FIRST RACE – Many impressive winners – but also a few horses in heretofore good form finishing well off the winner … WAR-N-MUNN made two speed moves to control the pace, went 27.1 down the back and then left everybody far behind. BLOW A CLOUD N sat third, waited for the Pocono Pike then came home for the distant second. URBAN RENEWAL stayed in, moved out in the lane and had a little gain. ROYAL HEART left and got command at the 3/16, yielded for the two-hole, gapped out the last ¼. DRINKA BEER sat in then backed out to third-over, went back inside dull cover and got the last payday. LOUD SPLASH was second-over but couldn’t keep up late backstretch. CAPTAIN HILL was uncovered past the 3/8, never got past the pocket horse then faded significantly in the last ¼.
SECOND RACE – INDEPENDENT ONE was in the outside flow, three-wide to the ¾ to the pocket midturn, came off the turn with what appeared to be a disconnected overcheck, but still gained and went by DARTH FADER. The latter controlled the throttle with two moves, had a clear lead down the backstretch in a fast ¾, but then got gradually reeled in by the winner. RAKSMACH N couldn’t keep with the winner’s cover, gained two-wide on the turn, not bad and an acre ahead of the rest. A REAL MIRACLE was three-wide to the 3/16 and then two-wide past the 26.2 opener to the lead 5/16, yielded for the pocket, tired badly in the last ¼. ALL ABOUT HEAVEN moved with cover then lost it before the 5/8, didn’t gain thereafter. PLAY THERAPY was innermost in a three-horse early duel, yielded, fell way back. LORD OF MISRULE was uncovered early on the second turn, broke going towards the 5/8.
THIRD RACE – CAPTAIN CASH went to the top at the 1/8, went the middle half in 54.1 while clear most of that distance, had DECLAN SEELSTER coming to him in the stretch, held off that one when bearing out; there was an inquiry to see if the winner’s bearing out affected the second horse; no placing was made. DECLAN SEELSTER had cover leaving, appeared reluctant to tuck third but did so late first turn, uncovered 5/8 to get into the pocket ¾, out again in the stretch, tried very hard but came up just shy. BARNABAS yielded at the 1/8 and gapped from the 3/8 onward; far behind the top two, but clear of the rest. OUTKAST BLUE CHIP gapped dull cover, three-wide into the stretch and beat out the others. STORMONT CZAR A was never a factor. ASTON HILL DAVE struggled most of the last half. NIALL HANOVER moved out well in arrears of the top three, didn’t gain. GRIFFON HANOVER never factored.
FOURTH RACE – EL IDEAL considered letting an outside foe go to the ¼ but sped up when the pocket horse moved out to follow, stayed on the lead and just had too much for these. AFTER ALL PAUL came out near the ¼ as it appeared a foe would go past the winner, but then tucked back in the pocket as the winner didn’t yield, stayed relatively close while trying hard to the line. MUSHANA struggled to keep close from the 5/8. THE LIONKING AS looked at leaving but took back to last, outside and circled the rest. NOTHING BUT MUSCLE gapped badly in the frontstretch, backed out to follow cover a great way off the lead, got the last check. TSM PHOTO BUGGER challenged early and looked as if he might clear, but then the winner sped up when the pocket horse came out and denied access to the top, had to take all the way back to fifth 3/8, not heard from thereafter. TWO AM did little.
FIFTH RACE – INDIGO ART had great second-over cover, went three-wide past midturn, drew away through the stretch. DO YA THINK was behind the winner third-over, couldn’t accelerate with that one late turn, but steadily to win a three-horse photo for second. NEWBIE came uncovered towards turn two and had reached the leader by the 9/16, fought hard with that one and had the lead but not the inside most of the turn, just missed second. BUSBOY HANOVER was wide early then took back and filled his own hole in the lineup, stayed in, out in a three-wide blindswitch late turn, squeezed between horses midstretch and had good pace once free. BAMSKI sat the pocket, outside in a blindswitch late turn as the pacesetter gave way, so-so. VALIANT IVY was not a contender. ALL IT TAKES took control from the pole, rated the half then sped up as a hard first-over challenge soon came, kept that one outside most of the turn then backed off.
SIXTH RACE – NEEDLESS TO SAY was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide until taking over off the first turn, slowed the half then sharpened the speed, found himself clear before the 5/8 and won handily. REDHOT ROMEO was second-over behind nonflowing cover, three-wide ¾ through the turn, along for a distant deuce. BETTER B ROLLING left between horses, tucked at the 1/8, stayed in, out in a blindswitch turn as the pocket/first-over formed a “wedge,” waited then found a seam late and had good pace. MAJOR ASSET was uncovered into the second bend, didn’t get close to the leader and gummed up the two-wide tier alongside the gapping pocketsitter. GIVEN UP TERROR followed the place horse and was wide behind his cover on the far turn, fair. RECORD MACHINE sat in, never a factor, came back with “b.e.” BLUEBERRY HEAVEN never got a call. SPORTSMANSHIP used the rail well to secure the pocket, but then gapped before the 5/8.
SEVENTH RACE – MY LINDY WINNER was second-over, slightly off his cover right to early stretch, then found a higher gear late and just got there. SORTIE was uncovered nearing the clubhouse turn, speed-grinded in 27.2 down the back and gradually went up to the leader, put that one away late but couldn’t resist the winner’s finish. GEMOLOGIST made the lead past the 3/16, rated, didn’t get pressure until the ¾ but then got a lot of it, held fairly well. TRUEMASS VOLO was last, had to go widest in the lane and was flying late. O JONNIE was in the outer flow but gapped. MANHATTANUP NO ICE was fastest away, yielded for the two-hole, then had no response in the Pocono Pike. LIFE WELL LIVED got a forward spot, gapped. HEAT WAVE HANOVER tucked third at the 1/8, was still there when breaking past midturn and going inside the pylons.
