FIRST RACE – A few degrees either side of 80 for this card … No wind … Horses trying to advance wide from more than a couple lengths off the pace at the half had a bad day … BIZYS BEATLE moved uncovered before the second turn, hit a high gear off that bend and brushed to the lead nearing the 3/4, held off the late move of LITTLEBITASWAGGER. The latter was carried up perfectly by the winner and got to the pocket on the turn, tried him again late and made some inroads but not enough. CONCUR was fourth-over behind a gapper, advanced in a blindswitch, edged clear in tight quarters and won a three-way photo for the very distant third. BASS PLAYER sat in and was shuffled to last, wide stretch and finished with some pace. NEWBIE pushed the pace past a 26.3 opener, yielded, was shuffled and had to wait for the Pocono Pike, not a sharp burst when shown room. SOUTHPORT BEACH was in the dynamic outer flow but couldn’t stay with it, left uncovered far turn, faded. AIN’T IT FUN was between horses past the ¼, got in third, then was badly shuffled on the far turn. CURIOUS CORTEZ was three-wide to the ¼, then onward before getting the lead 3/8, had no defense against the winner late backstretch, tired.
SECOND RACE – SPORTSMANSHIP tucked third, sat in, moved outside ¾, angled wide of ARTACHE HANOVER early in the stretch and overhauled the one late. The latter got to second-over on the second turn, was carried up by surprisingly durable cover then went three-wide late turn, made the lead but was caught. DREAM OF LUCK was outside the mile, with cover to the ¼ then raw, kept advancing, didn’t have the late punch of the two closers but held on amazingly well. SHANGHAI BOBBY sat in the pocket, to the Pocono Pike, didn’t have that much kick. HOPETOBEFIRST was in the outer flow, gapped it on the turn but showed some renewed energy the second half of the stretch. SCOTT ROCKS headed down the road, got pressure from early backstretch by the parked horse, tired. MEADOWBROOK RAIDER was away last from the rail and never a player here.
THIRD RACE – HUNDIE N left three-wide, got to the front before the 3/16, slowed the half, then came home in 55, drawing clear in the last 1/8. SNOWBALL’S ROMEO got to the top towards turn one, yielded for the pocket, stayed close until late on the turn, gave some ground late but held second. DRAGON STRIKES stayed inside, up the Pocono Pike for third. BLACKLIGHT sat third, outside stretch but had little to offer. ROUGH ODDS was fifth-inside with a moribund two- and three-wide tier far turn. GONNAHAVEONEMORE was second-over, three-wide 11/16 but did not gain while “paired” with the first-over THE MOONSHADOW N. The latter was about to be double-looped early and took back, uncovered past the 3/8, didn’t make much progress then just clogged the two-wide path.
FOURTH RACE – KAY SAGE was wide leaving, couldn’t clear to the top until the 5/16, got pressure from soon off the second turn, held together in a slowing pace. CATIE FAYE HANOVER gapped at several points at the mile, moved second-over but gapped that cover, steadily late into a diminishing pace. ODDS ON GAMMA was very wide early and tucked 3/16, came out raw heading towards turn two, challenged long and hard, held her ground well. BETTE TINA was last, moved up three-wide far turn, too much ground to make up against better-placed foes. SHE’S MAGICAL moved out third-over, was blindswitched, not that much. CAVIART CARMEL was six-wide before the first turn, four-wide to the 1/8, three-wide to the 3/16, then went behind cover until tucking before the 3/8, shuffled on the far turn, came out and had a little in recovery after a very brutal journey. MADELYNN SOPHIA was five-wide early and soon took back, never heard from again. IMAREALROCKINLADY cleared to the lead, pushed hard past the ¼ then yielded for the pocket, struggled from the 5/8.
FIFTH RACE – PREMIER ROCKSTAR pushed a foe to the 3/8 then yielded for the pocket, waited for the Pocono Pike, then sailed right on by. KINGSTONS BAD BOY went up to challenge but needed urging to clear 3/8, held OK to be second. MINDTRIP was second-over behind a sluggish one, three-wide 5/8 to two-wide to the ¾, edged GIVENUPDREAMING for third. The latter gapped early, gained up the rail down the back, then angled out from midturn to four-wide headstretch, finished well. PURPLE POET followed the backstretch three-wide sweeper then was left three-wide uncovered, flattened out. ROLLINWITHAMBITION was three-wide leaving, took back to finally get a tuck, not heard from thereafter. STELLAR BB looked to want to quarter-move but retreated when there was a battle for the top, did come uncovered at the half, gained little then fell back a lot.
SIXTH RACE – MIDNIGHT DAY left, took over 3/16, yielded for the pocket, a bit loose on the turn, went to the Pocono Pike and had a surge that just carried him by FRAZZLEBERRY. The latter pushed the 1/8 and yielded, quarter-moved, set the pace, shook off righthand pressure, came home in 56 and still was caught to his left. SHORE OF HIMSELF left and was three-wide, tucked, sat third-in, blocked to early stretch, then moved outside, steadily, returned with “b.e.” THIRD POWER avoided the outer tiers. LATEST ERA was third-over, didn’t get much help from cover, four-wide headstretch, gaining at the end. MY WISH CAME TRUE started uncovered to the half, made up ground in quarter three to challenge, but then couldn’t respond to urging in the last ¼. COXCOMB was second-over, gapped 5/8, three-wide midturn, was already not gaining when he broke upper stretch.
