed out ¾ and then three-wide but had little. LOST MY LIGHT was near the back throughout.
SIXTH RACE – GHOST PEPPER went uncovered towards turn two and went a big third quarter to get the lead, opened up an insurmountable advantage. BELIEVER circled everybody early to the top, yielded at the ¼, was locked in all the way around the final turn, finally got to the Pocono Pike and had steady late trot as clearly second-best. TUFF TO BE LINDY settled third early, stayed in, shuffled, then out two-wide midturn and three-wide late turn, beat out the others for the very distant third. CHURCH SOUT gapped early, didn’t really factor. NONPAREILCHECKMATE was looped and out to the quarter for the top, drastically slowed quarter two, then couldn’t keep the winner out to the ¾ and backed up the inner tier. BRITISH BULLDOG came out second-over but gapped. HIT THE BOARD came out third-over but had little and was soon back inside. HOSTILE looked as if he wanted to try for early position but broke right at the start. KUSCHEL HANOVER was off the gate and fell way back the last quarter.
SEVENTH RACE – SOCIETY JILL was three-wide to the top to the first turn, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, outside stretch, another who was briefly passed by a Pocono Pike horse but kept at it and got the win. IDEAL HANNAH was looped leaving, worked up to the pocket nearing the ¼, caught inside, clear as the winner pulled out, to the Pike and had a good burst to get a short lead but couldn’t sustain it to the wire. SNUF ENUF HANOVER moved at the ¼, in gear 5/16 to the lead 3/8, dealt with backstretch pressure continuing to midturn, didn’t come up shy by much but caught to both sides. LADYSINGSTHEBLUES was far back with cover, three-wide covered far turn, wider in the lane and had a big rush. FOOL’S MATE was outside, ducked in before the ¾ bothering HELLO TOMMY, stayed inside, evenly, placed for interference. EMORI HANOVER joined the outer flow and wound up second-over, three-wide ¾ but couldn’t gain enough. CHILI PEPPER moved outside from seventh 3/16, had cover to the 3/8 then left raw, challenged, tired. HELLO TOMMY was forwardly-positioned early, gapped, then was bothered before the ¾.
EIGHTH RACE – FOCUS POCUS tucked third, out in front of the stands and went by the first brusher after the 3/8, got a huge lead as the pocket horse stopped then saw the others catch up towards the fast 3/4, had a challenger on the far turn but held him safe late. HUNTING AS got going raw at the half, retucked in the pocket midbackstretch and tightened on the winner, outside far turn and got close, but had no more gain left in him. GERARD went right to the lead, saw two go by in quarter two, retucked around one of them late backstretch, steadily. THE NEXT THREE never really entered the picture. NOW LOOK AT HERE had the early pocket, brushed to the lead to the 3/8 then yielded, got to the half in 57.1 but then kept slowing. LOVING LIFE had very little.
NINTH RACE – FLIRTY FORTY was three-wide 3/16 to the lead off the first bend, rated the half, sped up, then left these behind in the last quarter. PEGGY J was uncovered from second-last just past the 3/8, passed many horses when pacing her third quarter in 27 raw, couldn’t go with the winner but an impressive second. SPIRIT’S DELIGHT backed out to follow great cover, gapped it a little down the back, three-wide late turn, drifted very wide in the stretch but gained some. SPECIAL ACHIEVER was shuffled, found clearance between horses late and was the distant fourth ahead of a bunch. KENDALL’S COUSIN left between horses and tucked third, struggled the last half. SWEETONTHEBEACH and AVAYA HANOVER were too far back in the two-wide tier. IDEAL DANCER pushed the early action from the rail and yielded to sit the pocket, came up empty late.
TENTH RACE – PILGRIMS TIDE forced an early challenger to tuck then went on to keep an outside challenger parked, drew clear at the half and was never in any danger. STRIKING ENCORE actually showed ahead of the winner for a couple of early steps but then submitted to track geometry and took the pocket, disconnected at the half but still went on enough to be the distant second. MAYFAIR WELL sat in, outside in the stretch but couldn’t gain enough for place. INAPERFECTWORLD was in a different time zone as last at the ¾, but followed three-wide cover on the turn, went wider in the stretch, then missed second by only a length – better mile than it may look. MYSTICAL MOTOR was outside behind the two fading parked horses and was three-wide without cover on the turn, OK but outkicked for fourth. SORTIE HANOVER (gapping much of the way) and CRITICAL MASS were never prominent. CROSSFIT had early cover then went frontward raw but didn’t have enough speed and was left outside, broke headstretch. MAGIC VACATION slid an 1/8 tuck, then moved out with cover into turn two, faded before the parked-the-mile horse did, broke in the stretch, returned with “b.e.”
