FIRST RACE – Stretch headwind … PRAIRIE HANDSOME got tighter in the strung-out field nearing the 5/8 then moved uncovered, went by past the ¾ and was briefly clear, then extended to hold off the closers. PLAY THE ACE was loose in the pocket the first 3/8 then snug, was stuck when the lead changed hands ¾ and had to back out, in gear in the stretch and just failed to recover the lost ground. BEACH CHIEF moved out with cover 11/16, gapped it and was left raw when it cleared just past the ¾, then narrowed in, held pretty well. FLIGHT ONEFORTYSIX took a long time to get around a gapper and was off the leaders to nearing the stretch, went between horses with steady pace. WAR OF WILL strung the whole field out to the 3/8 then most of them until past the 5/8, but surrendered readily when challenged. WEST IS BEST left an ever-increasing gap.
SECOND RACE – BARNABAS was third-over behind gapping cover, stacked four-wide late turn and zoomed past everybody at crunch time. HOPETOBEFIRST was loose in the pocket most of the way, went to the Pocono Pike and got a brief lead midstretch before being outpaced by the winner, held second in a big photo. TIN ROOF RAIDER A was second-over but wasn’t staying with cover late backstretch, three-wide late turn, did OK late. TUGGIN ON MY HEART looped the field quickly, maintained a sizable advantage despite a slow second quarter, had the others catch up by the 5/8, still was ahead well into the stretch, only to tire. OHIO VINTAGE stayed in, came on some in the deep Pike. BENSON BOYS N was looped early and tucked third, came uncovered off turn two, gained in the third quarter and for some of the turn, but couldn’t keep going. PERSEVERANT lost contact down the back and was pulled up.
THIRD RACE – VANESSA J left, yielded at the ¼ but was quick on the retake, in command thereafter. LADY LIRA moved out from third before the ¾, went around the fading pocketsitter, clearly second-best. ULURU stayed flat and passed tired horses for the distant third. WISTERIA HANOVER was wide early, went up two-wide to take the lead at the ¼, soon yielded for the pocket, unplugged from the 5/8. RISK ON stayed fairly close until the ¾. KEYSTONE SWEETPEA was leaving when making a break, quickly caught the back of the field, came out uncovered off the second turn but made another misstep before the 5/8.
FOURTH RACE – KILEE ROCKS went right to the front in a largely strung-out field, had the pocket horse to deal with late turn, but opened a clear margin when that one lost ground coming off the bend, enough to hold off her recovery. CHANCES ARE IDEAL tightened in to the pocket, came out to challenge and gained, but then lost her momentum straightening away, gained ground late but had lost her chance. SWEET GADGETS tucked fourth, passed a tired foe for third in the stretch; said foe was LIZZIANA, who had stayed semiconnected in third until the far turn. BEST DIVA broke coming off turn two. WORKINGONATAN was already leaving a big gap before the half. C DIDDY’S GAL was well off the gate, another who fell further and further back.
FIFTH RACE – The beginning of some wild longshot action; here a $108.80 horse heads the least-bet three finishing ahead of the most-bet three … BROADWAY SENSATION stayed flat and connected, outside ¾, three-wide late turn and a bit wider than that towards headstretch as her lefthand rival went offstride, trotted on to the top in a slowing tempo. GUCCI GIRL was looped, going up towards the lead 3/16 and grabbed it as the leader broke, set the pace to her liking, couldn’t stall the winner. GINA’S ON FIRE was in tight quarters yielding past the 1/8, then avoided the breaker and sat in the pocket, evenly late and far ahead of the misbehavers. PIANO BAR was three-wide early, cleared while close to the rail horse, then ran 3/16 and went to the infield, caught the field but then had nothing left late. BABY TAKE A VOW wound up third after early confusion, moved uncovered 11/16 and advanced, appeared to be looking to sustain her rally but broke before headstretch. JULIETTE broke before the start.
SIXTH RACE (a semi island of normalcy) – BROTHER JAMES was fourth at the START point but gradually built speed from the rail and with track geometry got everybody in behind him by the ¼, then was sent on a lungclearing with wild middle numbers stretching the field, decelerated (understandably after a 1:20.4 ¾) but was far gone. BULLVILLE TERROR was the only horse tight on his cover off the second turn and 5/8 was moved out to grind up, did well in being the closest to the runaway. BLACKLIGHT was behind the unplugging pocketsitter and shuffled late turn, found room, between horses early stretch and was third. LITERL LAD HANOVER was very wide early, three-wide much of the 3/16, then found the two-hole at the ¼, gradually gapped out the second half. FIXED IDEA was inside, moved out in a blindswitch late turn but didn’t advance. AMERICA’S GUEST moved outside to try to gain but could not. LUZIANA was always far behind.
SEVENTH RACE – First four finishers were 16-1, 26-1, 10-1, and 99-1 … PEMBROKE MONEY pulled from third ¾ to challenge, was in a three-way battle most of the stretch but asserted herself late in a diminishing tempo. STICK WITH ME stuck with the leader in the pocket, went to the Pocono Pike and took a short lead past midstretch, but tired late. FINE WINE FASHION had just yielded when finding herself back on top after a breaker, faster in Q2 than Q1, tired midstretch. KT DOUBLE DEUCE stayed flat, gapped from before the ¼, a little tighter far turn but then faded. ANGELPEDIA had just made the top at the 1/8 when running. TIPSY MONI broke leaving shortly past the start. VALENTINE BLESSING broke w-a-y before the start.
