Aug 28, 2019 | Racing
August 24 to August 30, 2019
The month of August is winding down and the stakes racing continues at a hot and heavy pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. And it seems that whenever those stakes races take place, top horsemen and horsewomen also bring some of their best overnight horses to Pocono as well, spicing up those races. Let’s take a look at all that transpired in the past racing week at Pocono and hand out some Weekly Awards along the way.
PACER OF THE WEEK: REBEL ROUSER
Early in the year, it was shaping up to be a monster season for this five-year-old gelding. Rebel Rouser came out of the gate in 2019 on top of his game with wins in seven out of ten races, all within the first four months of the year. But an injury sidelined him from April until August, stunting his formidable momentum. In his first start back at Yonkers on August 5, he went off as a heavy favorite and led until late but then broke stride, which sent him back to qualifiers.
When he returned to action on August 18 at Pocono, he was met with some skepticism from the bettors, going off at 6-1 as he faced a field of winners of four to seven condition pacers. But he found his old form in a big way, going gate to wire from an outside post for a victory on a sloppy track in a career-best 1:51. The bandwagon was full when he faced the same class on Sunday night at Pocono, as Rebel Rouser went off as a 3-5 favorite with an inside post in a field of eight.
Even though track conditions were ideal this time around, driver Yannick Gingras didn’t have to ask the gelding for nearly as much speed in the early going as was the case the previous week. Nobody challenged Rebel Rouser as he coasted to the half in just 57 seconds. That left him with plenty in the tank late when challenged by pocket horse Daamericansky, and Rebel Rouser, trained by Bob Cleary, held him off by a neck for his second straight win at Pocono, this one coming in 1:53:1.
Other top pacers this week include: Photobombr Hanover (Simon Allard, Tom Fanning), who followed up a win at Harrah’s with a condition victory on Saturday night at Pocono in 1:51:2; Torrid Bromac (Pat Berry, Ted Sulseki), whose claiming win on Saturday night in a career-best 1:50:4 gave him victories in three of his last four races; and Artful Bliss (Anthony Napolitano, Marta Piotrow), who rolled to his fourth straight $7,500 claiming victory on Monday afternoon, winning in 1:52:2.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: RAINBOWINTHEWEST
Hailing from the barn of trainer Robert Rougeaux III, this four-year-old mare spent a lot of the season at The Meadows, and made it up as high as the Open Handicap level. Her first try at Pocono was a respectable third-place finish in a $14,000 condition trot. She dropped down a notch the following week and picked up a solid win as a heavy favorite in 1:54 at the $12,500 level, posting a career-best time in the process.
Feeling confident off that win, Rainbowinthewest jumped back up in class again to the $14,000 condition trotters on Sunday night. The big difference this time around was, after having the inside #1 post in her previous two journeys at Pocono, she was saddled with the outside post in a field of eight on Sunday night. That, along with the move back up in class, was probably why she was let go at odds of 9-1, well behind the 3-5 favorite Tag Up And Go.
Driver Marcus Miller, unconcerned by the odds or the post, sent Rainbowinthewest flying to the front in the early part of the mile. Tag Up And Go came at her with a strong first-over move, while Bucketlist Hanover, getting a garden trip, took aim on the inside late. But the mare had an answer for them all, gutting out the final strides to win a tight one. She managed the mile in 1:54:1 this time around, giving her two straight impressive condition victories on the Pocono oval.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Eurobond (Andy Miller, Julie Miller), who followed up a win at Harrah’s with a condition victory at Pocono on Sunday night, posting the week’s fastest trotting time of 1:51:3 in the process; Beyond Kronos (Tim Tetrick, Jim Campbell), whose Stallion Series win over other two-year-old trotting colts and geldings was his third straight and came in the fastest stakes time (1:54:4) of the night; and High Blue (George Napolitano Jr., Joe Pavia Jr.), who rattled off his second straight claiming handicap win on Tuesday and did so in 1:54:2, matching a career-best time.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: FASHION WINNER
With Marcus Miller in the bike, this trotter rallied for a condition victory on the Monday afternoon program at 26-1, paying out $55.60 on a $2-win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: SIMON ALLARD
Simon went on a tear on Saturday, winning six out of the 14 races on the card, with only of those victories coming aboard a betting favorite.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: JIM CAMPBELL
Campbell’s impressive contingent of two-year-old trotters include Sunday night Stallion Series winner Beyond Kronos and Sire Stakes winner Real Cool Sam, who remained unbeaten after seven races.
