FIRST RACE – Stretch headwind, though it tailed off during the card … CHANCELLORCULLEN N was three-wide leaving and tucked third to the 3/16, stayed third-in, angled out early stretch then found a seam past midstretch and responded quickly to get the nod. BRINGITONHOME N dove in behind the early four-wide fight and tucked fourth, then came first-over into turn two, speed-grinded with the wind, made the lead deep stretch, a bit unlucky to be caught in big outing. BEACHMASTER TWO was third-over behind gapping cover, three-wide through the final turn and finished steadily (if into a decelerating pace). T’S ELECTRIC left and backed into the pocket, to the Pocono Pike, not quite enough. TARANTULA was four-wide early, three-wide past the 1/8, and two-wide to the ¼ before a midpack tuck, stuck inside, gained some late deep in the Pike. ARTACUS would not let anyone pass in a fierce first quarter, set the race of the pace, had a presence outside him from late backstretch, couldn’t retain the top. LIMA RAIDER was too far back. BIG GAME HUNTER wasn’t prominent. BEBOP ON THE BLOCK was in good second-over position but gapped.
SECOND RACE – GOLDEN GESTURE was first on top, yielded 3/16 to sit the golden trip, outside past midturn, inched away from JEREMES GENERAL. The later worked to the top 3/16, rated Q2 against the wind then went faster down the back without pressure, grudgingly gave way to the winner. HES GONE BADDER sat in third, got room to accelerate when the winner moved outside, also angled out and made up good ground. MEADOWBROOK FLASH was inside, best of the rest. ALL IT TAKES got in midpack past the 1/8, was second-over but ducked in ¾ when cover went no good, couldn’t gain. FASHION MAVEN was third-over in a nonflow, never reached. LYONS JOHNNY was uncovered before the half, didn’t get close before starting to fade 11/16. THE REMAINING DUO were always far back.
THIRD RACE – CLARION HALL waited outside while the front end resolved itself, then went up 3/16 to the lead before the 5/16, set the pace and shook off the first-over, won in hand. RIVER OTTER had forward position, came uncovered to the 5/8 and challenged, shaken off by the strong winner but edged UVA HANOVER for second. The latter was three-wide to the first bend to the lead past the 1/8, ceded the lead to the winner not too far off turn one, stayed close in the two-hole until late, just missed second. DARK POOL gapped cover from the 5/8 to headstretch, then had some kick. SILVERMASS VOLO got around the others from far back. NOTHING BUT MUSCLE gapped, never a factor. IF I MUST backed off early into a tuck, started gapping before the 5/8. SIR JOHN F had little to offer.
FOURTH RACE – JD came out behind cover off the first turn, saw his cover clear to the 3/8 then went right on by, had bigtime pressure from HECANDANCENCRUISE, but the freshman came back and got the nod. The latter moved out 5/8 and was soon three-wide as a foe pulled, remained three-wide until near midturn and went to even with the winner, stayed fighting to the line. BET EIGHTTHIRTYONE spotted, sat in, fair along the inside. BESTONEYET HANOVER yielded, moved 3/16, a bit wide off turn one and needed most of the way to the 3/8 to regain the top, soon yielded it, angled wide in the stretch but couldn’t get closer. HONALI got the last check. HOWULIKEMENOW RAY was quickly away, pushed the first brusher a ways before yielding, came back out 5/8 but tired from midturn. BACK IN MY DAY lost contact in the last half.
FIFTH RACE – LORD OF MISRULE pushed an early foe, yielded, immediately retook, got a slow half, then came home in 27.2 and then 27.1 to leave these far behind. REDHOT ROMEO was “wedged in” when the first-over and pocket horse tired simultaneously, to the Pocono Pike, just got to second late. BLUEBERRY HEAVEN was four-wide to the first turn then two-wide to clear 5/16, yielded for the two-hole, gapped most of the last half but almost held for second. RANGERS SURESHOT was first-up before turn two but never bettered being even with the pocket horse before fading 3/4; DARK HORSE was behind him and went wide on the turn but didn’t make up ground. RAKSMACH N was two- and three-wide behind dull cover, never a factor. NORTHERN SPORTSMAN was three-wide early, took back and needed past the ¼ to settle in last, not prominent thereafter.
SIXTH RACE – MARKET BASED went frontward, wide coming out of turn one and needed until the 3/8 to clear, but was in charge thereafter, visibly downshifting when asked to pace out midstretch – impressive. LOU’S BEACH left quickly for command, strung out the winner then yielded for the pocket, kept up in the two-hole, but then couldn’t gain in a 27.1 last quarter and just held second over THRESHOLD. The latter sat third, came out in the stretch and made up some ground. AMERICAN FRONTIER gapped in quarter two but then worked closer and moved out 11/16, couldn’t reach the main action. ABEL DE VIE couldn’t keep up 11/16 but got the final payday. BOSTON was not heard from; nor was ZEUS HANOVER. COAL CRACKER was looped early, looking ready to try to get in the five-hole when breaking to the 3/16.
SEVENTH RACE – SOMWHERENBROOKLN N made two speed moves to control the throttle, withstood the first charge of BARNABAS, and then the second one as well. The latter was uncovered down the back and went up in 27.2, lost ground on the turn and went into the pocket, then came back for more before midstretch and almost made it. MAJOR HUMOR had room to gain up the inside down the back and did to some degree, outside stretch and just a distant third. IMAGINEUWITHOUTME was far back, gained in the Pocono Pike. ALL ABOUT HEAVEN was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide to the ¼ in pursuit of the top, yielded, stayed close to midturn then tired. MOVE THE LINE came out behind poor cover, three-wide to the ¾ but couldn’t get nearer. ABSOLUTE INTENT gapped at the back of the main pack. NATIVE’S SWEETLOU tucked fourth at the 1/8, moved second-over 5/8 but immediately started going backwards. AMRCANBOOTSCOOTA A lost poise an 1/8 before the start.
