FIRST RACE – Mid 70s; stretch tailwind … INDIGO ART trailed three-wide cover before the ¾, swung four-wide late on the turn and just paced over the field. PUZZLING sat in, blocked the first half of the turn then could advance, to the Pocono Pike and finished well but didn’t have the momentum of the winner. MAJOR DESIRE kept the pocket closed during the wild front-end battle, came out into a blindswitch far turn, angled wide for clearance midstretch and finished nicely. PLAY THE FIELD went right to the top and wouldn’t surrender the lead in hot fractions, didn’t fade too badly the last 1/8. KEYSTONE TENACIOUS followed three-wide cover, lost it midturn, didn’t gain from there. CLASSIFIEDMATERIAL was the first to come out behind the parked horse and the first one to go three-wide 5/8, was able to swing to two-wide midturn but was tired at that juncture. SADIQ HANOVER was looped leaving, had to race on the rim raw in supercharged fractions, backed off in the last split.
SECOND RACE – SEXY BLUE CHIP would not yield during a 26 opener, got a 58.3 middle half, then could sprint home in 27.2 to ward off MY WISH CAME TRUE. The latter was urged leaving and was ahead of the winner much of Q1 but couldn’t clear, finally accepted the pocket at the 1/4, came out headstretch, may have wanted to run in a little, gained but just missed. MUDVILLE gapped off the 26 fight early, got closer, then fell back at crunch time but preserved third over OCTAVE. The latter was wide early, in fourth to the 3/16 and stayed in, evenly. SEAL O’NEILL was uncovered into turn two, gained some during a pedestrian third quarter, not enough sprint late. HOOSIER SHARK, away slowly, went three-wide midturn to try to circle cover but couldn’t. THE OTHER TWO were never in the main picture.
THIRD RACE – CHAPOLIER was between horses to the lead before the 1/8, yielded before the ¼ but was on the move right after that spot and took over, much the best today. WHAT A DAME was uncovered on the second turn and went 27.2 down the back to briefly challenge, took the pocket on the turn, held second as the 41-1 second choice. CAPITAL T STORM gapped cover down the back, left raw on the turn, had some finishing kick. TRICKY DICK gapped the gapping pocket horse down the back, not close. TRAIN was three-wide to the first turn and to the lead 3/16, but wasn’t on the engine long as the winner came calling, couldn’t keep up the last 3/8. NEWSBOY was stuck behind a bad gapper, came back on a little in the Pocono Pike. CHING CHING LUCKY never got close; nor did LAZER JET.
FOURTH RACE – RYCROFT N went three-wide to the top on the first bend, was fired up and rolled in fast fractions, in control of this to the wire. DAAMERICANSKY sat in the pocket, had his head cocked left at several points, tried to the wire but was second-best. AWESOMENESS gapped cover down the back, went in on the turn, gained along the inside through the stretch. LITTLEBITASWAGGER moved out 5/8 and went right up after the leader, tired and bore out in the last 1/8. DERECHO couldn’t stay connected.
FIFTH RACE – ALTUS HANOVER gapped inside from the ¼ to the ¾, found room early stretch and found a better gear midstretch, just up in time for The Trot Man. CUPID HANOVER set all the pace, withstood a very hard challenge from the first-over, just succumbed late. INNISFALLEN tucked fourth at the 1/8, moved out to the 11/16 but couldn’t keep with cover, did better late. DYLAN THE GREAT raced in the pocket, went to the Pocono Pike, came up a bit shy. SHADRACK HANOVER moved uncovered early on the second turn, made a big challenge down the back, then bore extremely wide while tiring through the stretch. MISS MUSCLE and VIC’S WINNER gapped at the back.
SIXTH RACE – PAT MCGARRY A was on top at the 1/8, got a soft half for this type, then sprinted home in 54.3 – 27 as an easy winner in the last 3/16. IMOUTTHEDOOR kept the pocket tight until the far turn, was in a fight for second with BULLVILLE JONATHAN until that rival broke late. The latter moved second-over and was tight on good cover, three-wide midturn, was in the fight for place when breaking very late; an inquiry gave no reason for a placing. SOUTHWIND PETYR was stuck outside midpack until getting in past the ¼, soon again outside third-over, followed cover wide on the turn, finished well. TERRY A HANOVER raced inside, couldn’t gain late. TUGGIN ON MY HEART also sat along the pegs, not prominent. BEACH FORECAST was last most of the way. COXCOMB moved uncovered 3/8, went up in 27.1 to challenge the third panel, but backed off in the last ¼.
SEVENTH RACE – TRENTE DEO quarter-moved from third, didn’t get much pressure, stayed in control by coming home in 27.2. PIRATES ALLEY left for the front and put others in behind, yielded to the winner, stayed relatively close and far ahead of the rest. BLOW A CLOUD N took the early pocket at the 1/8, then third-in, gapped at the ¾, still held off the rest. BOBBY K HILL tucked fourth at the 1/8, inside, Pocono Pike, so-so. KILLER MARTINI moved second-over, three-wide 11/16 when the first-over didn’t reach the leader, but was left out deep the rest of the way and did not factor. HEARTLANDBANYSBRO weaved between horses in the stretch, shut off nearing the wire. A STUD NAMED SAM was third-over, very wide into the stretch, didn’t reach. MANHATTAN BEACH was first-up before turn two, never did reach the leader and gummed up the two-wide tier.