That will do it for this week at Pocono, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Aug 21, 2019 | Racing
Labor Day Weekend at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will be full of excitement with a jackpot; a fun giveaway; and a baseball legend!
Sunday, September 1st, the extremely popular Rainbow Pick 5 will have a mandatory $150,000 plus payout! During the season, bettors have been “racing” to wager on the Rainbow Pick 5, with the jackpot awarded several times throughout the season. There can only be one winner, so this is extremely difficult to hit. Once the jackpot started again, it has been growing steadily over the last few months, and the mandatory payout night is set for September 1st and the Sunday night card. For the mandatory payout, all fans that have the winning horses for those five races will share in the jackpot. Post Time is 7:00pm, and the wager is .20 for the last 5 races of the night.
Fans can meet and have a photo taken with former Philadelphia Phillies baseball legend and member of the 1980 World Series Championship team Greg Luzinski on Sunday night as well. Wristbands are required, and will be distributed starting at 2:00pm in a limited supply in the racing lobby. The event will start at 5:00pm, and only authorized photos will be signed, and available, one per guest.
Labor Day Monday, fans can take advantage of the most popular promotion at the track, “50/50 Night”. The first 100 fans purchase $50 in live racing vouchers, and it is matched for a total of $100 in vouchers. Wristbands for this event will be available starting at 2:00pm with line-up starting at 1:00pm. Post Time is 4:00pm
Racing continues Saturday and Sunday at 7:00pm and Monday at Tuesday at 4:00pm. There is no live racing Monday, September 16th.
Aug 21, 2019 | Racing
August 17 to 23, 2019
This past week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono was filled with stakes action once again. We featured both Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings (Sunday) and two-year-old trotting fillies (Monday.) In addition, we enjoyed another round of the Great Northeast Open series on Saturday night, this time with the Open pacers taking a center stage. A busy week to be sure, and one that provides us with many candidates for this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: AFLAME HANOVER
This three-year-old colt from the barn of Linda Schadel has been tearing it up of late in condition paces. And that’s understandable, considering the kind of competition he faced earlier in the year. Facing extremely long odds in both the North America Cup in Canada and the Max Hempt Memorial Pace at Pocono, Aflame Hanover snuck in for fourth-place finishes in both, managing to get his handlers pretty substantial payback in the process.
When he returned to overnight racing, he was ready to flex his muscle. First up was a victory at Pocono on July 29 over non-winners of two. Then he headed over to Harrah’s at Philadelphia for a victory over non-winners of three. His quest for three in a row brought him back to Pocono on Sunday night, where he went off as the 3-5 favorite in a field of eight non-winners of four for a purse of $15,000. Leaving from post position #2, Aflame Hanover swooped Rickybobbyinthehaus to take the lead on the first turn.
From there, there were really no anxious moments. Driver Andrew McCarthy rated the pace at a solid level, so that Aflame Hanover didn’t overexert himself but also so that nobody could put a real challenge to him with a first-over move. In the home stretch, the colt solidified his lead, holding off the closing A Bettor Beach to pick up the win by 2 ¼ lengths. The winning time of 1:51:2 on a track listed in good condition was a new career-mark for Aflame Hanover, who just keeps getting stronger each time out.
Other top pacers this week include: T’s Electric (Tyler Buter, Emily Bost) who picked up his third straight claiming handicap win on Sunday night, getting it done in the slop in 1:53:4; Backstreet Shadow (Pat Berry, Ron Burke), who followed up three wins in a row elsewhere by shipping in and capturing Saturday night’s division of the Great Northeast Open Series pace in 1:49:2 in the slop; and Derecho (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), who moved up in class to win his second straight condition pace on Saturday night, this one in 1:52:4 in the sloppy conditions.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: VERY VERY FAST
Whoever named this trotter must have had a very good premonition of what was to come in his racing career. Now aged 10, Very Very Fast has shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, back on July 14 at Pocono, the gelding set a career-best with at Pocono with a win in 1:52:2. A few weeks later, he stepped up into the $21,500 condition trotting group and managed another victory, this one in 1:53:2. Last week he very nearly missed capturing an Open Handicap trot at Tioga, finishing second from an outside post.
