FIRST RACE – Temperatures building from the high 60s to the high 70s … Stretch headwind … NATHAN FEELSGOOD came out second-over down the back after a hot half, three-wide midturn, the strong horse late. REYS N A RUCKUS went to the front at the 1/8 and refused to yield to pressure while setting very fast fractions for this class, outlasted all but one. NEWBIE left between horses, got in past the 1/8, looked to allow the parked horse to tuck before the half so he could make a clear move, gradually advanced some, evenly late. CALL HIM ROCKY was the innermost leaver, yielded for the pocket and defended the position, to the Pocono Pike, not much of a late response. MICHAEL’S MONSTER bore out at the ¼ and gapped badly most of the way, got by the other stragglers. MY FRISKIE BOY was very wide leaving, three-wide to the 1/8, then left out raw, got inside near the half but started backing up. CHANCELLORCULLEN N was no factor; nor was SPIDER MAN HANOVER.
SECOND RACE – ANDOVER CONTESSA was three-wide leaving and made the top at the ¼, strung the field out and had an open lead to the wire. ROUNDTOWN ROCKER yielded at the ¼, was loose from the half but kept trying and retained second. CRITICAL MASS stayed in, to the Pocono Pike and third. FRAC moved uncovered 5/8 but made no progress. PRAIRIE VIRTUE had cover early, spotted 3/16, then second-over, three-wide past midturn but empty. KEYSTONE ORION gapped. BAZAAR BAZAAR broke 3/16. CRAZY FOR CJ broke at the start.
THIRD RACE – PEMBROKE MONEY maintained the pocket inside the only leaver, quarter-moved to command 3/8, got a slow middle half, then held off WISTERIA HANOVER with a good last ¼ for these. The latter soon got to the top, yielded for the two-hole, outside late turn, finished well. RISK ON moved outside on the far turn, held off ISLAND DIVA for third. The latter sat last throughout, made some progress in the stretch. MISCHIEVOUS G sat third, struggled from the ¾.
FOURTH RACE – CREAM VIRGIN raced up to get behind cover down the back, uncovered far turn, came on steadily and just got the decision over JAGGED LITTLE PILL. The latter actually made three moves – to the early lead, out behind the new leader past the 5/8 to retuck in the pocket 3/4, and then up in the inside in the stretch – and came up just shy to a fresher horse. SWEET GADGETS joined the outside flow and finished steadily. CHANCES ARE IDEAL tucked third before the 1/8, pulled at the half and got the lead 5/8, forced a foe to take the pocket ¾, couldn’t make her lead hold. RUMORED sat in, shuffled a little ¾ then outside while looking a little green, some at end. GINGER TREE LESLIE was no factor from the back. SWEET KATIE BUG went out enough to get the early two-hole, went to the lead 3/8, surrendered it 5/8 and faded. LIZZIANA struggled to keep pace the last half.
FIFTH RACE – SEAL O’NEILL, back here Tuesday after winning for the first time in 2022 on Saturday, set the pace, sped up in the third quarter and continued afterward to meet the stern outside challenge of AMAZON, held to the wire in a non-fast last quarter. WIN PLACE’N SHOW left, took back for the pocket before the ¼, stayed close, outside far turn and wider stretch, didn’t have the steps to go by late. AMAZON moved raw before the half and did pace in 26.4 the third quarter to challenge, got an advantage on the turn but couldn’t clear, tired midstretch. RENO DINERO gapped cover, was pushed very wide to avoid trouble far turn, next. LATEST ATTRACTION sat in, ran up on the breaking horse far turn and was severely bothered, crossed the finish line at a walk to get the last check ahead of two breaking rivals. ALL CHEDDAR was three-wide much of the ¼ before going in third, made a bad break early far turn. RIPPLESONTHEBEACH made a bad break at the start.
SIXTH RACE – WEST IS BEST moved out as quarter-mover #2, got straightened away behind cover then moved on to the top 3/8, slowed the pace some then picked it up down the back, all out in the lane to hold off a bunch. SEASIDE MEDITATION tucked third, made one of the few hidden quarter-moves that show a “3” at both the 1/4 and ½ calls, yielded, a bit loose down the back, Pocono Pike, got to even terms just past midstretch, just edged. FULL SUPPORT was underway quickly at the 3/8 and quickened the pace challenging first-over, was right there in the tough stretch battle. QUARANTINI let a horse go, was going up on him past the 1/8 and moved to the lead, then saw two others go to the lead in quarter two, sat in, went to the deep Pike and was coming back as the tempo declined. MIGHT BE RIGHT made the early lead then saw three different horses go to the top in front of him before the 3/8, moved back out down the backstretch, fair late. THE NEXT TWO were far back two-wide, a bit of pace late. BOOGIEWOOGIEBEAVIS neither boogied or woogied.
