FIRST RACE – Temperature in the high 50s and a “good +1” track … MIGHTY SURF drifted outside early then took the three-hole 3/16, moved uncovered 5/8 and went right by the pacesetter early on the turn, drew away. WINNERESS moved with cover, lost it on the turn, just held onto second over MAYFAIR WELL. The latter was third-over, had some belated trot. STRIKING ENCORE sat the pocket, was stuck in when the pacesetter tired, backed out into a blindswitch then recovered a little. NICE STUFF sprinted right out to the lead, got a soft middle half, but still packed it in when challenged ¾. SORTIE HANOVER sat in and was shuffled, moved up past midturn but broke headstretch.
SECOND RACE – WAR-N-MUNN went right to the lead, didn’t get much pressure to the ¾, then gave the backers of him at 1-20* a scare before just holding off 40-1 AUDACIOUS WARRIOR. The latter went second-over off the second turn, three-wide to headstretch and was eating into the winner’s margin with every step. DULL ROAR grinded uncovered from off turn two and gave a good accounting of himself. KG ROCKS got to the pocket at the 1/8, empty in the last 1/8. ADIOS MUCHACHOS got the last check. QUAKE BLUE CHIP was third-over, gapped cover far turn. LOVE YOURSELF tucked third just past the 1/8, started to leave a gap past the 5/8. REUBEN TUNE UPS was away last and never heard from.
THIRD RACE – HUNTING AS started uncovered to the second turn, had “cover” well ahead of her as S CLASS went to the lead late backstretch, steadily progressed before and after being left uncovered again, just up in the last steps for Jenny Melander’s first sulky victory. S CLASS worked up to fourth before the 3/16, uncovered at the half and went by 11/16, held the lead almost to the finish. GERARD was away in the pocket, yielded but immediately retook, didn’t fight the first-over’s move but stayed close, to the Pocono Pike, not far off. KEYSTONE THUNDER kept a hole closed early, shuffled a bit then out behind the winner, OK late. MINEFIELD HANOVER never entered the main picture. I HAVE A DREAM was already gapping by the 3/8. MONTEVIDEO was outside until just off the first curve to make the lead, yielded, struggled the last half.
FOURTH RACE – RANGERS SURESHOT was uncovered towards turn two and went up after the fast half, appeared to duck in the pocket 11/16 for about three steps then went back out and battled the leader, got the lead headstretch and drew away. CAPTAIN NASH had good cover, had to settle for second here ahead of MCBOOGITTY. The latter was also in the advancing flow, went wide and just missed second. P L MUNSON was away last, sat in, then got in gear midturn and swung four-wide, making up stretch ground. RISE UP NOW tucked and kept a hole closed on the first turn, then was shuffled as the pocketsitter backed off 5/8, got out to two-wide then ducked back in, not enough late. MR D’S DRAGON moved outside but never entered the main battle. CAPTAIN MALICIOUS went right to the lead, parked a foe past a 26 quarter, yielded but immediately retook, kept up a fast pace but then could not deal with the closers. NY WHITESOX left, was kept out a very fast 5/16 before making the lead, yielded, tired in the two-hole towards the 5/8.
FIFTH RACE – DE CHIRICO remained outside after being looped early and got in gear past the 3/16 to 3/8 command, kept the first-over at bay then had enough to not let MASTERY get by late. The latter made the front going to the 1/8, pushed the winner a bit before yielding for the pocket and stayed close, found his best steps only after the winner had too large a margin to be overcome. MOVE THE LINE sat well-placed, not enough to go with the top pair but far ahead of the rest. TRICK CARD backed out to third-over 9/16, was behind a gapper and went three-wide mid-far turn, OK. PINEBUSH LIFESAVER moved second-over but was gapping before the ¾. ACUP O JOE HANOVER offered little. NUTTIN BUT PRAISE started uncovered to turn two, paced a fine third quarter of 27 in the off going to reach the leader, but started to back off mid-far turn.
SIXTH RACE – SHIVERED had the pocket and narrowed in on the early runaway before the half, moved out headstretch and trotted away. TURVILLE HANOVER was looped and found no hole so took back to fifth, came out raw just past the 5/8, went on steadily to decision CAPTAIN KRUPNIK for second. The latter was away very quickly and put up early fractions of :27.3 and :56.1 while stringing out most of the field, but then could only come home in 1:02.2, just missing second. PERSEVERANCE got an early spot, gapped from before the half, best of the distant rest. TROTTING Z TAM never reached contention; nor did SWISS PLATINUM. WHAT DA MATTER U was leaving a big hole by the 3/8. HOLY KOLY trailed.
SEVENTH RACE – SURFER BEACH tucked third at the 1/8, followed SUPER MAC out ¾ and was uncovered on the turn, may have won a bit more easily than the margin suggests. The latter came through to sit the pocket, loosely to the 5/8, then in gear nearing the far turn, outside to go around the leader midturn, held gamely. BEACH FIRE K was outside from far back down the backstretch and retucked around sluggish horses, outside far turn, ducked inside in the stretch, good, finished with “b.e.” BAYONET went right to the point, couldn’t hold off the challenger early on the turn, best of the rest. BEACHMASTER TWO moved outside but couldn’t reach. PROM KING stayed connected until the ¾. DOGFIGHT and HOLY MOMENT never entered in the picture. DEO PICASSO spotted 1/8, then was leaving a large hole from not much past the ¼.