ELEVENTH RACE – MISTER DAYTONA N was three-wide before the 1/8 to the lead before the ¼, rated quarter two then accelerated to meet the first-over, with those two joined by a Pocono Piker, stayed in front in a good effort. CLOUSEAU HANOVER tucked fourth at the 1/8, revved up uncovered on turn two and paced a third split in 26.3 (those “gusting winds” picked up for this race) to challenge, kept up trying very hard, big mile. TRENTE DEO went away strongly, yielded to the ¼, waited for the Pike, a step shy. WARRAWEE IDEAL was second-over, fell back a bit the last quarter. DRAGON STRIKES swung wide headstretch, too far to come to contend. HOW ARE YEE JOHN was between horses early then tucked in, looked to be all-out most of the last half. SAINT GEORGE P gapped at the back throughout.
TWELFTH RACE – A wild and woolly affair – with a 32.1 last quarter, conducive to 48-1 shots beating 77-1 shots … FRAC took back early and was shuffled to last, was out with cover far turn all the way to four-wide late turn, went wider and caught tired stock in the shadow of the wire. KANDY KORN joined the outside tier, four-wide midturn, never had the lead but won a three-way photo for second in the late slowdown. BIGBOY ROSCO moved outside then was soon three-wide 9/16, in the three-path the duration, right with the top ones. TW LAUXMONT had cover early, lost it then got new cover, three-wide 5/16 to try to clear, back to two-wide and finally made the lead and the inside 5/8 after tremendously-hard usage, to his credit stayed as close as he did to the wire. PRETTY EDGY was in the outer tiers, came inside in the stretch, blocked upper stretch then ducked further inside, fair. ALEXANDER HANOVER sat in, was blocked in the stretch. DJOKOVIC N was three-wide 3/16 when taking bad steps and bearing wide, briefly four-wide past the 1/8 then two–wide off cover, left uncovered down the back, didn’t get close again but kept the wide horses wide. KAFFIR KEMP tucked from between horses, moved at the ¼ but was denied the lead and retreated to the pocket past the 3/8, shuffled behind the tired pocketsitter, inside but not much late. BUZZEN GARLAND was the innermost leaver, denied a quarter-mover then kept another challenger out to the 5/8, yielded and gapped from there.
THIRTEENTH RACE – HIGHRTHANANEAGLE A looked at leaving but took back, came uncovered nearing turn two and had the lead soon off that bend, threw a 27 knockout punch down the back and won easily. STENDAHL HANOVER was behind so-so cover, three-wide before the 11/16 to two-wide raw ¾, just held for second, with five horses within a half-length. MCBOOGITTY pushed foes early, yielded 5/16, sat in, gapped far turn, then to the Pocono Pike and made a bit of a recovery. GINGER TREE MARTY gapped cover down the back, three-wide late turn, finished nicely. ARTMAGIC was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide 5/16 to get the lead, yielded past the half and immediately began to gradually lose ground. RISE UP NOW moved behind the winner but then was left raw, one-paced. VODKA ON THE BEACH never factored. WILDCAT HILTON left but took back, no factor. JAGGER ROCKS was last at every call.
FOURTEENTH RACE – GOLDEN SON was three-wide to the 1/8 to the lead past the 3/16, got a breather in quarter two, continued on and stayed good to the wire. RIVER OTTER was between horses to the 1/8, then yielded for the pocket, outside stretch, gained a little bit. PHANTOM RUSTY pushed the 1/8 and yielded, sat in, Pocono Pike, fair. MEADOWBRANCH RICKY got in fourth to the 3/16, moved uncovered at the half, got to almost the leader’s wheel midturn then tired some. ALEXANDRIA HANOVER was third-over, four-wide headstretch and closed well belatedly. SHIVERED stayed inside, gapped. CRESURREY was second-over, three-wide past midturn, no gain late. THE LAST TWO gapped at the back.