SEVENTH RACE – INDIGO ART was in the outer flow as third-over before the ½, was taken three-wide before the 5/8 around the parked horse, got to first-over and then to the lead ¾, kept together to ward off the inside thrust of PUZZLING. The latter sat in all the way and advanced up the inside, to the Pocono Pike and gained quickly late. BELLOWS BINGE was three-wide to the first turn, then out until getting the lead at the quick quarter, had to deal with a parked-the-mile foe and then couldn’t resist the sweeper ¾, gave ground grudgingly in the last 1/8. SADIQ HANOVER went to the lead then yielded at the ¼, kept the pocket tight, moved outside midturn but didn’t gain much. A STUD NAMED SAM got away last, wide early stretch, couldn’t get into the main picture. STAR MESSENGER was three-wide to the 1/8, ducked behind cover, then was left out on the rim at the ¼, challenged but couldn’t clear, was circled late backstretch and faded. AMERICA’S GUEST showed early speed, came out behind the parked horse near the half, was blindswitched by the winner 5/8 then went wide but never made up any ground from there.
EIGHTH RACE – RICKYBOBBYNTHEHAUS got the front to turn one, yielded, quarter-moved to regain control at the ¾, left all but AMAZON in the dust to the ¾, then held that one off while drifting out a bit. The latter came uncovered at the half, went his own third quarter in 26.3 and got to retuck in the pocket before the ¾, challenged the winner late, went on well, well ahead of the others. OWEN was third-over but gapped, did circle the rest for the distant show. EFFRONTE A left and got command at the 3/16, saw two foes go by, badly blocked on the far turn, got room early stretch after the top two were long-gone. KILLER MARTINI was outside down the back but gapped cover (as did most of the field), a touch of pace widest late. I’M BURLINGTON N was three-wide to the first turn, briefly fell in behind cover then left raw 3/16 to command off the first turn, yielded to the winner, unplugged 5/8 and clogged the innermost tier. UNDERTAKER gapped second-over.
NINTH RACE – ARTIFACT HANOVER left well, defended the pocket when the leader chose to park a challenger, went into the Pocono Pike and was along over PLAY THE FIELD, perhaps a bit more easily than the margin may suggest. The latter left for command, kept a foe parked in hot early fractions, saw off the looping first-over as well, then couldn’t handle the threat from the inside although going on gamely. REGAL SON sat in, gapped, then angled wide, kicked into high gear a bit belatedly. BROTHER JAMES was stuck inside and shuffled to last, went to the Pocono Pike and made up some ground. JIMS PERFECT TEN tucked fifth 3/16, outside to the second turn, three-wide not long into the backstretch and swept up to first-over, but couldn’t sustain the gain. BRAVO TEX N was behind the sweeper but couldn’t stay with his backstretch move. WHAT THE LUCK was stuck raw from past the 1/8, really tried hard for the lead in the second quarter and a fast half but couldn’t go by, was looped and fell back.
TENTH RACE – BOARDWALK BET looked to leave but took back when he saw the two insiders burst through, grinded uncovered from early backstretch, got a brief rest in the pocket on the turn then came out headstretch, to the lead then withstood BULLVILLE FRANK. The latter swung three-wide on the far turn, kicked in just a little too late, very good at the end. PICK A GENRE came through at the start for the pocket then quarter-moved, faced gradually-tightening pressure from the winner when going quickly, didn’t have enough. MIKI MINAJ came out 5/8 and tightened on cover, left uncovered far turn, ducked inside in the lane, evenly. YS DO IT RIGHT had some pace midtrack finishing. THANOS came through at the start for the early lead, yielded for the pocket, couldn’t defend that position at the ¾. BUILDING BOOST never got going.
ELEVENTH RACE – PATERNITY SUIT A let but took back to third, uncovered at the half and rushed up in 26.2 down the back to go by ¾, had to stay good to hold off a resurgent ACTOR HANOVER. The latter crossed over easily from PP8 to the lead, had an open length lead before and after the 26.2 opener, saw the winner go by ¾, never gave up and was coming back on late in a good outing. LITERL LAD HANOVER maintained the early pocket, wasn’t keeping up 11/16, did a bit better as the pace slowed late. RIFLEMAN couldn’t stay with the winner’s cover in the fast third panel, uncovered on the turn, went on steadily. WHAT’S GOIN ON gapped most of the mile. HYPNOTICDREAM never entered the picture. HIGH ST CORRIDOR moved outside but never made the main radar. ROCK THREE TIMES was far back.
TWELFTH RACE – CAPTAIN CASH pushed a foe past the a fast ¼ before yielding but was quick on the retake, just kept rolling in crushing fractions and was much the best here. DO WORK SON went into the early pocket at the 1/8, caught in when the two-holer unplugged, got clear nearing headstretch and had a surge to be a clear second. SHANE ADAM was wide leaving but quickly backed off, inside, evenly late. CAPTAIN MALICIOUS gapped at the back, but avoided the outer tiers and got the last check. WESTERN TYRANT moved out first-over but had no gain. LYONS NIGHT HAWK was third-over, blindswitched and blocked. CAPTAIN MULZAC had dull cover, tried to sweep by it before the 5/8 but just became a laneclogger himself.