Sep 9, 2013 | Racing
September 5-11, 2013
There were only two nights of racing in the past week because of the Oktoberfest celebration at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Those two nights were full of great racing, however, thanks to the finals of the Stallion Series that were held on Friday and Saturday night.
These Stallion Series are a chance for some excellent two-year-old and three-year-old horses to compete for purses that they might not otherwise get the chance to earn. The races take place all summer, with the best performers earning tickets to the finals, which were each worth $40,000 each.
On Friday night, the 2-year-olds took center stage, followed by the 3-year-olds on Saturday night. Here is a look at how those finals went down.
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING COLTS AND GELDINGS
In a thrilling race, 4-1 third choice Jack Attack, with George Napolitano Jr. in the bike, led much of the race, but had to deal with the 1-2 favorite So Surreal in the stretch. The two came to the line in a photo finish, and, when the dust settled, Jack Attack was the winner by a nose. Trained by PJ Fraley, the 2-year-old gelding paced the mile in 1:52:2, giving him a perfect record in Stallion Series action.
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLTS AND GELDINGS
When Ron Pierce couldn’t make it to Pocono on Friday night, Tyler Buter got the catch drive aboard Who Wants Soup, who was coming off back-to-back wins in the preliminaries. Buter made the most of his chance, rallying the gelding from the barn of Jim Campbell from off the pace to take the late lead and hang on by a head over Faust for the victory in 1:56:3. It was a new career mark for Who Wants Soup.
TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLIES
Nitro Nittany, a filly from the Jim Raymer barn, was coming off the first loss of her career after three straight Stallion Series wins. She atoned in the best way possible. Driver Howard Parker sent Nitro Nittany behind the cover of even-money favorite Tweet Me on the outside, and she blew by in the stretch for the victory in a career-best 1:56.
TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES
Considering that she had won her previous start against tougher Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competition, it was no surprise that Weeper, from the barn of Kelly O’ Donnell, was the 3-5 favorite in this group. The filly didn’t disappoint, blowing by her competition with a huge first-over brush on the back stretch and pacing away for a 1 ¾ length victory in 1:51:4, giving her three straight wins.
THREE-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLIES
As part of an entry that went off as a 3-5 favorite, Choose Happy, trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., got off to a slow start and had to make a first-over move to reach the front of the pack. Not only did she get past the leader around the final turn, but she held back closers who had much better trips than she did, prevailing by a head with Brett Miller in the bike for a victory in 1:54:2.
THREE-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES
Trained by Amber Buter, Antigua Hanover came into Saturday night’s final with just two wins in 16 races this season. She found her stride at the right time though, starting fast, finding the pocket, and then blowing by the favorite Mattwestern late to pace away for the victory by 2 ½ lengths. Tyler Buter did the driving for Antigua Hanover, who paced the mile in a career-best 1:50:4.
THREE-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLTS AND GELDINGS
The combination of driver Howard Parker and trainer Jim Raymer, who won a Stallion Series final on Friday with Nitro Nittany, were at it again with Rossini. Despite being a 3-1 third choice, Parker sent Rossini to the front end and dared everyone to catch him. The result was an easy 3 ¼ length win in 1:53, which narrowly missed a track record for 3-year-old geldings on the trot.
THREE-YEAR-OLD PACING COLTS AND GELDINGS
The final Stallion Series race of the season was a thriller. Ultimate Beachboy was the 3-5 favorite after back-to-back wins, one of which matched a track record. But he was pressured on all sides throughout the mile in the final, until Shock It To ‘Em, trained by Chris Oakes and driven by Ron Pierce, rallied in the stretch from the pocket for a half-length win in 1:50:1.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Sep 6, 2013 | Racing
August 30-September 5, 2013
August may be in the rear-view mirror, but it went out with a bang at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. A track record fell on Friday night and a world record went by the books on Saturday night. It was quite a week of racing, and it’s no surprise that those two record-setters end up with the most honored positions in this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: LIGHTNING PAIGE
If anyone seemed poised to break a record in Friday night’s $21,000 featured pace for mares who were non-winners of $24,000 in the last five races, Southwind Jazmin was the one. In the very same class a week earlier, the 5-year-old mare completely dominated with a two-length win in 1:49:3, and the margin and time could have been more impressive had she been kept to task. It’s no wonder that she was the 2-5 favorite at race time.
