FIRST RACE – ROLLIN IN NEW YORK left and yielded, quarter-moved to 3/8 command, drew clear past the 5/8 and finished under a hold while pacing twin 27.1s home in an outstanding performance. ARTISTS RUFFLES moved with cover that never got near the leader, three-wide past midturn, along for second. KILLER MARTINI advanced up the inside and was clear in third. PICKLED PREACHER was three-wide leaving, made the top 3/16, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, lost contact late on the backstretch. ROCK KING DEO moved third-over but was never in the hunt. PEMBROKE JOEY left between horses and yielded, came back out 5/8 but lost ground. URBAN RENEWAL had no say in this one.
SECOND RACE – SORTIE started grinding at the half and went the third quarter in 27.3 to reach contention, stayed game to the wire and earned the decision. MACMORRIS HANOVER was three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide to the ¼ for the lead, set a quick pace, couldn’t resist the winner but held second in a three-way photo. THE LIONKING AS left between horses, took a tuck third, moved outside towards headstretch, had good late trot but kicked in just a little too late. GEMOLOGIST was innermost of the leavers, maintained the pocket, couldn’t gain that much. KING ALPHONSO never achieved prominence; nor did JUST MAYBE THE ONE. BANK BOX TREASURE moved second-over but soon was gapping. CHIEF JUSTICE trailed.
THIRD RACE – Wind fluctuating, race to race, between being a stretch headwind and being calm … STELLAR BB ducked quickly into third, moved outside ¾ and quickly went up to take over and draw away. INDIGO ART was in the far-back second half of the field, underway to the ¾ and gained on the turn, then ducked inside for the stretch and made up a lot of territory. SOMEBEACH BARON made two speed moves and rolled on at a quick clip, could do nothing with the winner and then lost place late. TJ BLAST blasted away from the rail and forced a tuck, yielded to the favorite, not much left in the last 1/8. ALEX TYE backed outside on the far turn but couldn’t gain. RHP gapped early and then from the 5/8 onward.
FOURTH RACE – ARTIE’S IDEAL was looped leaving and worked up into the pocket at the 1/8, saw in the two-hole, to the Pocono Pike and just did get past a fighting SNOWBALL’S EXPRESS. The latter circled inside leavers for command, sped up at the half to keep the quick backstretch challenger to the outside, regained control, was very reluctant to give it up late in a good showing. SOMBODYITREASURE stayed in then backed out 5/8 when it appeared the brusher might go to the lead, back inside on the turn, then angled out and wide headstretch, kicked in a bit belatedly (the last quarter was 29). IMAROCNROLLEGEND N tucked fourth past the 1/8, gunned up on the second turn and paced his third quarter in 26.1 trying to clear to the lead but was kept outside, held on pretty well. PRAIRIE PANTHER stayed in, had stretch room but not too much response. PATERNITY SUIT A moved out but couldn’t go with the streaking challenger. MAJOR OFFENSE offered little offense.
FIFTH RACE – THE CANDYMAN CAN was outside and challenged very hard with much exertion to get the lead, finally did so not much before the half in fast fractions, was challenged on both sides in the stretch but held well, claimed for a Pocono record $50,000. REGAL SON was off the gate until just before the start, rushed through to defend positioning, moved raw 9/16 and challenged, fell back a bit into the stretch but came back on with admirable vigor. CURIOUS CORTEZ made the lead at the 1/8 and kept going fast to stretch out the winner, finally relinquished the lead on the second turn, stayed tight, Pocono Pike, half-step shy. THNDRFRMTHETHRON N stayed in, to the far inside in the lane, OK. BELLOWS BINGE looked to improve position past the start but took back when the pole horse came through, third-in, angled wide headstretch but couldn’t gain. BLOW A CLOUD N wasn’t able to stay with this opposition.