EIGHTH RACE – MOTIVE HANOVER was up on the bit and ready to go the last half, moved second-over, three-wide headstretch, drew away in the lane. EGOMANIA was uncovered off turn two, took it to the pacesetter and had a small advantage most of the way from midturn, lost it into the lane, just did get the deuce from the stubborn pacesetting LYONS AMUSEMENTS. The latter was out past the 3/16 for command, yielded 3/8 but soon on the retake and got to the half in fast time, kept going quickly with a challenger coming before the ¾, stayed in the fight for second gamely. BLACKLIGHT was three-wide to the 1/8, then two-wide with cover to past the 3/16, then two-wide raw to the lead 3/8, yielded for the pocket, Pocono Pike, not too much left late. SWEET N FAST N gapped third-over, so-so late. WARRAWEE VELOCE forced most of the ¼ and yielded, third-in, tried to come up the deep Pike, may have been in tight quarters. THE FINAL TRIO were never a presence here.
NINTH RACE — FOREVER FAY went right to the lead, got pressure from BRAVO TEX N from the 5/8 but bettered that one in a long duel. The latter started uncovered from past the 3/8 and reached the lead near midbackstretch, fought hard, good but had to settle for place. REGAL SON went in third past the 1/8, blocked as the top two got away then outside late turn, ducked n for the stretch and made a good recovery. KEYSTONE STEAM never factored. AMERICAN VIRGIN trailed most of the way. ACES ROCK left and got the two-hole, but got looser and looser in it from the 5/8. NATIVE’S SWEETLOU settled back early, came out into turn two but looked rough, then gapped cover 5/8 and fell way back.
TENTH RACE – JACK’S LEGEND N was third-over, three-wide ¾ through the turn, used high speed to gradually work to the lead very late. ELVER HANOVER left and got a great trip in the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and did have the lead late in the lane, but caught. HICKFROMFRENCHLICK left well to gain control, slowed the half then sped up as company came on, paced doggedly to the finish. SHOOBEE DEE A had to swing four-wide from last and had good pace a mite belatedly. HIGHALATOR was put into first-over grind move early on turn two, inched up until headstretch, then fell back some. RESPECT OUR FLAG was second-over, gapped slightly late backstretch and was blindswitched two-wide past the ¾, edged over to the three-wide path headstretch behind the sweeper, not all that much late. BRAEVIEW BONDI A had some speed and yielded, not heard from again.
ELEVENTH RACE – CURIOUS CORTEZ hit the top immediately, continued on parking a challenger in science-fiction numbers, still strong at the end in an overwhelming performance. BABES DIG ME very reluctantly went into the pocket before the ¼ and kept it tight, good race but not enough to beat the winner. ALBERGO HANOVER went out behind cover nearing the ¾ then was left raw when the cover ducked in turn midturn, next-best. SHANE ADAM gapped a bit off the early-race three-way war, then moved outside well past the 5/8, was urged but did not gain, went back inside. ALEX TYE and TULLOW N never had a say in this. BELL I NO was out three-wide much of the fast ¼ then was zizzled two-wide as the pace did not deintensify, finished to the 5/8 and broke late backstretch.
TWELFTH RACE – AMERICAN COURAGE, looking like a “push-button” horse, was the only leaver, had an open lead from the 1/8 to the 5/16, paced home in 54.2 – 27 and did not look to be near extending himself. JK MUSICMAN came raw out of fourth to the 5/8 and went 26.4 the third quarter, tucked in the pocket on the turn, non-threatening but way ahead of the others. FABRICE HANOVER stayed in, distant third up the Pocono Pike. REDBANK BLAZE A had the pocket by default, couldn’t keep up in the last ¼. THE WALL couldn’t go with his cover. THE LAST THREE were always the last three.
THIRTEENTH RACE – BUDDY HILL tucked fifth 3/16, joined the outer tier on the second turn, three-wide with cover 9/16 when his cover broke, so he made the sweeping move to two-wide raw to the lead ¾, ran away with this one. MY MIND IS MADEUP kept the pocket closed in the first-half dustup, backed out behind the winner late backstretch, couldn’t keep with that one, ducked into the pocket on the turn, just got the distant deuce. GONNAHAVEONEMORE gapped off the early fireworks then moved out, swept by the fader well behind the leader, two-wide on the turn, just missed place. BULLVILLE TERROR was in the two-/three-wide flow, not quite enough. BETTING EXCHANGE gained ground down the back then moved out into a blindswitch, moved over one more lane right, a bit of late pace. MELODIES MAJOR tried to make up significant ground wide but could not. SOMEBEACH BARON shut a hole 3/16, then moved before the half and soon was three-wide but broke sweeping, recovered, made up a lot of ground inside on the turn, then was blocked through the stretch. BENSON BOYS N was three-wide past the 1/8 then to two-deep, found no hole so argued the hot pace, looped just past the 5/8. ROBBIE BURNS N got the lead and would not yield in fast numbers, yielded to the ¾ and fell back sharply.
FOURTEENTH RACE – SOMEBODYITREASURE was three-wide early, appeared to kick plugs at the 1/8 and responded with a surge to quarter command, rated the half, then came home in 54 and still only won by a head over MYKINDACHIP. The latter yielded for the two-hole trip, came home in 53.4 (albeit after an easy journey), inched up on the game winner but couldn’t go by. PRINCE OF TIDES stayed connected third-in, best of the others. BLOOD LINE was second-over, three-wide late on the turn, evenly. OLLIE’S ZTAM had no shot from where he was in a 54 back half. PRAIRIE PANTHER was uncovered to the half, went his own third quarter in 26.1 and barely reached the pocket horse’s wheel, gave way.