One of the horses that she beat the previous start was Lightning Paige, a 4-year-old mare from the Steve Elliott barn. She was a non-threatening third in that race, and she found herself in the pocket chasing the heavy favorite throughout the race. Even with fast fractions, it seemed like the only thing up for debate was whether or not Southwind Jazmin would challenge a track record.
Yet Lightning Paige had other ideas. Driver Andrew McCarthy urged her on through the stretch as she blitzed by the favorite to win by a neck. To add insult to injury, Lightning Paige’s winning time of 1:49 even broke the track record for 4-year-old pacing mares. The previous mark of 1:49:2 was held by, you guessed it, Southwind Jazmin, who set it a year ago. That’s what you call a double whammy. Here’s hoping these two star distaffers face off again in an exciting budding rivalry.
Other top pacers this week include: Caviart Spencer (George Napolitano Jr., Eddie Sager), whose victory on Friday night over the $7,500 claimers gave him three straight victories and came in a career-best 1:52; Light Up The Sky (George Napolitano Jr., Marty Fine), who switched barns and still came up with his second straight win against the toughest claimers on the grounds Saturday night, this one in a career mark of 1:49; and Mustang Art (Kevin Wallis, James McGuire), a veteran pacer who put on a show on the front end on Saturday night with a mile of 1:48:3, best of his career and fastest this week at Pocono.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: BEATGOESON HANOVER
One of my little rules for writing this column is that I try to spread the wealth around in giving these awards. When a horse wins Pacer or Trotter of the Week once during a season, I usually disqualify them from winning it again. For Beatgoeson Hanover, I broke the rules, simply because it’s unusual for a horse to crash the record books twice in the same season.
Back in April, Beatgoeson Hanover, a five-year-old mare trained by Nifty Norman, matched a track record for aged trotting mares with a scintillating victory in 1:52:1. Yet on Saturday night in a Preferred trot with a $25,000 purse, Beatgoeson Hanover could only go off as a 3-1 second choice, because DW’s NY Yank, who also set a track record at Pocono earlier this season as a 4-year-old gelding, was the heavy favorite. Beatgoeson Hanover sat the pocket trip behind the favorite, who surprisingly caved in at the top of the stretch under pressure from the first-over move from Real Babe.
Driver Tyler Buter made a nifty move by swinging Beatgoeson Hanover out wide to elude her tiring cover and gather momentum for a rally. The mare did the rest, zipping by Real Babe to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:51:4. Not only did that reset her track mark, but it also set the world record for aged mares trotting on a five-eighths-mile oval. Maybe we bent the rules a little bit by handing out this award, but that performance was worth it.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Must Be Psychic (Anthony Napolitano, Scott Osterhout), who won his second straight claimer on Tuesday night, this one coming in a career-best 1:55:1 despite a move up in class; Hoorayforvacation (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who scored a victory in Tuesday night’s featured claiming handicap trot in a career-best 1:53:4; and Raven De Vie (Matt Kakaley, Chris Ryder), who followed up his maiden win with another condition victory on Wednesday night in 1:56:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: WEST RIVER VICTORY
On Tuesday night with Mike Simons doing the driving, this trotter utilized a pcoket trip to rally for a victory over a $12,500 claiming class at 17-1 for a $37 win payout on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANDREW MCCARTHY
McCarthy gets a lot of acclaim at Pocono for his ability to bring in long shots, but this week he was winning with every kind of horse, as evidenced by multiple driving victories on all four racing nights.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: MARTY FINE
Part of the Canadian invasion of horsemen who have really made their mark on the 2013 season at Pocono, Fine stayed hot with a three-win week, including a double on Saturday.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Sep 4, 2013 | Racing
August 31, 2013
Beatgoeson Hanover rallied in the final strides to win the featured Preferred trot on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and set a world record for her age group in the process. The race carried a purse of $25,000.