EIGHTH RACE – The short longshot period concludes with a $132.60 winner … TSM BATMAN was fourth-in, was able to duck to the deep Pocono Pike and came through to be up in a blanket finish. DILLINGER tucked fourth past the 1/8, moved uncovered into turn two and grinded into a fast third split to be in major contention, held gamely to the line. BAY BRUTE took the early pocket then seemed a handful, helmetbumping down the back, had a golden trip but when taken to the Pocono Pike but seemed to resist the move leftward, finally got going but was photoed out. MAJOR SHOW set the pace, sped up down the back as challengers came on, didn’t miss by too much. DIVINE RIGHTS was second-over, three-wide midturn, not quite enough. JM’S ROLLIN was third-in, out into a blindswitch late turn, never found a clear path. ZEUS HANOVER gained late as the pace slowed. SPORTS SECTION gapped third-over, followed three-wide cover but couldn’t gain.
NINTH RACE – PEPPERMINT MAN had the early pocket, moved 5/16 to the lead 3/8, drew clear throughout the last half. MIKI DE VIE made the front easily, yielded for the two-hole, got gradually looser from the leader, held second over RUSTY BEACH. The latter came outside from fourth just past the ¾ and finished well. CHARLEY DUPONT gapped down the back, best of the rest. LIFE IS A BET and TICTOCMOE were never in the picture. BULLVILLESPANDEMIC tucked third at the 1/8, looked a contender for major minor awards as late as headstretch but came up empty late. CRUISE HANOVER was well off the gate, then broke 3/16 and went to the infield.
TENTH RACE – PORTULACA was very wide early, three-wide to the 1/8 then two-wide to the ¼ to get the lead, slowed quarter two then picked it up, had FASHION ANNIE bearing down on her late, but in the battle of the two first round PaSS winners, the 14-1 shot held off the 1-5 shot. The later moved second-over and wide in the lane, came her own last half in 56.2 but couldn’t get by the winner. WILD RUDY S tucked third, came out down the back to challenge, fell back a little late but did OK. PLANTER’S PUNCH defended the pocket, Pocono Pike but lost some ground. THE OTHER THREE all gapped at various points, with AVA MARIE breaking far turn trying to get closer.
ELEVENTH RACE – LIFETIME EXPERIENCE controlled the throttle throughout, held off a group of late contenders. PINK FLOYD HANOVER made a delayed leave and raced up into the two-hole 3/16, sent to the Pocono Pike, just failed to take it all. LENDA HAND MAN speed-grinded in 27.2 to battle the leader, lost a little ground straightening away but came back on late. BULLVILLE FRANK was second-over, gapped ¾, found better strides very late. LUCKISONTHEWAY stayed in third, gapped a bit as the pace picked up down the back, to the deep Pike, didn’t get there, might have been in tight quarters. THE OTHER DUO were in the back and didn’t make their presence felt.
TWELFTH RACE – SPEED AWAY moved quickly in front of the stands to the lead, was four lengths clear at the 5/8 and just expanded that margin in fast time for this class. SEVENSHOTSOBOURBON had early control from the pole, yielded to the winner, gapped from the half but stayed flat and was well ahead of the rest. ARGENTO was up for third over HODA HANOVER, who was gapping from the 3/8. AMBERS CHAMPION stayed flat and was rewarded with a check. ONE MARGARITA left, was finding no holes when breaking 3/16, couldn’t recover. CHARMING BANK stayed fairly close to the gapping pocket horse until the turn, where she misbehaved. MATTER OF TRUST broke heading towards turn one.
THIRTEENTH RACE – FRISKIE ALL NITE left to defend the pocket, moved outside into the stretch and caught BIG BOSS HILL. The latter left between horses and struck the front at the 3/16, rated the half then came home in 55.3 and still was caught, good outing. I’VE GOT HOOTSPA was second-over, three-wide late turn, edged MEADOWBROOK FLASH for show. The latter was uncovered going into the clubhouse turn, moved up some then flattened out. STARVIN MARVIN was three-wide to the 1/8 then tucked third, in contention for a board spot until tiring late. SPINNAKER HANOVER was not prominent. SHAMMA LAMMA had a slow start then gapped. TOATSMYGOATS struggled throughout the last half.
FOURTEENTH RACE – MISS MUSCLE was the innermost of the hard leavers and put everybody behind in a fast quarter, slowed the half, drew clear through the stretch. TUIS SHADOW sat inside, angled out early stretch and hit a higher gear midstretch, overhauled the rest. KEYSTONE THUNDER was looped leaving, with cover until tucking fifth, then uncovered into turn two, reached the wheel of the pocket horse but didn’t get closer until the stretch, one-geared home. HURRIKANE WILLIE G took the early pocket then gave it up near the ¼, sat in third, gapped a little down the back, Pocono Pike, not much. TRAIN was three-wide to the 1/8 then raced on to get in the two-hole, actually stayed close to the winenr until nearing headstretch, then tired. THE OTHERS never made their presence felt.