FIRST RACE – Hot day … Track “fast +0” races 1 through 11; then weather came and track “sloppy +1” for the last three … The stretch headwind would reverse as the storm came through … CAPTAINS MAID was looped, finally took over 5/8, saw a foe dive into the pocket ¾, but handled that one and the others easily. RAPUNZEL BLUE CHIP tucked, went uncovered at the half, gained down the back and made the pocket at the ¾, the only one to stay reasonably close. UPTOWN HANOVER was covered during the third quarter then lost that cover, inside headstretch, held third in a photo with NATCHEZ BELLE. The latter went evenly in the good cover flow. DELIGHTFUL SUMMER sat in, blocked far turn, cleared headstretch and a distant best of the others. SWEETONTHEBEACH darted right to the front, yielded 5/16, loose in the two-hole from the 5/8. MORE THAN KUTE and MORROCKIN K never featured. IN LOU OF MONEY broke going to the first turn, couldn’t recover.
SECOND RACE – BABY MAKER HANOVER left well, yielded 3/16 and waited inside in the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and drew away from these. CRITICAL MASS sat in, went inside in the stretch, didn’t have the speed of the winner but beat the others. SERRANO VOLO pressed on until securing the top 3/16, got no pressure until before the ¾, couldn’t maintain the advantage. CON AIR HALL was three-wide leaving, tucked third towards the 3/16, uncovered 11/16 and went right up to challenge the leader head-to-head, but couldn’t sustain the progress. SCIROCCO JAKOB moved out past the 5/8, got cover but gapped it. DEVIOUS HANOVER couldn’t keep up. HOLY KOLY first broke an 1/8 before the start.
THIRD RACE – FAWN DE TOUCH was looped and tucked fourth, moved raw 3/8 and went to the front just past the half, was going about all she could, but that was enough. MISS CLEOPATRICK made two speed moves then yielded just past the half, to the Pocono Pike, stayed close but had to settle for second. CHEESY HANOVER backed out second-over 11/16, three-wide far turn, enough for third. SPIT AND VINEGAR was in the outer flow and wide around the fading first-over, ducked between horses and came on some late. VINYASA was three-high to turn one to the lead at the ¼, yielded, inside, weakened the last 1/8. GOODGOLLYMISSMOLLY took a while to settle in, not much thereafter. QUEEN TILE NO moved with cover past the 3/8, left raw just past the half, did not handle the last two turns well, faded. FLAME AWAY took back to last, broke 5/16. CUSTOMARILY went offstride past the ½.
FOURTH RACE – CAPSAICINN left and wasn’t anxious to yield to anybody, drew clear in the last ¼ in a good mile. EASYRUNNER HANOVER left and took the pocket, stayed close to the ¾, withstood SOUTHWIND XENA for second. The latter slotted third 3/16, waited then had room to move outside midstretch, gained some. MIKI THE CLOWN sat in, avoided the outer tiers and was next. SOCIETY JILL was underway before the half, three-wide soon into the backstretch to two-wide raw past the 5/8, faded in tandem with the pocketsitter ¾. BARDMIRY followed cover two- and three-wide, didn’t enter the main battle. TSM PRINCESS TEDDI followed the sweeper early backstretch, two-wide with cover 11/16 but labored to keep up. JK’S JENNA was wide early, uncovered 3/16 and went up to challenge, couldn’t clear and faded after expending a large amount of energy.
FIFTH RACE – FRANKASAURUS headed down the road, put in two good odd-numbered quarters, withstood PREACHER MAN. The latter stayed flat, gapped down the back, but came up the inside in the lane with some trot. CAMDEN HILLS took the pocket, moved out in the lane, did not gain and bore out. ARMANI HANOVER moved uncovered 5/8, faded in the last 1/8. ONE AFTER NINE jumped early in the backstretch. CARTIER BI was three-wide leaving when misbehaving at the 1/8. BY A HOFF HANOVER went offstride at the start. LEVANTE lost gait off the turn before the start.
SIXTH RACE – CHANEL BEACH was on top at the 1/8, went on, stayed clear with mild rousing. ODDS ON BADD BUNNY sat the good two-hole trip tight to the winner, couldn’t gain late but clear of the others. SNUF ENUF HANOVER gapped in third from the 5/8; TSM PRINCESS LEXI sat behind that one, moved out past midturn to try to pass that one but could not. HAZEL PARK was parked after leaving when breaking before the 3/16, took back to last, made more breaks. CHEEKIE BABE lost touch with the main group by the half.
SEVENTH RACE – R SPEED OF LIGHT sat third behind the pocket gapper, moved outside midturn, worked to the front in a 31.1 kicker. MISS ZELDA was at the back of the main group, outside midturn and wide headstretch, gained a lot of stretch territory. CANTABSLEADINGLADY went 28 to force a tuck then went 28.3 into the wind in opening up a big lead which she retained to the ¾, not quite enough to get home first. FINLANDIA moved out far turn but couldn’t offer much. AD ASTRA was very wide early, crossed down to two-wide then got in the pocket at the ¼, soon left a big gap to the leader, tightened late backstretch, Pocono Pike, couldn’t gain late. A MILLION CHUCKLES was left behind by the half. KOKOMO and MISS MAYTRIX were affected dodging a breaking LINNEA HANOVER at the 1/8. The last-named was looped and three-wide towards the 1/8, made a break bothering those around her.
