FIRST RACE – High 40s to mid 50s during the card … Stretch tailwind … LINDY’S BIG BANG was three-wide most of the quarter waiting for the front to settle, then went on to 3/8 command, put down a good clip and was much the best of these. NORTHERN SKYWAY did not get away well, moved out third-over ¾ and then spent of the last turn three-wide, solid closing effort. HARNESS AM was uncovered at the half, reached the wheel of the winner ¾ before backing off, saved third. DARTY took back early, then moved second-over, gapped cover, not too much. TRIUMPHANT’S CHIP took into the early pocket just before the ¼, sat in, shuffled on the far turn then got to the Pocono Pike, gained back a little. CLARION HALL prompted a spirited quarter, yielded for the pocket, was getting loose before the 5/8, offstride late. MARLEY’S GUY broke well before the start and went up towards the gate on the dead run, may not have ever caught stride then fell way back on the run.
SECOND RACE – CARTIER BI left well three-wide to the top at the 1/8, was in command of these. TUFF TO BE LINDY sat third, inside and went along steadily. BIG CHARLIE MORAN left between horses to land the two-hole at the 1/8, moved out early stretch, couldn’t gain, started to break 100 feet out and ran home; after an inquiry, the judges found no reason for placing. THAT’S ALL FOLKS was one-paced whether inside or outside. MY SON TY HANOVER gapped past the 5/8. ENDYMION got a slow start and never was close. DONATELLA FASHION lost gait well before the start.
THIRD RACE – SHIP WRECK BEACH K was looped, got in third 3/16, moved raw 5/8 but soon got cover, gapped it on the turn, regathered then proved to have the most in the stretch. SNUF ENUF HANOVER was behind dull cover, gained from way back three-wide far turn, ducked between horses early stretch and finished well. PLAY THERAPY sat in the pocket, vacated same 11/16, lead early stretch but could not make it stand up. YOUR HONOR was fast at the start, rated the half and didn’t get pressure until late backstretch, gave way. ROAD READY WES moved out towards turn two, got cover 5/8 but didn’t go forward. HOLY MOMENT never factored. DANCING TINA tucked early, had room up the inside but was no factor late.
FOURTH RACE – DYNAMITE VOLO moved 5/16 to easily take over 3/8 and rated the half, proved superior here. BY A HOFF HANOVER was in front 3/16, yielded for the pocket, steadily for second. INFINITE ZETTE tucked at the 1/8, moved raw before the 5/8 and went up to pressure the leader, held OK. CAMDEN HILLS had to go three-wide around a sluggish bunch past the ¾, finished steadily. CHERRY MASON was blocked on the far turn but didn’t make up ground. GAVINATOR was first on top, yielded, gapped 5/8. WINGMAN HANOVER moved outside past the 5/8 but could offer very little.
FIFTH RACE – SIRI BLUE CHIP went right to the lead and set the pace as she pleased, had enough sprint on the end to withstand SPICY COVINA. The latter sat the two-hole, then went up the Pocono Pike, gained some but not quite enough. BETTER BID HANOVER stayed connected until early stretch, held third. BROKEN got a slow start then tightened, uncovered off the second turn, fell back in the last 1/8. SIGNIFICANT OTHER didn’t have enough.
SIXTH RACE – A BLUE BLOOD sat a great two-hole trip, to the Pocono Pike and outtrotted R SPEED OF LIGHT to the line. The latter made the top at the 1/8, saw a challenger break 3/16, was not under pressure, just couldn’t go enough late, clear of the others. PRAIRIE TRINKET stayed inside and won the photo for third. PAINT BY NUMBERS spotted third, came out past the ¾, evenly. LINNEA HANOVER was off the gate then was bothered at the 1/8, made a good recovery for a check. SECRET EDGE got a tuck early, no factor thereafter. TWO PIECE TANLINES was also bothered at the 1/8 and was far back. FLAME AWAY broke an 1/8 before the start, had caught the field before the first turn, but then made another break and bothered opponents. LILYBET was up and challenging for the lead when going offstride 3/16.
SEVENTH RACE – MAJOR IMPACT came out behind cover 3/16 ahead of a parked horse, saw his cover go by then went up and challenged the new leader, cleared 3/8, kept a foe parked out, then opened some distance headstretch, kept going and withstood LIONBACKER KIDD. The latter was looped early, went on to ¼ command, yielded for the pocket, saw the winner get away some headstretch, narrowed back in some. BUTTER TOFFEE outleft everybody, saw two go by and stayed in, to the Pocono Pike and performed well. STEEL SCHOONER went up behind cover, had to check 5/8 when the cover took a balky step, got back settled then went three-wide midturn, did OK after a difficult journey. ARCHIBALD moved outside and gained late. CELEBRITY MASERATI was looped early, bypassed a hole to press on for the lead but was left outside, took a bad step 5/8 but righted, then got tired in the last 3/16. THE OTHERS couldn’t get themselves into the main picture.
