FIRST RACE – Hot, with a stretch tailwind, and a good race to start the day … LETS ROLL lived up to his name past the half, pacing 26.3 down the back to engage the leader IMAGINARY LINE, had a short advantage most of the way from the 3/4, finally inched away from that tough rival very late. The latter got no rest whatsoever: three-wide early, he then went behind cover until past the 3/16, then was outside fighting against the wind for the next quarter mile to get the top, had the winner come at him at the 5/8, refused to let that one edge away until the very end. THE WALL was third-over behind dull cover, saw his cover duck in far turn and advanced, finished very well. GUINNESS PANIC from post two needed most of the quarter to get around the post one horse, then was challenged for the lead and yielded only approaching turn two, sat close behind the last half battle, went to the Pocono Pike, came up just a bit shy late. JK MUSICMAN was second-over, gapped and ducked inside far turn, held well. BULLVILLE JONATHAN was fourth-over, didn’t enter contention. LYONS NIGHT HAWK sat in behind DOUBLEORNOTHING N but was not blocked by that one as himself gapping. The latter forced the first quarter and yielded, started to gap 11/16.
SECOND RACE – BUTTER UP left well, yielded before the ¼ and sat the two-hole, loose through the backstretch and part of the turn then edged closer, kept edging closer and closer until getting by late. MAJOR BEAN made the front just before the ¼, had a clear lead from the half until late turn, almost held off the winner and far ahead of the rest. BIONIC was out with cover to the 5/8 then lost it, proved best of the rest. WESTERN WALTZ was outside, ducked in on the turn, next in line. JET ACE sat in and was badly shuffled down the back as the 3-holer came up empty, couldn’t recover enough. MY BOY JACK was outside, advanced raw from the ¼ until getting in the 3-hole before the 5/8, but thereafter gapped the top two. CODYS KNAPSACK was also caught in the backstretch shuffle, never a factor. SEAL O’NEILL tucked third, came out at the ¼ but quickly retreated, then couldn’t stay in contact from the half.
THIRD RACE – PRACTICAL CAT left strongly to clear the field before the first turn, hung a foe almost to the 3/8 before yielding for the two-hole, to the Pocono Pike, lead past midstretch, just edged out the game LUISELLA. The latter tucked fourth, started uncovered 5/8 and relentlessly inched up, fought very hard only to be beaten to the far inside by the pocket horse. AP HALL OF TRIX was looped early, needed until the 3/8 to clear, continued at a good clip with mounting pressure, held well to the line between horses. UPFRONT STONE maintained the early pocket, then left a slight gap from the half onward, outside far turn, not enough. MOON BRIDGE was blocked far turn, worked clear and finished nicely. GUMDROP HANOVER gapped inside. CHING CHING LUCKY never factored. TRICKY DICK gapped cover.
FOURTH RACE – HIGH BALLER moved from third 5/16 to the lead just past the 3/8 and set wind-appropriate fractions, had to be good to hold back JIM BLUE. The latter went right to the lead, yielded 3/8 for the two-hole, used the Pocono Pike and had a good response that didn’t miss by much against a good winner. CAPTAIN SLEAZE sat well-placed throughout, best of the rest of the field. RIFLEMAN started grinding from far back at the half, was looped ¾ and had cover on the turn, had to go three-wide headstretch, performed well. TRAY SURREAL never was in the main picture. ELLIOT MOOSE tucked fourth, was no factor late. GOOD DEAL came out off the second turn and started a three-wide sweep past the 5/8 carrying him to two-wide ¾ and contention, but was empty headstretch.
FIFTH RACE – DEE’S RED DELICIOUS had to work most of the ¼ before taking over, rated the half, was under siege by MISS MCKEE the last 1/8 but just held off that one. The latter pushed hard to the ¼ then yielded to sit in the pocket, outside late turn, narrowed in steadily in the lane, just shy. NO DRAMA PLEASE was three-wide early to tuck third past the 1/8, stayed third, to the Pocono Pike, a step shy. SWEET HEART AS was uncovered 9/16, advanced, steadily in the latter stages. NIGHT FLYER K moved out on the turn and had some trot on the end. SAY YOU DO looked at leaving but took back, not heard from again. CHOCO CHARLIE moved outside with cover but couldn’t keep up. COCKTAILS N DREAMS was always far back.
SIXTH RACE – SADIQ HANOVER took over early, yielded at the ¼ for the two-hole, outside in the stretch and worked past MINDTRIP. The latter cleared at the ¼, was not under pressure, couldn’t stall the winner. THE MOONSHADOW N stayed third the entire way. DRAGON STRIKES backed out behind the parked horse 11/16 then went looping ¾, three-wide through the turn, finished steadily. CAVIART MAX was outside the duration, not too bad for the last payday. FRANCO TOTEM N was outside early behind the parked horse but couldn’t do much. SEXY BLUE CHIP broke past the start. WRAPPERS DELIGHT A looked to start to have a problem before turn two, broke off that bend and was pulled up.
SEVENTH RACE – STORM IS RAGING was in front at the 1/8, strung the field out early then left them behind late. BALDAQUIN advanced inside of two-wide horses down the back, finished well though not in the league of the winner. MARION GONDOLIER was making sure of preserving the pocket, left behind down the back and not quite enough to preserve second. SORTIE stayed in and was next in line. MYSTICAL WYNN was between horses early, took back to tuck third, moved out late backstretch even though well off the horse in front of him, couldn’t make an impact. BLENHEIM was second-over well off the front, three-wide ¾ but broke and ran home, placed behind THE OTHER TWO, who never were major dangers.