He returned to Pocono on Sunday night to once again face off with the $21,500 condition trotters. And it was a stout field he faced. In fact, despite all his recent success at Pocono, Very Very Fast went off as a 7-2 third choice. Leaving from post position #2 in a field of eight, he was sent immediately to the front end by driver Tim Tetrick in the sloppy conditions. Even though he was rated well, however, the 6-5 favorite Scirocco Rob seemed to be a major threat as he lurked in the pocket for much of the mile.
In the stretch, Tetrick asked Very Very Fast for more juice and the veteran provided it. When Scirocco Rob tried to respond, he went off-stride. There was still the matter of Pappy Go Go, who was closing very well out three-wide in the lane. But Very Very Fast held him off to win it by a half-length, posting a mile of 1:54 in the off-going. That gives him three top-flight condition wins at Pocono in a little more than a month’s time, once again living up to that speedy name of his.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Bill’s Man (Corey Callahan, John Butenschoen), who followed up a win at Tioga with a condition victory on Sunday night in 1:54:1; Zlatan (Tim Tetrick, Vincent Fusco Jr.) who shipped in to pick up a tough condition win on Sunday night in 1:55:4; and Sister Sledge (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke), the budding superstar two-year-old filly who stayed unbeaten in her career after five races with a Sire Stakes win on Monday in 1:56:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: SHARP ACTION MONEY
There were a lot of live long-shot winners this week, but this pacer driven by Tom Jackson topped them all, winning a condition on Saturday night at 44-1 for a $91.80 payout on a $2 wager.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MATT KAKALEY
Kakaley loved the stakes action on Sunday night with two wins apiece in the Sire Stakes and Stallion Series, with one of the Sire Stakes victories coming aboard 44-1 long shot Tell Them Lou.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: PER ENGBLOM
During Monday’s stakes action for two-year-old trotting fillies, Engblom managed a Stallion series victory with Rebecca Clark and a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win with Queen Of The Hill.
That will do it for this week at Pocono, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Aug 14, 2019 | Racing
August 10 to August 16, 2019
This week’s harness racing action at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono was highlighted by stakes action on Sunday night. There were three divisions of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and four splits of Stallion Series, all for three-year-old filly pacers. It was fun to watch the best in class for that group go at it and there were some sizzling performances, with the Sire Stakes winning effort of Treacherous Reign in 1:49:3 being the fastest of the lot. On top of that, the overnight racing at Pocono was stellar as usual, as you’ll be able to tell from this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: SPRINGSTEEN
We have a lot of fun with this horse because of his rocking namesake, but the talent is pretty impressive as well. The highlight of his three-year-old season in 2018 was an upset win in the Max Hempt Memorial Pace at Pocono. Springsteen has been lightly raced this year by his trainer Rene Allard since facing the toughest aged pacers in the Ben Franklin Pace in June. But he came back off a month layoff with a condition victory in the slop on July 28 in 1:51:2.
That victory came against horses roughly his same age. But on Saturday night, the four-year-old stallion had to go up against a $17,500 condition group with several horses that had a few years more of racing experience. Such a race can often trip up younger horses, but Springsteen still was made the even-money favorite leaving from post position in a field of six. He stayed away from an early speed duel, eventually following the cover of Ideal Feeling.
He didn’t stay behind the cover long, as driver Simon Alllard sent him for a quick three-wide move at about the 5/8-mile marker. Springsteen grabbed the advantage and opened up an insurmountable lead. Without any urging in the lane, he coasted home a winner by 2 ¼ lengths over Black Chevron. The winning time was 1:49, the fastest of the week at Pocono. You can have fun with Springsteen’s name, but there is no denying that he brings the game to match it.
Other top pacers this week include: Beach Memories (Anthony Napolitano, Daniel Maier), who won his second straight claiming handicap pace on Saturday night, getting it done in 1:50:1; Tom’s Arockin (George Napolitano Jr., Antonia Storer), who handled a claiming handicap group on Saturday night in 1:50:2 for his second straight victory; and Artful Bliss (Anthony Napolitano, Marta Piotrow), who continued to dominate the $7,500 claiming group with his third straight victory on Monday in 1:54:3.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: THE LAST CHAPTER
This week’s top trotting purse of $17,500 was on the line in a condition on Sunday night. It attracted some excellent competitors, including million-dollar earner Zooming, Tag Up And Go, who was fresh off an Open win at Tioga, and the talented mare Satin Dancer. But it was The Last Chapter, a five-year-old gelding trained by Eddie Hart, who went off as the 3-2 favorite in the field of nine. The gelding came into the race with a break of his stride in his previous start at the Meadowlands, which was a bit of a cause for concern.