EIGHTH RACE – Most of the field had trouble in this race, but TSM WESTERN SOUL did not: she went right to the lead, did benefit from the mishaps behind her, but still came home in 28.1 as an impressive winner. RAINBOW RISING tucked third, outside past the half to clear a breaker and retucked in the pocket, held second. ALLEY HANOVER picked her way through trouble in early backstretch, closed well. CHANEL BEACH had to go to the infield to avoid a horse dropping down inside in front of her to the 5/8. TEMPTATION EYES went three-wide to get around the early backstretch trouble, then dropped back down to the rail interfering with others, tired, placed. ODDS ON CARLY left well and had the pocket, made a break off the second turn scattering horses, placed. TWIN B BEACHDREAMS couldn’t avoid the second incident and suffered an “ix,” but she was placed up two spots and got a check.
NINTH RACE – CAMPBELLINI was the innermost of the leavers, let a foe go 5/16 and could sit the pocket, outside ¾, got the lead but couldn’t clear the pacesetter on the turn, did make the lead stand up to the wire. POND JUMPER left between horses and was parked past a fast ¼ to get the top, had pressure, then had the winner pull ¾, held gamely in the face of that one’s protracted challenge. CIMERONKEN left and filled the pocket, stayed in, to the Pocono Pike, not bad. ALEXANDER HANOVER was inside until the far turn, then moved two- and three-wide, found his best gear a little too late. DON took back early, then decided to go up and follow the parked horses, had to go three-wide before the 11/16, got fresh cover from the winner that he couldn’t stay with, held OK after a hard journey; speaking of which, URSIS DES CAILLONS was three-wide all the way to the ¼, had cover to the 5/16 then was left raw, could never surmount a real challenge to the leader, was looped to the ¾, and still was beaten less than five lengths. PERSEVERANCE never surfaced. NEWCASTLE gapped. WILLY MOUSE came out at the half but was soon offstride.
TENTH RACE – STOP RESISTIN moved into the second turn and rode cover to the ¾, then three-wide to two-wide past midturn, finally got a small advantage just past midstretch, then just held off EXPLOSIVE MAGIC. The latter followed the former then was left three-wide uncovered past midturn, was gaining through the lane but came up a step shy. INAPERFECTWORLD took control in a sharp opener, then left the chalk out to dry, didn’t surrender the lead until just past midstretch. PUERTO RICO had nowhere to go far turn but didn’t get into the battle once free. THISISSHE tucked third, then was underway past the ¼ but could not clear in a 29.4 second quarter despite encouragement, was left out to dry and fell back. TRY TRY AGAIN was near the back throughout. TYSON left, took the pocket 3/16, went inside in the stretch, looking for more trot when going offstride.
ELEVENTH RACE – THE BIG PICTURE moved behind those fleeing the rail into turn two and was left raw, gradually worked up into contention, continued his gain and was just along at the wire. BARRYWHITE HANOVER tucked fourth, sensed trouble 3/8 and moved out but had to go three-deep on the second turn as the pocketsitter also had to get out from behind the potential trouble, to two-wide and to the lead before the 5/8, lasted until near the wire. RIPPLESONTHEBEACH, a handful in his second lifetime start, came out 3/16, went a little wide out of the first turn and made the lead before the 3/8, then appeared to start pulling himself up despite Allard’s hustling him and jammed up those immediately behind, fell far back then re-revved up on the turn, came wide out of the same turn into the stretch and was moving fastest of all late, placed for causing the difficulty. DILLINGER left strongly to get early command, yielded 3/8 and immediately started to run up on the new leader, came out pushing a foe wide and made the lead into the backstretch, let the one behind him go, gapped on the turn, came back some. HURRIKANEKINGCARLO was outside on turn two, then couldn’t keep with the winner when that one brushed up. SHAKEALEG HANOVER had the pocket early, jammed up a bit when the new horse took over 3/8, was caught in and had to be taken under a big hold, never recovered. CAVIART SKIPPER gapped near the back. SWEET SHUNEY MOON lost contact at the back.
TWELFTH RACE—SEVEN IRON went right to the lead, pushed a brusher the length of the frontstretch before yielding for the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and proved the best. GREEK LEGEND gapped in quarter two, uncovered 11/16 and steadily moved up, good mile. WILLIE B WORTHY went into the early pocket, stayed in, mulled his directional options headstretch, then went inside the pacesetter and did OK. PHANTOM RUSTY moved outside on the far turn and finished OK. ICINGON DE CUPCAKE quarter-moved but need the entire frontstretch to clear, got pressure on the far turn, gave way. NICE STUFF and FRAC were never factors; nor was FINAL DREAM after breaking early.
THIRTEENTH RACE – THE CANDYMAN CAN went right along on the engine, proved better than his only main challenger, NATIONAL SPORT. The latter was three-deep to the 1/8, then with cover to the ¼, decided not to tuck and went on uncovered, made the pocket 11/16, tried very hard. NOCH TEN took the pocket early, started to get loose past the 5/8, won a photo for a very distant third. BUDDY HILL settled in third before the ¼, stuck behind a tired one far turn, but then couldn’t gain at all once clear in the Pocono Pike. LINCOLNJAMES gapped cover second-over; WAY TO CLOSE was out behind that one, never entered the picture. THUNDER SOME WHERE got early position, then was not heard from again.