SEVENTH RACE – PURE COUNTESS left between horses to get the front, yielded, moved again before the 3/8 to the front past the 3/8, went 28.1 with the wind down the back to leave the others behind, then tired in the lane and found the others coming back, but still held on. SOUTHERN AUTUMN was out to the ¼ for the lead and was a little wide in going by, yielded for the pocket, gapped in the fast third quarter, but one-geared it home and wasn’t far off. QUINNPATRICKSHEA was way out of it on the far turn when he kicked in, made up a very large amount of ground. MYREANNA gapped the top two from the half. GHIBLI and PLUM WINE were always far back. WILD KAT G was struggling to stay relatively close when breaking ¾.
EIGHTH RACE – AMERICA’S GUEST moved uncovered into turn two, speed-grinded up in 27.3 with the wind to take over 11/16, drew clear. SEE YA WRITE N left some and tucked fourth early, backed out into the lively flow near the half, went up behind the cover, three-wide late turn, good but had too far to come. TOLLY-HO was second-over that became first-over 11/16, not enough but still third. LEGAL POWER left well and challenged, a little wide off turn one, regathered and went to the top 3/8, yielded 11/16 and fell back. BENSON BOYS N had good cover but gapped it far turn. LOVE THE ACTION was away strongly from the pole, yielded 3/8, already gapping before the pacesetter gave way. MINGO JOEL trailed.
NINTH RACE – ODDS ON GAMMA was on the point before the 3/16, slowed the half, then came home in 54.3 to continue the hot streak of Tony Alagna (you think a UTR of .509 at PCD is good? he has a .609 UTR at PHL!). CAPTAIN’S STAR sat the pocket, to his credit stayed with the winner during the 27 third quarter, but could not make any progress late. BLUEBERRY SHAKE didn’t do badly behind the top pair and was far ahead of the rest. IRISH SONG went around AMARETTO HANOVER for fourth; the latter tucked fourth to the first turn, then gapped out from near the 5/8. AT MY PEAK fell way back. IMAREALROCKINLADY made a break w-a-y before the start.
TENTH RACE – MYSTICAL WYNN was out until just before the ¼ before securing the top, went on at a good clip, had enough for this opposition. LIGHTFOOTEDLEGEND moved out before the ¾ and quickly made up ground, wide headstretch and finished well. LADY’S IMAGE sat third until going raw 11/16, not bad. CHUCKY DE VIE made the early lead and forced the ¼ before yielding for the two-hole, couldn’t summon any more late. PAPI HANOVER was three-wide to the 3/16, backed off to fourth just past the ¼, faded. THE OTHER DUO were always far back.
ELEVENTH RACE – BLACKLIGHT situated third, moved just before the half and swept right by to the 5/8 with a 27.1 third quarter, the easiest sort of winner. AQUAMAN HANOVER followed the winner out, was left raw and continued to gain until the ¾, urged and persevered to take second. BIG BOSS HILL was fourth-over, four-wide late turn, passed quite a few horses. HEARTBEAT HILL sat in and was blocked, out in a blindswitch and gained some once finally clear between horses. BOBBY K HILL had the early pocket then went on nearing the ¼ to the lead, yielded 5/8, gave ground, placed for a pylon violation. OHIO VINTAGE was out in the two-wide flow, three-wide late turn but didn’t have enough. CLASSY HILL never got a call. GETYOURLICENSELIAM went away well to command, under a hold to yield for the pocket, was already gapping when the leader was passed.
TWELFTH RACE – BANK BOX TREASURE used the rail to advantage, parked a foe, drew clear despite the pressure and came home in 28.4 to win by a lot. MUSKINGUM took the pocket 3/16, stayed close most of the way, a clear second. KEYSTONE THUNDER sat third-inside, disconnected in the last ¼. EXPLOSIVEBREAKAWAY was a gapping last in the main body most of the way. BANZAI AS moved out behind the parked horse 5/8, went three-wide far turn but could show little. ARCHIBALD was looped leaving, went up to challenge 3/16 but was left out in the air, gave way late backstretch. LAZER JET broke nearing the ¼.
THIRTEENTH RACE – OUR MAJORDAN A took the pocket past the 1/8, then quarter-moved to make the lead 3/8, held off CAVIART SAGE. The latter forced two to tuck from the pole, then finally yielded 3/8 to sit the pocket, couldn’t quite do enough to overhaul the winner. STARVIN MARVIN was three-wide until just past the 1/8, then took back to tuck third, held that positioning. PANTHEON HANOVER started grinding down the backstretch and almost got to the wheel of the leader before falling back in the last 1/8. MUSCLE MACH A was out second-over but gapped on the turn. THE OTHERS did not figure in the main conversation of this race.
FOURTEENTH RACE – CRAZYCAT left well for early command and set the pace, stayed in control and left challengers to both sides behind. MIGHTY SURF was wide early and worked up to tuck third 3/16, stayed in, to the Pocono Pike but couldn’t go enough for the win. TRAIN left and sat the pocket, outside late turn but lost ground. ANDOVERS TOUCH went outside down the back then tucked back in, evenly. GREEK LEGEND swung wide in the stretch and got closer as the pace slowed down. KITTY’SGINGERGAL came up uncovered but never got that close, faded in the last 1/8. CAPITAL T STORM never made up ground. GOES DOWN SMOOTH was outside in the second half of the field, made a break in the backstretch.