EIGHTH RACE – STORM IS RAGING slotted third early, underway 5/8 and quickly in high gear to go right by to the ¾, drew off in 1:52.1, the fastest trotting mile of the year at Pocono. THIRD SHIFT spotted fourth, seemed to have his head a bit cocked at times, was out behind the winner but couldn’t keep up, went on to get second but not in the league of the winner today. TOP ME OFF joined the outer flow and trotted a nice mile. QUEEN OF ALL went out for the pocket, got badly shuffled around the far turn when the leader faded. THE IRISHMAN never factored. MISTER BOINGA went out to the lead and set quick fractions, no answer when the winner moved up and faded the last fraction.
NINTH RACE – UNDRTHSOUTHRNSUN N went in front towards turn one, yielded 3/16 to sit the pocket behind the favorite, to the Pocono Pike, had a real donnybrook with that one through the lane, shaded 27 coming home to get the nod. PRIMARY COLORS pressed out to command 3/16, went along crisply, fought heatedly against the inside challenger and came up just shy. SOME DEAL HANOVER came out to the 11/16, didn’t start gaining until the far turn, went a big mile behind the top pair. GUINNESS PANIC pushed early then yielded and stayed tight third-in, outside in the stretch, kept up well. CERTIFIABLE stayed in and gained some late. HIGH BALLER gapped second-over. RIFLEMAN was not heard from.
TENTH RACE – ULTIMAROCA was extremely quick off the switch to command, hung out a foe out 3/8 before yielding then reclaimed the lead at the half after scorching fractions (26.3, 53.4), didn’t have too much pressure in an impressive victory. STRAIGHT UP COOL was uncovered at the half, never reached the leader, but one-geared home determinedly to keep the place. LETS ROLL was looped, as noted out 3/8 in very fast fractions for the lead then yielded at the half, couldn’t quite retain the deuce after possibly being bottomed as involved in those numbers. AFLAME HANOVER was second-over, three-wide ¾ but couldn’t rally significantly. ROCKAPELO was outside, not prominent. IDEAL FEELING was buried inside, between horses late, hard to tell if he had clearance. CAVIART ROCKLAND kept up in the wicked first half, backed off in the last quarter.
ELEVENTH RACE – CAVIART MAX was parked with cover early, left raw before the 1/8 and went up to get to the point 3/8, kept a parked-the-mile foe outside then rebuffed a sweeping challenger on the turn, rocked out to a clear victory. DRAGON STRIKES was first to clear, yielded at the ¼, came off the rail midturn, had late pace for the no-factor second. STELLAR BB was out most of the ¼, yielded 3/8 and sat in the two-hole, couldn’t quite keep pace the last 3/16. IDEAL WHEEL moved behind the hung horse, three-wide past the 5/8 to uncovered ¾ and challenged but couldn’t sustain the move. ROUGH ODDS was inside, had pace with stretch clearance. ROLLIN IN NEW YORK was inside, empty the final ¼. SULLIVAN never factored. ROGERTHAT BLUECHIP was three-wide to the 3/16 then fell in behind cover, left two-wide raw 3/8 and was doomed to that trip, fell back before the ¾.
TWELFTH RACE – DRAGON SAID had the lead before anyone could focus their binoculars and was well ahead much of the way, rating quarter two then coming home in twin 27s (the first against the wind). CAPTAIN ROMANCE did the best he could in the pocket against the monster, did hold second over MACH WEST. The latter stayed close to the pocket horse but couldn’t catch him late. BAMSKI stayed in, gapped the last ¼. THE WALL ducked in from third-over on the far turn and got the last check. FULL SEND first sat in then backed off to follow cover early backstretch, but the cover, FRISKIE ALL NITE, didn’t gain, and neither did the one behind him.
THIRTEENTH RACE – RICH AND MISERABLE had a good trip second-over, left uncovered two-wide on the turn, trotted to the top late. MARION GONDOLIER kept going until reaching the top before the 3/8, went on at a good clip, had very gamely to the line in an impressive showing. MACMORRIS HANOVER spotted third 1/8, came uncovered 5/8, could tuck in the pocket early far turn, Pocono Pike, good. KENOGAMI COCO took back early, gapped in the outside flow, one-geared much of the last half. LADY’S IMAGE had steady finishing trot from last. BUZZ went out to the lead, yielded to a challenger 3/8, didn’t have much sting in the latter stages. MASSIVE OPULENCE was never in the picture. LUCKY WEEKEND sat in, wasn’t keeping up 11/16.
FOURTEENTH RACE – SOMEBADDUDE waited off the fractions until the 11/16, advanced on the turn, drew away in the lane. GET LIT took back to tuck third, backed out behind the winner far turn, just second over BULLVILLE TERROR. The latter was locked in down the backstretch and early turn, then shook loose and finished rapidly to just miss second. HURRIKANE EMPEROR, in a style he’s used before, set science-fiction fractions, tired the last 1/8. WESTERN TYRANT gapped most of the way around, then had some pace between horses late. KILOWATT KID N defended the pocket then got bottomed out chasing the lightning pace. PATERNITY SUIT A rode outside near the back. PARMESAN N had nothing to offer.