FIRST RACE – Stretch headwind … CURIOUS CORTEZ took over just past the 1/8, turned back the first-over challenger and drew away in the stretch. WHITE HAIR ROCKS was uncovered from last before the 3/8, went 26.1 with the wind down the back to apply pressure to the winner, couldn’t maintain that clip, ducked in late turn, safely second. ALEX TYE backed out to third-over, behind a gapper and three-wide midturn, up for third in the last step over MAJOR DESIRE. The latter got early position, struggled to keep up in the fast third split, then paused as the pocket horse tired, to the Pocono Pike, just edged for show while going evenly. BELLOWS BINGE backed out to second-over into turn two but gapped. RHP left, yielded past the 1/8 for the pocket, stayed close-up until the far turn then tired. ARTISTS RUFFLES went offstride nearing turn two.
SECOND RACE – BULLVILLE TERROR came off the rail ¾, three-wide then four-wide nearing headstretch, rallied (into a 29.1 last quarter) to just catch BAMSKI. The latter gained forward positioning, moved uncovered 5/8, had a small advantage through the turn but could not clear, finally put the leader away before midstretch, good mile but had to settle for second. ROCK THE TOWN made the lead at the 1/8 then pushed a foe to a 26.3 opener before yielding, sat in the pocket, came clear between horses and was a distant third. ATTA BOY DAN was three-wide to the first turn then two-deep to a quick opener to get the lead, set the pace, had hard pressure from the first-over, gave some ground. CAL moved second-over but wasn’t especially tight on cover, three-wide headstretch, evenly. THE OTHER PAIR were always in the rear of the field.
THIRD RACE – BUSBOY HANOVER took back early, moved first-up into turn two and kept grinding one-geared, corralled the leader late turn and drew away from these. TJ BLAST spotted, backed out to second-over ¾, steadily for the distant second. BLOW A CLOUD N yielded past the 1/8 for the pocket, was loose most of the way around, Pocono Pike, evenly. DAAMERICANSKY got the front past the 1/8 and set a very hot pace on a clear lead most of the middle half, but paid the price for setting the quick tempo. CLASS SIX was the only nonleaver and struggled at the back.
FOURTH RACE – KEYSTONE THUNDER left between horses and got the lead nearing the ¼, kept going at a good clip for these and drew away late. ARCH CREDIT left and defended the pocket, stayed close until the stretch, then weakened but maintained second. ANDOVERS TOUCH stayed in, gapped far turn, evenly. KANDY KORN was second-over, three-wide ¾ as his cover tired, not bad. CELEBRITY MASERATI was three-wide to the 1/8, couldn’t make the top, so backed into a 4-hole 3/8, went wide on the far turn, very rough trip. CHOCOTURE never featured. FLY EAGLE FLY came uncovered just past the 3/8, got to with a half-length of the winner 5/8 but that was the highlight of his day as he tired, badly in the last ¼.
FIFTH RACE – SPORTS TEEN was underway 3/16 to gain the top before the 3/8, opened a big lead during a fast third quarter, then tired and drifted out in the stretch, still held off PICKLED PREACHER. The latter moved uncovered off the second turn and went 26.4 with the wind to get to the pocket just past the ¾, stayed in in the stretch as the leader bore out, finished solidly despite “b.e.” AMERICAN CHROME was shuffled to last, had to circle wide around tired stock for the very distant third. URBAN RENEWAL left and defended the pocket early, gapped in the fast third quarter then was blocked when the pocketsitter faded, not much rally even once clear. DRINKA BEER got command into turn one, yielded to the 3/8, more and more loose from soon past the half. REVS N A RUCKUS moved from last into turn two but never factored.
SIXTH RACE – BARNABAS sat third until moving raw past the 5/8, got to the leader before the ¾ and challenged that one, proved to have the most in the drive to the wire. ABSOLUTE INTENT followed cover to the ¾, wide, edged out the inside horses for second. LEAR SEELSTER was the only leaver and didn’t get a challenge in the strung-out field until nearing the ¾, couldn’t quite get the job done. SHANE ADAM came through from the rail for the pocket in a lineup-minus-one, under a hold, to the Pocono Pike, failed to fire. LAREDO TORPEDO N went to third-over but didn’t reach contention. ROSA’S REBEL was gapping in last before the half. APEX SEELSTER fell way back in the stretch.
SEVENTH RACE – LORD OF MISRULE made the front going to the 1/8, yielded 3/8 for the pocket behind a good ¾, outside into the stretch and worked by in a 30.1 last quarter (which was against the wind). SULLIVAN left for the pocket then moved 5/16 to the lead 3/8, went a fast third quarter, couldn’t hold on late. DREAM OF LUCK was last, gained up the inside and made up a lot of ground in the Pocono Pike (but see that last quarter time). MAGRITTE was third-over behind moribund cover, wide and was OK. DIALAMARA was sitting fourth when the third horse pulled out, had a chance to advance but did not. ROCK KING DEO gapped second-over, left uncovered when his cover broke, little. ROLLIN IN NEW YORK, rough at times, tucked third at the 1/8, moved outside past the 5/8 but couldn’t make much of an inroad and then broke far turn.