Beatgoeson Hanover, a five-year-old mare from the barn of Nifty Norman, left from post position #5 in a field of six as the 3-1 second choice. She led at the quarter, then ceded the lead to 1-2 favorite DW’s NY Yank in the front stretch and worked the pocket. Real Babe made a powerful first-over move on the back stretch and cleared DW’s NY Yank in the stretch, but driver Tyler Buter alertly swung Beatgoeson Hanover wide in the stretch to beat Real Babe by three-quarters of a length. DW’s NY Yank faded to third.
With a winning time of 1:51:4, Beatgoeson Hanover, owned by Neven Botica, not only shattered her own track record for aged trotting mares of 1:52:1, a mark she shared with Brighten Up, but she also smashed the world record for that age group of 1:52, which was set by Premiere Steed in Finland in 2009. Beatgoeson Hanover, winner of six races this season and 25 lifetime, pushed her career earnings of $1,073,080.
Aug 30, 2013 | Racing
August 23-29, 2013
The kids are going back to school, real football is about to be played, and my tan, what there was of it, has long since faded. That can only mean that the summer months are winding down and, as Bob Seger once sang, autumn’s closin’ in. Still, there is no let-up whatsoever in the racing action at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, as was evident in the racing week just gone past. So let’s celebrate the finest performers of the last four racing nights by handing out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: BLISSFULL DREAMER
It’s difficult to sustain a long winning streak in the sport of harness racing, even for a horse who stays in the same class. That’s because staying in the same class doesn’t necessarily mean facing the same field week after week, as hot horses could be moving up from lower classes while horses used to facing tougher competition might be dropping down. Add to that the vagaries of post position week to week, racing luck, and the simple possibility of an off week, and you can see why a four-race winning streak like the one Blissfull Dreamer was riding heading into her race on Friday night is such an achievement.
Blissfull Dreamer has been sharp all year long as a 4-year-old mare, coming into her battle with the $12,500 distaff claimers on Friday with victories in 11 of 24 races on the season. She has shown the ability to come from off the pace in past races, but, with an inside post on Friday, she was sent to the lead early on by driver Ron Pierce to control the pace.
Her fifth straight victory wasn’t destined to be an easy win, however, as long shot Fire In The Night made a strong move in the stretch. Blissfull Dreamer, trained by Rene Allard, had the ultimate answer though, digging in late to win by a neck in 1:53:1. That makes it five in a row, the longest winning streak at Pocono this season, one that shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Other top pacers this week: Ultimate Beachboy (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who won a showdown with fellow Super Stakes Saturday winner Jonny Rock by a nose in Saturday night’s featured condition pace in 1:50; Rick’s Crossroads (Matt Kakaley, Brewer Adams), whose victory over a field of $10,000 claimers on Saturday night in 1:51:3 was his third straight at Pocono and fourth in a row overall; and Power Pach Hanover (Andy Miller, John Cancelliere), a 3-year-old filly who now has three wins in a row at Pocono after her condition victory on Tuesday night in 1:50:4.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: FLASHBACKS
This 4-year-old stallion from the Wendy Chellis barn fell into a bit of a rut when he arrived from Tioga in June, struggling to make much of a mark against the tougher condition trotters on the grounds. The light switched on when he dropped down into a condition for non-winners of $11,000 in the last five races on August 9. As a 9-1 shot he made a strong first over move and scored an upset win in a career-best 1:53:1.
Flashbacks was back at it again on Friday night in the same class, yet he was still given a tepid chance from the fans as a 7-2 third choice. This time around driver Drew Chellis decided to send his trotter to the front early, reaching the quarter in a rapid time which seemed to augur trouble for Flashbacks if he couldn’t pace himself a little better.
But Drew Chellis rated the horse masterfully through the middle portion of the race, conserving energy for the stretch drive. In the stretch, Flashbacks was still itching to go, and he powered home for a second consecutive win, this one in 1:54:3. With two straight impressive wins, this trotter with a name that suggests a dive back into the past is definitely looking ahead to a bright future.