EIGHTH RACE – TAPPED TEEN moved from fourth off the first turn to the lead past the 3/8, had a long fight with ARTIST BEST in the stretch and withstood that opponent in good time for these. The latter was three-wide to the 1/8 and went on to take over, yielded past the 3/8 for the two-hole, outside early stretch and narrowed in well. BALI BEACH was between horses early and looped, wasn’t going to take the pocket then decided to do so 3/16, started to gap a little 5/8, clear third. THE BIG PICTURE came out down the back, finally gained some on the turn and was next in line; SOME DEAL HANOVER followed that one’s cover and got the last check. DOGFIGHT was forwardly-placed, empty midturn. THE OTHERS were away in the back from outer posts and never entered the main picture.
NINTH RACE — TRAIN chugged through at the start, kept a foe out to the quarter then waited in the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and was along easily into the wind and a31 last quarter. MISTER WALKER tucked third, pinned in headstretch, went to the deep Pike and was along for second while possibly in tight quarters. VENDOR BILL pressed on and made the front at the ¼, went a good third split with the wind, but then didn’t have enough late. COMMAND THE MARKET was outside before the 5/8, got a head up on the third-in horse on the turn but flattened some. KASEVILLE gapped past the 5/8. SHAMROCKS offered little. LEGION OF HONOR was three-wide to the 1/8, took back, two-wide then finally tucked, out again at the half and three-wide around a fader, but couldn’t keep up down the back then broke. CHECK MY SCORE was outside midpack until the half, then was all done.
TENTH RACE – MANKAT went right down the road, strung the field out in quarter two despite moderating the pace, then sped up, came home in 55 and was handled confidently in defeating CIGAR SMOKING TONY though that one narrowed in. The latter left and held the pocket, gave it a good try in the Pocono Pike, didn’t miss by too much. CAPTAINOFROCKNROLL tucked third to “disrupt” an otherwise-lineup, stayed going well to be third ahead of IM A GIGOLO N. The latter went uncovered in 26.3 with the wind the third quarter and got to the saddle pad of the pocket horse before flattening slightly, still a good mile. BETTOR AT HIGHTIDE gapped frontstretch, never a big factor. THE OTHER TWO were well off the rest from down the back.
ELEVENTH RACE – A mist started, and the wind a) really started to pick up and b) turned 90o (it would turn into a stretch tailwind by the twelfth) … DOUBLE METAL sat a distant pocket until 9/16, then quickly closed the distance to the leader and then went right on by, challenged by GAMBLIN MO the last 1/8 and gamely turned that one back. The latter took back at the 1/8 and then tailed the winner throughout, stayed uncovered around the turn to engage her, tried very hard. STELLAR YANKEE left a big hole in fourth in front of the stands, tightened up and just got out 5/8, retucked, faded in the lane but held third. DIAMOND HEAD was outside down the back, briefly three-wide then back to two-wide off of his cover, just missed third. ROCK ON LOU and RHETT SEELSTER never contended. MCNEIL Z TAM flew away to a big lead to early backstretch, then was quickly reeled in. BETTOR NOT TALK was looped and three-wide, made a break before the 3/16.
TWELFTH RACE – Raining; track now “sloppy +1,” and as noted the wind is now a stretch tailwind … KISS AN ANGEL was looped, eyed a 4-hole to the ¼ but decided to go on and made the lead 3/8, got a big challenge ¾, appeared to be in very tight quarters with her outside challenger into the stretch, but came clear and responded gamely for the win. DAGON HANOVER pulled out second-over, three-wide 5/8 well off the front ones but kept gaining, moving very well late and didn’t come up short by much. KEYSTONE BARRACUDA was three-wide towards turn one, took the pocket before the 3/16, came uncovered before the 5/8 and went up at the pacesetter, at times having a slight lead, as mentioned in close quarters with that one into the lane, held on well. ABOVE THE CLOUDS was inside 5/16 when breaking, recovered, was still way back late on the far turn, found room on the inside and was motoring late in a hard-luck outing. ISLAND LILY was forwardly-placed, stayed in, not all that much late. LIBERO HANOVER was in front at the 1/8, yielded, sat the pocket, looked to have found a golden path when the front two got in close quarters, but had no forward response late. TUFF TO BE LINDY pulled at the ¼ and went up raw, done at the 5/8. CHING CHING LUCKY broke past the 5/8.
THIRTEENTH RACE – Wind moderated after the main storm came through … SHOULDABEENATD went on to grab the racetrack, rated the second quarter then sprinted despite the slop in 54, with only MACKIE HANOVER remotely close. The latter made the front and yielded, did as best as she could to stay with the impressive winner, an ocean ahead of the rest. LAURIE LEE had cover, went three-wide 11/16 as it stopped going forward, very very distant third. EMMA gapped out before the 5/8. INCASEYOUDIDNTKNOW was outside early, tucked seventh at the ¼, moved out again but did little. PODIUM GIRL tried to circle the back ones three-wide before the ¾, not too effective. SURE R LOOKIN GOOD was uncovered before turn two, briefly advanced then stayed in place, tucked in, tired. FOLLOW YOUR NOSE had little. ROLL ON MAMA tucked fourth at the 3/16, lost ground in the last half.
FOURTEENTH RACE – BEYOND ORDINARY was three-wide most of the ¼ before tucking third, uncovered again just past the half to the lead ¾, much the best of these. BANZAI AS played front-end hardball, finally yielded at the 3/8, pocket, shuffled behind a tiring leader on the turn, split horses midstretch and finished well, was better than the line may look. ALTUS HANOVER gapped the main pack down the back, had some speed finishing. CAVIART EMMA was between horses to the ¼, persisted on to the lead 3/8, yielded ¾, had little to offer late. NEZBLANC got cover, lost it as it cleared ¾, couldn’t maintain any improvement. TUIS SHADOW and MAGNIFICENT SEVEN were off the gate and gapped the first five throughout. MISTER BOINGA wanted to start quickly but broke just as the gate sprang.