FIRST RACE – Summer is coming … MARION GONDOLIER was underway before the ¼ and went right to the lead, rated the half, was challenged down the back, retained control to the wire. AP HALL OF TRIX raced up to the lead 3/16, yielded for the pocket, a bit loose n the turn, but then better in the Pocono Pike late while well ahead of the others. TUIS SHADOW left, made the lead, yielded, came out raw early backstretch and challenged the leader from past the 5/8 around the turn, tired but preserved third in a three-horse picture. STEEL SCHOONER gapped inside, evenly late. CREEMORE was second-over but not tight on cover. KINGPIN HANOVER retucked around the gapping TRICKY DICK; neither factored, with the latter offstride in the lane.
SECOND RACE – LACHIE MAGUIRE N was second-over but gapped his cover from early backstretch to headstretch, tipped wide and gradually worked his way to the front. ASTON HILL DAVE was on the grind from early on the clubhouse bend, challenged hard, held stubbornly. APPLE VALLEY ART left, settled in the two-hole just past the 1/8, to the Pocono Pike, came up just shy. MUSICAL BOX sat in, angled wide early stretch and gained late. BLAKEMORE went out in 26.4 to establish the lead, slowed the half then had to pick it up with a tough challenger pestering, tired. CAPTAIN MALICIOUS couldn’t do much from third-over.
THIRD RACE – BAR KEEP DE VIE went to the point before the 3/16, had a slow middle half, drew away. PRAIRIE FAMOUS was wide early and took back, pulled out before the ¾ and went three-wide midturn, came a long long way to just get second at the wire in a good showing. SWEDISH HAT left and sat the pocket, just missed holding second. THE NEXT TWO raced inside and made no moves. STRONG BREW pulled out before the 5/8 but didn’t offer too much. UNCLE NINO broke an 1/8 before the start, recovered enough to be a couple of lengths off the main pack, but broke again headstretch. FAWN DE SIGN miscued not long past the start.
FOURTH RACE – SWANKY HANOVER (with one “Matt” driving for another) was three-wide 3/16 and went on to get the lead at the ¼, rated the half, then drew clear for the last half. CHEROKEE JOY moved out third-over, ducked inside far turn and gained, used the Pocono Pike and won a three-way photo for second. GADOT HANOVER left between horses to get the lead 3/16, yielded to the winner, couldn’t keep tight the second half and was edged for second. PERFECT PASSION gapped second-over, three-wide late turn, also in the place photo. SANTA MONICA AS was uncovered from early backstretch but never got close. RHIANNON HANOVER was behind a breaker before the 3/8, never got into the race. DIGNITY HANOVER gapped the gapping pocket horse. ALDEBARAN BURST was inside near the rear when lapsing from gait before the 3/8.
FIFTH RACE – TODDLER TANTRUM left, yielded past the 5/16, retook command, had hard pressure from the first-over, tiring a bit late but courageously went on. RUNHAPPY TEN gapped second-over much of the backstretch then tightened, three-wide midturn, gaining in the lane. BRIGADOON sat in, came up the Pocono Pike and wasn’t too far off. KIMANI N was last, angled four-wide in the lane, couldn’t get there. MICHAEL’S MONSTER left and tucked, gapped in quarter two then got in gear and made a stiff first-up move, held OK. PANTHEON HANOVER was three-wide past the 1/8, in front 5/16, yielded for the pocket, struggled to stay close from before the ¾. SKYWAY BILLY had little third-over.
SIXTH RACE – WALL STREET LADY got early position, moved out at the ¼, went after the new leader 5/16 and cleared 3/8, head-to-head with RAVIOLI from the 11/16 around the turn, proved the better than his foe. The latter moved uncovered 9/16 and was fighting hard with the winner from the 11/16, not quite enough but a big race nonetheless. BINGO BRAIN raced second-over but gapped cover, next in line. EVER HOPEFUL K made the front at the 1/8, yielded, trapped in on the far turn, angled wide and had some finishing trot. KT DOUBLE DEUCE was wide early, up to challenge and cleared 5/16, yielded for the two-hole, stayed close to mid-far turn. QUEEN CAMILLE was well off the gate and never factored. LIRA HANOVER was gapping by the half. PRINCESS CAITLYN miscued past the 5/8.