Prior to that break, however, he was hitting the board with consistency, and he hoped to regain that form on Sunday night. Leaving from post position #3, The Last Chapter left nothing to chance. Driver David Miller had him leaving alertly and he assumed the lead before the field made the first turn. Miller then did a nice job rating the pace, which was no easy task considering that Annapolis Hall came at the leader aggressively with a first-over move on the back stretch.
The Last Chapter was able to repel that challenge and still led at the top of the lane. But his work was far from done, as Zooming lurked in the pocket ready to pounce. The energy that the leader saved early in the mile came in handy down the stretch. The gelding trotted home powerfully without ever giving Zooming a real chance to get past. The Last Chapter came home a winner by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:53:3, which was the fastest trotting time turned in at Pocono this week.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Yuge (George Napolitano Jr., Ed Lohmeyer), who handled a rugged condition field on Sunday night in 1:54:3; Grandma Heidi (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller), a three-year-old filly who picked up her second win in her last three on Monday with a condition victory in a career-best 1:57:4; and Divine Spirit (Eric Carlson, Brett Pelling), who rallied for a condition win on Tuesday in a career-best 1:54.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: ROLLIN ABOUT
Overlooked in a claiming pace from a #9 post position, this gelding defied odds of 65-1 on Saturday night to pick up a victory that paid off $140.20 on a $2-win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: GEORGE NAPOLITANO JR.
The meet’s leading driver became the first driver to pick up 200 wins in the 2019 Pocono campaign with the last of his four victories on Saturday night.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: DANIEL MAIER
The Maier barn has been one of the most productive on the grounds at Pocono in recent weeks, and the hits kept coming on Saturday night with a training double.
That will do it for this week at Pocono, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Aug 12, 2019 | Community Relations, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, General News, Hot Summer Fun, Special Events
WHAT: Guests will have the chance to channel their inner foodie at Mohegan Sun Pocono’s Food Truck Festival. This event will be sure to feature some of the best food truck cuisine in NEPA, live entertainment, family activities and more!
WHEN/WHERE: Sunday, August 25th
Noon – 5:00pm
Mohegan Sun Pocono Racetrack
IN DETAIL: Mohegan Sun Pocono’s Food Truck Festival is a special Hot Summer Fun event featuring some truly delicious food truck eats and sweet drink specials. This family-friendly event is open to guests of all ages and admission is free.
Food truck participants include, but are not limited to:
- Nanny Cakes Bakery – A Bloomsburg, PA-based bakery specializing in making delicious cookies, pies, pastries and more from scratch
- Pazzo Pizza Truck – New Hope, PA natives serving delicious, wood-fired pizza
- FonDippity – A husband-wife duo from Dallas, PA, bringing a fun twist to decadent fondue
- 2Wayz One Passion – Authentic Mexican-American cuisine, straight out of Scranton, PA
- Get Rollin Gourmet Egg Rolls – Serving up homemade, unique egg rolls from Pottsville, PA
- Dottie’s Buffalo Bites – Bringing the best boneless wings, cheesesteaks, burgers and more from Benton, PA
- Eat Up Now – A Party on the Patio favorite and creator of the Texas Cheesesteak, all the way from Hanover, PA
Live entertainment will be provided by Screaming Broccolli – a Breakers favorite. The Food Truck Festival will also offer a variety of activities, including axe throwing with Axecessive Force, Tarot Card readings by Tarot for Living and walk-up tournaments with NEPA Cornhole throughout the afternoon. Guests can stick around for some live harness racing action starting at 7:00pm.
For more information about the Food Truck Festival, and other exciting Hot Summer Fun events, visit mohegansunpocono.com/hsf.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN POCONO
Mohegan Sun Pocono, owned by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, was the first destination to bring gaming to Pennsylvania in 2006 and since then has become one of the premier entertainment, gaming, shopping, and dining destinations in the state. Situated on 400 acres in Plains, Pennsylvania, Mohegan Sun Pocono features a 238-room hotel with on-site spa and adjacent 20,000 square-foot Convention Center. It is currently home to 82,000 square feet of gaming space including over 80 live table games, 2,300 slot machines and electronic table games, a variety of dining and shopping options, nightlife, entertainment and live harness racing. Mohegan Sun Pocono is within easy access of New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware. More information is available by calling 1.888.WIN.IN.PA (1.888.946.4672) or visiting our website. Connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, download our app and view us on YouTube.
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