EIGHTH RACE – DJOKOVIC N was sixth at the START but hustled through to defend the pocket to the 1/8, moved 3/8 to command and continued a quick (for these) pace in the off going, may’ve bottomed out the field, just held on. LEAP YEAR LUCKY slid in fourth behind the early fighters, uncovered 5/8 and grinded, never closer than at the wire. ALEXANDER HANOVER was the first to show but track geometry dictated that he take back to third, to the deep Pocono Pike, evenly in the 31.3 kicker. PRETTY EDGY was between horses to reach the front 3/16, yielded past the 3/8, couldn’t gain in the Pike. THE NEXT THREE were not factors until the far turn, then narrowed in as the tempo slackened considerably. SCIROCCO JAKOB was losing contact by the 3/8.
NINTH RACE – PEGGY J gave a tuck so she could pull late on the first turn, went to the lead to the 3/8, was challenged hard by ROLL WITH AMY later backstretch and through the turn, had more than that foe to the wire. The latter came with a big :27.2 in the third split to argue with the leader, couldn’t quite sustain the move but a good outing nonetheless. SWEETONTHEBEACH yielded, had to check behind the breaker past midturn, recovered to be best of the rest. MISS SURREAL moved out down the back but gapped, around the breaker, evenly. DESTINYS CHILD finally went in a hole 3/16, had to go wide late on the turn around the confusion, couldn’t get closer. PRIMROSE made the lead, yielded to the winner, gapped in the pocket down the back, broke looking for more midturn and was taken to the infield.
TENTH RACE – FULL VIEW gapped off the early three-way battle, in gear towards turn two and uncovered, fought head-to-head with WHO’S NEGAN from just past the 5/8 until just past midstretch, when he finally took a clear lead after pacing a back half in 56 while raw in the off going. The latter left between horses and took the early pocket, then quarter-moved, had heat from the winner from just past midbackstretch, held very gamely until very late. BRAZEN BRAZILIAN had a great trip second-over, took third as not quite enough against the top two. LOU’S SWEETREVENGE was three-wide to the 1/8 then eased back into third, blocked midturn then outside, split horses with some pace. FIND ONE MORE was in a good flow three-wide, not enough at crunch time. BOLTMAN put two outside leavers in behind past the 1/8 then yielded to the winner, unplugged a bit during much of the last ¼. TRAY SURREAL never entered the main picture from fourth-over. MOONLIGHT SHADOW was gapping by the 3/8 and lost touch.
ELEVENTH RACE – TW LAUXMONT was loose on the lead most of the way, had a foe come to each side late but prevailed. YUGE was three-wide to the 1/8 then to the pocket after a foe broke, gapped at varying distances to headstretch, then was gaining very late. PRINCE OF MINTO was buried inside, got to the Pocono Pike and made up a huge amount of ground very quickly. KANDY KORN was forwardly-placed, couldn’t gain late. SHOW EM ALL LINDY moved outside 5/8, evenly as the pace slowed. WAYWARD MAN was looped and between horses going for forward position when breaking nearing the first turn. SCARLETT RAIDER offered little.
TWELFTH RACE – ROCK THREE TIMES maintained the pocket and was tight on the leader, was aided greatly when the first-over couldn’t clear far turn, to the Pocono Pike and finished well to edge STENDAHL HANOVER. The latter came raw out of fifth just past the 3/8, charged up and fought the leader, could get a ¾ length lead ¾ but couldn’t clear around the turn, which gave the winner a chance, just missed. BRUCE’S MAGIC bolted away to 1/8 command, under pressure 5/8 and wouldn’t let the first-over get by him, held well. MOTIVE HANOVER had great second-over cover, wide for the drive, a step shy. SOMWHERENBROOKLN N was third-over but couldn’t get into the mix. DRAGON STRIKES raced inside, little late. IWILLMAKEYOUSAYWOW was last most of the way. HEARTBREAK HILL was looped, took a 4-tuck before the 1/8, not heard from again.
THIRTEENTH RACE – INAPERFECTWORLD beat everyone away, yielded for the pocket, came out in the stretch and had little problem going by RIVER OTTER. The latter quarter-moved from the pocket and set an unpressured pace, clearly second-best. FRAC sat third and just held that spot to the line over MEADOWBRANCH RICKY. The latter moved third-over into the backstretch, went inside on the turn rather than having to try three- or four-wide, finished well. TYMAL TULLO got little help from his cover, went three-deep early on the turn but did not factor. ANOTHER BREATH gapped inside. PHANTOM RUSTY was last most of the way. CRESURREY moved uncovered nearing the second bend, gained a little for a quarter mile and then faded.
FOURTEENTH RACE – BILBO HANOVER made two moves then yielded for the pocket, looked to be struggling to keep up from midbackstretch into the homestretch, but then came out and caught HIGHRTHANANEAGLE late. The latter was quarter-mover #2, looked to be moving like a winner until near midstretch, then didn’t have enough late brush. GOLDEN GUN was three-wide to the first turn to the lead to the 3/16, saw two go by, looked about all-out the last 5/16. WARRAWEE TOTAL stayed in and was next. CLOUSEAU HANOVER got no help from cover, fanned four-wide in the lane and finished with speed. COLE PORTER N left a bad gap in the early stages, never entered into it. HEREHECOMESAROCKIN was second-over, three-wide when the first-over didn’t gain more but himself soon flattened out. RED DIRT BOOMER moved raw before the 5/8, got closer late backstretch but soon stopped gaining.