Honorable mention on the trotting side this week goes to: From Above (Andrew McCarthy, Mark Silva), who won the week’s featured condition trot on Saturday night in 1:54; Ballet Slippers (Andy Miller, Julie Miller), a filly who now has three straight wins, the last two coming at Pocono, after a condition victory on Friday night in 1:57:1; and Bloomfieldcantifly (Anthony Napolitano, Rene Allard), a mare who ripped off her second straight claiming handicap win on Tuesday night, this one coming in 1:56:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: FLIGHT EXEC
Despite back-to-back wins coming into the race, Flight Exec, with Kevin Wallis driving, was a 23-1 shot when he upended a field of $25,000 claimers on Saturday nightand paid out $48.20 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY NAPOLITANO
Anthony has been a steady presence in the drivers’ standings all year long, but he’s really been picking up the pace of late, as evidenced by a driving triple on Tuesday night.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: TONY ALAGNA
Alagna sent a pair of 2-year-olds to the gate on Tuesday night, and both Status Quo and Some Playa, came away with convincing victories.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Aug 26, 2013 | Racing
August 21, 2013
It was clear sailing for the freshman filly trotter Cooler Schooner in the 4th and final division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. With John Campbell at the helm, the daughter of Broadway Hall-Pine Schooner breezed through panels of :26.4, :54.4 and 1:23.2 before stopping the teletimer in an eye-popping 1:51.3 to win by 1 ½ lengths. Shake It Cerry finished a fast closing second after going a long first-over trip in the $66,446 event. The new world record holder – for any size track – is trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms of New Hope, Pa.
The first division of the night was captured by Lifetime Pursuit (Yannick Gingras) in 1:55.4 for trainer Jimmy Takter. The Cantab Hall filly is owned by Brittany Farms, Versailles, Kentucky. Struck By Lindy followed first over cover up the backside and took the lead for good at the three-quarter pole to take the second division, worth $66,846, drawing off by 3 ½ lengths in 1:55.4 for driver David Miller. The Explosive Matter daughter is owned by Melvin Hartman, R A W Equine Inc. and Adam Victor & Son Stable LLC and trained by Richard Norman. In the third division, A Perfect Gem, piloted by Marcus Miller led from start to finish to record her third win-a-row for trainer Erv Miller. Paymaq Racing, Louis Willinger and Daniel Plouffe are the owners of the Yankee Glide filly, who now has seasonal earnings of $113,907.
Aug 12, 2013 | Racing
August 10, 2013
Scandalous Hanover, Novascotia Hanover, and Somwherovrarainbow scored wins in their respective divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The three divisions were held for 3-year-old fillies on the pace and each carried a purse of $78,224.
In the first Sire Stakes split, Scandalous Hanover (Dragon Again-Subtle Charm), the 9-2 second choice, made a huge first-over move on the back stretch and paced away from her foes in the lane for a three-length victory in a career-best 1:49:3. David Miller was in the bike for trainer Casie Coleman, as Scandalous Hanover won in what was her first Sire Stakes start of the season after recent success in condition paces at Chester. Icommandmyspirit finished second, Native Dream picked up the show, and 3-5 favorite Charisma Hanover faded to fourth after leading early, suffering her first Sire Stakes loss in four tries this season.
David Miller was at it again in the second division, guiding Novascotia Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-Northern Sky) three-wide around the last turn for a rallying win by a length as the 4-5 favorite. Trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., Novascotia Hanover paced the mile in 1:51:1, matching a career-best as she bounced back from two near-misses in her last two stakes races. Handsoffmycupcake finished second while Carols Desire picked up the show.
Using a pocket trip and the passing lane in the stretch, Somwherovrarainbow (Somebeachsomewhere-Rainbow Blue), at even money, came on to win the final split by three-quarters of a length in 1:51:3. She now has stakes wins in her last two races and three of her last four, as Montrell Teague did the driving for trainer George Teague Jr. Aunt Caroline rallied for second while Nikki Beach faded to third.