EIGHTH RACE – ELWELL left well and yielded, made a quarter move and got to the half very quickly, was able to get a breather in the backstretch, then maintained enough pace to defeat the field. DREAMS BEACHBOY made the lead going into the first turn, went 26.2 to the ¼ then yielded for the pocket, gained some in the Pocono Pike but not quite enough. AMERICAN WIGGLE settled in midpack going to the 1/8, then moved second-over, wide for the drive and finished steadily. KEYSTONE STEAM was third-over, gapped, then found a better gear in the last 1/16. AMAZON couldn’t keep up late. MCNEILL Z TAM sat last, had room in the stretch but not much pace.
NINTH RACE – AMADOR moved uncovered 9/16, gradually reeled in the leader in yet another slowish last quarter on a day where many races were affected by the stretch headwind. KEYSTONE SERGEANT moved up outside early, then got in gear 3/16 and advanced to the front before the 3/8, gave the 1-5 favorite a pretty good tussle to the wire far ahead of the rest. CHECKMATE HILL gapped at the half then retightened, shuffled on the far turn, to the Pocono Pike and was along for the distant third. PUERTO RICO had a fast start to take command entering turn one, yielded to the 3/8 for the two-hole, started going loose late backstretch. OOH RAH had the cover of the winner but couldn’t stay with it past the ¾. O JONNIE was never a factor. CELEBRITY SERENA ran up on a foe nearing the ¼ and broke, couldn’t reenter the main battle. SHEER MUSCLE went to the two-wide tier but could make little impact. EVITA jumped an 1/8 before the start.
TENTH RACE – SOUTHWIND OZZI moved from third before the ¼ to the lead before the 3/8, came his back numbers in 54.1 – 27 and showed the heart of a Little Brown Jug champion to hold off SANDBETWEENMYTOES. The latter was limbed 3/16 in a fast opener for the lead, yielded about a like distance later for the pocket, came out past early stretch and showed the heart of a Breeders Crown champion to gain into that fast back half and just miss. COVERED BRIDGE was wide to the first turn, took back to tuck, came uncovered 9/16 and went 26.4 down the back but only got equal to the pocketsitter, third-best today. THE CANDYMAN CAN left, yielded, not heard from again. WATER SPORTS TEEN didn’t contend here.
ELEVENTH RACE – SOMEBEACH BARON was briefly four-wide leaving, had cover to the 3/16 then went on to claim the top before the 3/8, had an open lead before midstretch but then was urged to hold off REGAL SON. The latter was outside until the 3/16 being taking the inside, uncovered at the half, grinded without gaining much, then spurted in the stretch to make life uncomfortable for the winner. STELLAR BB was buried inside, picked the path behind the place horse and gained. BABES DIG ME took back to tuck, had slowly-advancing cover but even gapped that, some late. BENJI’S BEST was third-over, widest and good late. INDIGO ART took control from the pole then yielded to the 3/8 for the pocket, started getting loose ¾. FEELING CAM LUCKY was inside, couldn’t offer much late.
TWELFTH RACE – STARS ALIGN A was fastest away, yielded, moved soon off turn one to reclaim the lead, got a breather, then impressively went 26.4 down the back then (more impressively, into the wind) 27 home to win easily. BILL HALEY N left between horses and tucked third, backed out to second-over. three-wide midturn when cover faltered, just along over ARTIE’S IDEAL for second. The latter came all the way up the inside and nearly got place. IMAROCNROLLEGEND A was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide to the 3/16 to establish command in the 26.2 opener, yielded, couldn’t keep up in the latter stages. PATERNITY SUIT A pulled out but gapped in the fast third split, not a late factor. AFLAME HANOVER moved uncovered before the half, went 26.2 down the back but all that got him was even with the pocket horse, faded shortly thereafter. PRAIRIE PANTHER was not heard from.
THIRTEENTH RACE – LOUD SPLASH tucked fifth at the 1/8, then got the outer train going before the half, didn’t gain much in the fast third quarter but then gained steadily in the fourth and was an easy winner. DO YA THINK was outside behind the winner, three-wide 11/16 as that one didn’t advance that much, three-deep the rest of the way, found a little more pace late and got second. FEHERTY left well and protected the pocket, to the Pocono Pike, nipped for the deuce. BEACH FIRE K was third-in, to the deep Pike, not far off in the battle for place. FAR BETTER was between horses leaving, took back, buried inside, hard to tell how much this one had left. MR DS ROCK was third-over, gapped, was blindswitched, not a major danger. STEP ON THE GAS was fourth-over, tried to gain three-wide far turn but couldn’t. R MADDY BLUE CHIP was used to the front past the 1/8, slowed the pace, went faster in split three, then was empty in the lane. SPORTY DRAGON never featured.