EIGHTH RACE – WEARINMYSIXSHOOTER was content to sit third until past the 5/8 then went up to challenge, tucked in the pocket on the turn, then came out and paced what had to be a sub-13 last eighth (own total last ¼ = 26.1) to overhaul BIRTHDAY – one to watch. The latter was parked to the quarter for the lead, got a slow half, then would have won a great rate of two-year-old races by pacing a last half in 55 – but not this one against this foe, big try on his own. DONTLIKEITLEAVE left and yielded, sat the pocket, gradually got looser the second half but still held third. ALADDIN HANOVER moved behind the cover of the winner but couldn’t go that much, still a good race. FOUREVER BOY was off the gate, moved outside far off the pace, had solid pace for the last check. LEONARDO HANOVER gapped out 5/8. WEHADABABYETZABOY was inside far back but with a horse in front of and beside him when making a break past the ¾. CAMOUFLAGE MONEY was wide leaving, took back, broke to the first turn.
NINTH RACE – STATEMENT MADE A (7-5 / 4-5 / 1-9 in the last three flashes) went up four-wide to gain the early lead, totally dominated this gathering. CASHNCAM was looped early, worked to the pocket before the 3/16, slowly got loose the third quarter and through the turn, then came back a little late. ROCK THREE TIMES was uncovered off turn two, never reached the leader, best of the rest. WAY TO CLOSE had cover, a little bit late. DOCTOR BUTCH never got a call. HIGHLANDBEACHYCOVE struggled to keep up at points, then gave way ¾. KEYSTONE STEAM was last at every call.
TENTH RACE – JM’S FINALTREASURE was wide early, followed cover to the ¼ then went on to the lead 3/8, no anxious moments in the last 1/8. ALL THE CHIPS was three-wide leaving and two-wide at the ¼ for the top, yielded, pocket, was in tight quarters with the fading first-over horse on the turn and had to lose momentum to avoid trouble, made a good recovery to be clearly second. CAVIART SCOUT pushed the ¼ and yielded, stayed in, to the Pocono Pike, won a three-way photo for third. BAY CITY looked at leaving but took back, shuffled inside, angled very wide and closed very nicely. MIND HUNTER was third-over, three-wide past midturn, outkicked on both sides for show. ETBAUER was second-over, gapped cover some, blindswitched far turn, not a late factor. I’LL TAKE THE BET came out of fifth and went 27.1 to get close to the leader, backed off early turn and may have been bearing in a little. MCCLELLAND HANOVER was always far back.
ELEVENTH RACE – HIGHVIEW CONELL N came raw 5/8, challenged, made the lead late on the turn, went on to victory. ARCHETTO HANOVER moved out from last in the short field and was second-over, finished steadily. MYIDEALSON N yielded for the pocket, had to wait a couple of seconds for access to the Pocono Pike, then had a good response. DARTH FADER went on to the lead past the 1/8, unbothered until very late on the backstretch, empty at crunch time. SPORTSMANSHIP sat in, shuffled to last, moved out with cover far turn but got in close quarters with the horse he was following and broke.
TWELFTH RACE – DELISHKA N took the early lead, stung a foe to just before the 3/8 then released her to sit the pocket, to the Pocono Pike and snapped right on by. DANCE CLUB was used well beyond a 26.2 opening to get the top with rocking, set the pace, settled for second. TURNTHEFROWNAROUND was outside off the second turn, got cover 5/8 then gapped it, better the last 3/16 and wide in the stretch, edged PRAIRIE WESTERNGAL for third. The latter stayed in, finished pretty well. ALLI NUI backed out to follow cover down the back but then went back in, not prominent. BRONSKIMACKENZIE A moved uncovered 5/8, got to even with the pocket horse then faded.
THIRTEENTH RACE – ROLL WITH ANGEL was moved before the 3/8 and quickly got the top, still was able to back off the half a bit, never had the first-over get past her wheel, a good winner. SUNRISE HANOVER moved second-over, wide in the stretch and found a better gear that carried her to second. TRAFFIC JAM was three-wide leaving and looped a horse to be in front at the 1/8, saw two horses go by before the second turn, went to the Pocono Pike and had gain to be third. KEENE OLIVIA was looped, briefly went into the pocket 3/16 then brushed to the lead in front of the stands, yielded to the winner, looked all-out in the last ¼. LITTLE SANDY TOES was first-over at the half, never posed a major danger before fading. THE OTHER QUARTET were the last four throughout and never entered the main radar.
FOURTEENTH RACE – EXPLOSIVEBREAKAWAY moved at the quarter to 3/8 command, resisted the late charge of WISENHEIMER. The latter left well to put everybody in behind early, yielded to the winner and stayed close-up, out in the stretch, made up some ground but not enough. MARION GONDOLIER was far back, came up the inside for the distant third; LUCKY JUNE BUG was even further back, fanned widest and closed well. TRIUMPHANT’S CHIP took the pocket past the 1/8, left a minutely-but-ever-constantly increasing gap behind the top two. STOP RESISTIN went up first-over, but retreated in the last quarter. SWEET HEART AS had to go three-wide 11/16 and got to second-over on the turn but gapped, a touch of trot finishing. LIONHEAD gapped, moved outside, had little to offer.