SIXTH RACE – KEYSTONE SERGEANT was behind early gappers and started raw on the second turn, went right up to challenge the pacesetter late backstretch and got by early on the turn, stayed in control. HOT SUMMER KNIGHT was on top nearing the 1/8, yielded for the two-hole, got out behind the winner as he cleared and could retuck in the pocket, Pocono Pike, steadily but second, well ahead of the rest. POND JUMPER was three-wide to the 1/8, continuing on to 3/16 command, put up a fast quarter and half, had no defense against the attacking winner ¾. CHOCO CHARLIE left some, then gapped, tightened, back out to second-over 11/16 but immediately gapped cover. BUTTER TOFFEE struggled to stay close. CHUCKY DE VIE was wide past the start and went offstride.
SEVENTH RACE – FEHERTY moved second-over and followed cover well, wide in the stretch, just nosed SPORTS TEEN in the last step. The latter was between horses early and tucked third at the 1/8, moved raw early on the backstretch and grinded up, reached the leader to the ¾ and had an advantage but not the pegs on the turn, drifted out slightly in the lane and was just nipped. FAR BETTER sat in, moved outside late turn then angled back in for the drive and was gaining. BEACH FIRE K left enough to defend the pocket, evenly late. MAJOR DESIRE was wide early, circled the field to the lead by the 1/8 in a 26 quarter, didn’t get pressure until the ¾, but the rapid opener may have taken its toll. A STUD NAMED SAM was tucking fourth when breaking just before the 3/16.
EIGHTH RACE – Stretch headwind evident in this race … BENJI’S BEST rode up second-over, wide headstretch, drew away from these. BLACKLIGHT followed the cover of the winner, couldn’t stay with it but got past the others. BULLVILLE TERROR was uncovered into turn two, went in 26.4 down the back to challenge hard for the lead, tired in the lane. BABES DIG ME went to the lead 3/16, yielded to the brusher and sat the pocket, was in tight quarters with CAPTAIN CASH headstretch, got clear in the Pocono Pike but had little response. The latter left well and pushed early then yielded, sitting third-in looking over his options headstretch when in tight quarters and made a nasty break, recovered with good speed late. PARMESAN N quarter-moved, got a fairly soft half, then had high heat on him the second half, nothing left in the stretch.
NINTH RACE – DING DING DINGER was third-over, four-wide headstretch and finished nicely (in a 29.1 last quarter; notice today that despite whatever wind, the trend has been anti-speed and slowish last quarters vs. the third splits). LORD OF MISRULE was uncovered at the half but soon got cover and followed it, three-wide late turn, never ahead as outkicked but did well. AMERICAN CHROME was three-wide to turn one to the front 3/16, rolled on the lead, bore out in the stretch and couldn’t make the lead hold up. CLASS SIX advanced inside down the backstretch, mild pace in the lane. LOUD SPLASH stayed in and never was a big factor. DIALAMARA left, yielded, moved raw off turn two, hounded the leader but didn’t threaten him. SULLIVAN pushed out well, yielded, came up empty the last 3/16.
TENTH RACE – MORAIRTIME moved out at the half and trotted up in 27.1 to put pressure on the leader by the 5/8, had a slight advantage on the turn but couldn’t cross over, but finally took control. KENOGAMI COCO was third-over from last, came on strongly in the stretch. FASHION CREDITOR was out past the 1/8 to take over, rated the second quarter then sped up as the winner came on, held on decently. TWO AM made the lead then yielded for the pocket, seemed to struggle the last 3/16. SYLVESTERAMERICA IT was never in it. SAY YOU DO was second-over, looked to be digging down for more when going offstride soon into the stretch.
ELEVENTH RACE – JK MUSICMAN rushed away to take over at the 1/8, set the pace without much pressure, clear far turn to midstretch, then had enough to hold off WALTER MITTY. The latter left some, stayed in, got right to the Pocono Pike and narrowed in. MARCO BEACH raced up to the pocket at the 1/8, gained a little in the stretch, well-clear of the rest. FEELING CAM LUCKY was wide early then took back to follow cover, lost that at the 1/8, made the 3-hole at the ¼, raw again at the ½, didn’t get to the winner, evenly. LAREDO TORPEDO N went evenly late after a rail journey. AMAZON started uncovered 3/8, got cover at the half, but even gapped that mediocre cover at the ¾. ROCK THREE TIMES was not heard from. REYS N A RUCKUS and BARNABAS were both part of a two-wide tier that went nowhere.