SEVENTH RACE – BRAVO ANGEL S was wide early and made the front 3/16, saw two go by and sat third, gapped a bit far turn, to the Pocono Pike, then quickly found much better steps midstretch and finished strongly to get the decision. MIRASOL S was content to ride outside with cover to the quarter, then left raw and onward to command 3/8, rated the half, trotted well to the line but just got beat by a horse with a huge late burst. OVER BOARD was three-wide 3/16 then two-wide to the lead at the ¼, yielded for the pocket, outside to headstretch, stayed in the major battle to the line. KNICKKNACK HANOVER went raw before the 5/8 but never contended. I CANT REFUSE got the last check after an inside trip. BELLAS TITAN lost contact in the last half. BT BABE had edged out before the half but broke early on the backstretch.
EIGHTH RACE – Note: MIKI DE VIE had a severe equipment problem nearing the ¼ and was taken to the outside fence, lost the driver, and galloped until corralled by the marshal; the other drivers were aware of the trouble happening well outside them, but the conduct of the race was not affected … CERULEAN HANOVER blasted off to the top, yielded, was loose in the pocket from early backstretch until the final turn, where he drew nearer, then paced right on by late. BET ON BUTER drifted out then went up to take over, went a big third quarter to gain a big lead, but couldn’t make the lead stand up. HESTONATOR stayed inside, finished well. CABOT BEACH failed to keep up the last half. FENDI HANOVER and TRIFECTA HANOVER were gapping by the half. RUSTY BEACH lost contact down the back. MIKI DE VIE had the difficulties described above.
NINTH RACE – SWEET CHEYENNE came out 5/8, did not have lively cover, three-wide before headstretch and finished very briskly to get up in the late steps over LINEMUP KNOCKMBACK. The latter looped everybody out of the gate, saw two go by, came out to challenge 11/16 as part of a front duo that drew away on the turn, took over midstretch but outkicked late. UTE BLUE CHIP pulled from midpack near the ¼, had cover then went up raw to clear nearing turn two, set the pace, came under pressure, tired but held third. EVERDEEN came uncovered before the half but never gained too much as one-paced. ADULT SWIM was looped early and between horses, got into the early pocket 3/16, in, blocked before midstretch in tight quarters, seemed to have some pace. TRULY moved out down the back then went back in, not a late factor. ESPERANZA HANOVER was looped and three-wide to the 3/16, pressed on two-high to 5/16 command, yielded, gapped from near the ¾. ILUVLOUCY was always at the back.
TENTH RACE – HOLY BEING was extremely wide leaving, three-wide to the 1/8, refused a 3-tuck 3/16 and worked up to the lead 5/16, got a relatively modest (58.4) middle half, retained control to the wire. QUARANTINA circled wide early, two-wide to the lead past the 1/8, yielded 5/16, stayed connected in the pocket, neither gained nor lost ground late. OLD MAGIC got a good forward spot from the rail, outside in the stretch, evenly. LONESTAR FASHION was no factor after racing inside. DEVIOUS PROMISES advanced second-over, then had to go three-wide as his cover broke just past the ¾, not a factor thereafter. THE NEXT PAIR were near the back throughout. UNRESOLVED DEBT started uncovered 9/16 and made steady progress down the back, but then jumped just past the ¾.
ELEVENTH RACE – IT’SGOODTOBEDAKING left sharply to quickly make the lead, yielded off turn one for the pocket, waited for the Pocono Pike then had enough to catch RIOT. The latter went up into a 3-tuck into the first turn, moved raw 9/16 and grinded up to challenge, took a short lead early stretch but drifted while perhaps a bit rough and could not sustain the lead to the finish. SPORTSMANSHIP left defending the pocket then moved before the ¼ to take over the lead, set the pace with the pressure of the place horse, tired bit by bit the last 1/8. HOWTOTRAINURDRAGON had good cover but gapped it on the turn. WHAT’S GOIN ON never entered the picture. TIDAL SHARK trailed.
TWELFTH RACE – OPTRIX gapped third much of the way in a strung-out field, moved outside late turn, went by after the leader broke and got the job done at 50-1, throwing the gimmick bets into carryover situations. JOLLY RANCHER stayed errorless and gained some late to be a clear second. KNIGHTS GUARD had an open length lead from the 1/8 to late backstretch, then tired. FOX HOLE gapped. P CHICO wasn’t tight in the pocket until late backstretch, challenged, went by on the turn but broke straightening for home. THE NEXT TWO were far far back throughout. SHARP CURVE was away third, made a break 3/16.