EIGHTH RACE – PARMESAN N had a good second-over trip, three-wide late turn, the strongest horse late. WESTERN TYRANT forced a fast quarter and yielded, moved raw ½ and grinded, never ahead but steadily for the deuce. INDIGO ART was third-over, didn’t tip wide but followed the path of the first-over and won third in a photo. SEVENTH SECRET was kept out to the 26.2 ¼, yielded 3/8 for the pocket, moved between horses in the stretch, evenly. STELLAR YANKEE struggled at the back of the main field. CAPTAIN ROMANCE was four-wide to the 1/8, dropped down to two-wide cover after a breaker, left raw at the ¼ and pressed on to 3/8 command, set the pace, got pressure before the ¾, tired. DO WORK SON was three-wide leaving, suffered an “ex” just past the 1/8. MONTEFALCO N broke before the start.
NINTH RACE – PARK OFFICIAL was between horses in a spirited duel, tucked before the ¼ and maintained the pocket, pulled out to the 5/8 and went three-wide soon afterwards to sweep the fighters, opened a big lead, tiring some but too far ahead. PREMIER ROCKSTAR was far back, got to third-over then three-wide far turn, kept coming on and took second. RAPTORS FLIGHT N got around a gapper past the half and retucked, was shuffled ¾ and then out in a two-wide blindswitch, with steady pace once clear late. LEAR SEELSTER stayed connected with the embattled front end, slipped outside to the 11/16, fair late. UNDERTAKER was near the rear of the field throughout. WINNING IS SWEET was stuck out three-wide to past the 3/16, then two-wide raw the duration, was looped ¾ and faded. IC A FREE SPIRIT was hard-used to win the lead nearing the ¼, then kept a foe parked, gave way the last 5/16. ALWAYS THE SUN was always in the shade.
TENTH RACE – CATCH THE FIRE showed his class, going up wide early to challenge for the lead, not getting it until well past a 25.4 opener, then just humming along in fast fractions, drawing clear in the last quarter, tying for the fastest mile of the year at Pocono in 1:47.4, which is only 4/5 of a second off the all-time record for 5/8-mile tracks. J M MANDAMIN vacated fourth 5/8 and went up to get closer to the leader, couldn’t sustain that bid but was very good to maintain second over ULTIMAROCA. The latter left very hard and forced the winner to work quite hard to get the front, sat the pocket, started to get loose ¾ but fought on bravely to the line. DA DELIGHTFUL went even in the big mile. STONE HANOVER was out second-over past the 5/8 but gapped. SOUTHWIND OZZI never entered contention. CAPTAIN MULZAC gapped early and was in against a very tough bunch.
ELEVENTH RACE – ROLLINWITHAMBITION lived up to his name today, refusing to yield early, setting the pace, then drawing clear in the last 3/16. REGAL SON came uncovered down the back but never got closer than the place horse’s saddlepad until the stretch, where he showed grit in battling on for the distant deuce. PLAY THE FIELD was wide early, challenged hard for the front but had to settle for the pocket past the ¼, stayed in contact with the winner until the far turn, couldn’t hold second late. KINGSTONS BAD BOY sat in, to the Pocono Pike but couldn’t improve his position. WHAT’S GOIN ON had to circle three-wide far turn to get around dull cover, did OK. CONCUR didn’t emerge as a major danger; nor did BLACKLIGHT. STELLAR BB left but was looped, in fourth 3/16, then moved second-over, but had nothing more to give ¾.
TWELFTH RACE – ROUGH ODDS moved uncovered before the half, went up raw in 26.3 with the wind to hound the leader, then showed grit in overcoming the rough trip and drawing away. CURIOUS CORTEZ was out most of a quick ¼ to make the lead, slowed the half then sprinted again as the winner came up, proved no match for that one but did retain second. UNION LEGEND N was away nicely from the pole, pushed the quarter and yielded to sit tight in the pocket, to the Pocono Pike but couldn’t reach place., ROGERTHAT BLUECHIP angled in for an early tuck, looked to come out near the half but gapped and tucked back in, went on OK. PURPLE POST found himself stuck behind a side-by-side pair of sluggish horses on the turn, moved wide and finished alertly. COOL BLUES MAN couldn’t offer much. KILLER MARTINI gapped outside. MAJOR DESIRE was 4-5 lengths off the gate and never got into the flow.
THIRTEENTH RACE – CASUAL COOL worked to the lead 3/16, didn’t get a tough half, then scurried home in 27.2 and then 27.1 to defeat tough foes. CAPTAIN FANCY maintained third early, went to the pocket to the ¾ when the two-holer pulled, and the 70-1 shot went to the Pocono Pike and won a photo over the 11-10 shot for second. WESTERN JOE pushed the winner then yielded, stayed tight then came out to the ¾ to challenge, couldn’t go by and then couldn’t hold second, though a good race. SHNITZLEDOSOMETHIN looked at leaving but then took back to his own hole, outside 5/8, got cover ¾, OK late in the sprint home. VANILLA MALTED moved outside but gapped, ducked back in, got the last check. TOWN GOSSIP was wide looking at leaving but took back; he and THE OTHER TWO were in the back of the field thereafter.
FOURTEENTH RACE – JAGGED ROCKS pushed a foe to the 3/16, yielded but was quick on the retake, set a good pace with the top two drawing off in the last 1/8, and the pacesetter holding off COPPER TEEN. The latter was as noted in front 3/16 then yielded to sit in the two-hole, stayed there until the stretch, narrowed in well but was photoed out. CAPTIVATE HANOVER was last of the main bunch far off the top pair, circled the others with good late foot. NUI BA DEN N circled a straggler, outside midturn but outkicked for third in a picture. SHANE ADAM was never prominent. CAVIART STONE retucked third a long way off the top pair, no pace late. ARTIFACT HANOVER was having a problem to the 3/8 and was pulled up.