Apr 6, 2015 | Racing
March 28-April 3, 2015
We’re two weeks into the 2015 racing season at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and we still haven’t seen too much in the way of ideal racing conditions. The six nights of racing have been characterized by rain, wind, cold, and, would you believe it, even snow. Yet in the midst of the ugly weather we’ve already been witness to some outstanding racing and speedy times that flew in the face of the poor conditions. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: HUMILITY
Snow lined the infield as Humility lined up to face a group of non-winners of $10,000 in the last five starts on Tuesday night. The 5-year-old stallion was taking a few steps up in class from his previous race, which was a win at Pocono in a first-over grind in 1:52:2. Trained by Brewer Adams, Humility would need to put together another big mile to hang with the tougher competition.
Early speed in the race came from Always A Diamond, another horse stepping up in class off a big win. Meanwhile China King, the favorite in the race after shipping in from California, had the perfect trip on the pocket. Humility looked like an afterthought when he started a first-over move from fifth on the back stretch, seemingly too far back to compete.
Yet driver Jim Morrill Jr. found a groove on the sloppy track, and when Humility whipped around the final turn three wide, he was in striking distance. Setting his sights on China King, who had taken the lead in the stretch, the stallion hustled by to win by a neck in 1:52:2. Neither a step up in class not a tough trip slowed Humility, who now has wins in each of his first two starts in the meet and might just be ready to move even higher up the Pocono ladder.
Other top pacers this week include: Sparky Mark (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), whose victory in Saturday night’s condition pace came in 1:50:4, the week’s fastest time at Pocono despite freezing temperatures that evening; Majo Just Do It (Simon Allard, Jennifer Sansone), who rolled to a claiming handicap win on Tuesday night, his second straight, in 1:54:4; and Feels Like Magic N (Tom Jackson, Darran Cassar), who rallied for his second straight condition win as a long shot on Saturday night, scoring in a career-best 1:52:3.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: SENTRY
One of the things that makes handicapping so hard early in the season is that there are horses shipping in from all over the country to the Pocono oval. It’s difficult to know how a horse will do on the 5/8-mile track, especially when they’re arriving from a track of a different size. In the case of Sentry, that track was Monticello, the half-mile oval in New York where he had won two of his previous three races.
The winning times he posted at Monticello, each over two minutes, might not have looked so hot compared to some of the others in the field. But this 5-year-old stallion from the barn of Jenny Melander once trotted a mile of 1:54 at Pocono, so the precedent was there for a big effort. In a condition trot on Tuesday night, driver Brett Miller sent Sentry behind cover on the outside and then bided his time until the stretch.
When that stretch arrived, Sentry took his shot with a three-wide move and went trotting right on past the leaders. Even on a sloppy track, his winning time of 1:56:2 showed his capability to put up times more in line with the speedy horses at Pocono. And, with three wins in his last four races, this peaking trotter is proving that he’ll be a factor no matter where he chooses to race.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Team Six (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller), who shipped in from the Meadowlands and handled a tough group of condition trotters on Saturday night in 1:55:1; Walk The Walk (David Miller, Chris Ryder), who ripped off his second straight win in the Bobby Weiss series on Tuesday night, conquering a sloppy track in 1:55, a career-best time; and Classic Belisima (David Miller, John Cabot), a mare whose romping victory in the Bobby Weiss series on Wednesday gave her three straight wins and came in the week’s fastest trotting time at Pocono of 1:53:3.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: SHADOWS DREAM
This veteran pacer sent the faithful home on Tuesday night scratching their heads, as he rallied out wide late to win a condition at 16-1, paying out $35.60 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: JIM MORRILL JR.
Very few drivers have been as successful for as long a period of time as Morrill, who rolled this week to a double on Saturday and four victories on Tuesday.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: BREWER ADAMS
Three victories by Adams’ horses on Tuesday were impressive enough, but they were even more eye-popping considering that not one of those winners was the favorite.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Apr 6, 2015 | Racing
Walk The Walk, a son of former Horse of the Year Muscle Hill, emerged as the only horse competing in Bobby Weiss Series action to take a second straight win in the $15,000 Tuesday, March 31st, preliminaries, two for trotting males and two for pacing females, at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Last week’s first round trotting male winners, Walk The Walk and Two Hip Dip, were matched in one division, and Walk The Walk maintained his perfect record in the series by winning Tuesday in 1:55.2 on a cold night and a sloppy racetrack. Last week Walk The Walk was well in front when he made a break nearing the wire, so in the interim trainer Chris Ryder qualified him with trotting hopples, and this week Walk The Walk was errorless, making an early move to command and then stepping home in 57 to defeat Raise The Curtain, with Two Hip Dip, the slight second choice as last week’s winners were both sent off at 11-10, third after a first-over trip. David Miller, who drove both winners last week, stayed with Walk The Walk, and the horse repaid that confidence of Miller in tallying for the ownership of Ruder, Sidney Korn, Robert Mondillo, and Max Wernick.
Bourbon Bay, third last week in snapping a six-race win skein, bounced back to winning ways, going a tick faster than the other trotting cut in winning by open lengths. The Sand Vic gelding is trained by Megan Wilson for driver/owner John Cummings Jr.
Thebeachnextdoor put paid to the hopes of a repeat Weiss win for Life Is A Beach and Crescent City, both nose victresses last week, by taking a personal mark of 1:53.4 in one leg of the female pacing competition. Jim Morrill Jr., behind hid fourth winner of the night, guided the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, like Muscle Hill a former Horse of the Year and who was nosed out in the first round, to a wire-to-wire triumph, with last week’s winners finishing 2-3 respectively. The Brewer Adams-trained mare is owned by Adams Racing LLC and Brian Clark.
Allthatjazz De Vie couldn’t be a repeat winner because Tuesday’s other division for females was her first start of the year, but she won her Weiss debut by personally coming home in 56.3 to win in 1:54.4 over Hollyrocker (the other distaff to be nosed in the first round). Andrew McCarthy sulkysat behind the sophomore daughter of American Ideal, now 5 for 7 lifetime, for the familiar pairing of trainer Ron Burke and the ownership combine of Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi.
Apr 4, 2015 | Racing
Classic Belisima stamped herself as the mare to beat in the trotting female division of the Wednesday, April 1st Bobby Weiss Series at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning her $15,000 second round division in 1:53.3, while Dress For Success joined “Belisima” as a Weiss repeat winner with a 1:55.1 tally in the other cut.
A daughter of Crazed, Classic Belisima was just overpowering while taking a new lifetime mark, trotting home in 28.1 to extend what was a 1 ¼-length lead at the three-quarters to a 9 3/4-length triumph. A seven-time winner in nine seasonal outings, “Belisima,” which means “most beautiful” in Italian (usually with two “s”’s), certainly looks that way from every angle to trainer John Cabot and owner William Cantrell. (She even has her own “video,” with music by Adele, on YouTube – her yearling footage.)
Dress For Success also kept her record unblemished in Weiss action, and also got a new speed badge with a backstretch brush to the lead to win by 5 ½ lengths. The daughter of Infinitif is conditioned by Christopher Freck for owners Stacey Ruddick and Denise Dennis. (And “Dress For Success” is of course named after the famous John Molloy book that taught “power business dressing” to corporate America.)
Mar 31, 2015 | Entertainment
Bolton will grace the stage on June 13th for a soulful performance
Known for his iconic and timeless music, Michael Bolton will bring his Grammy award winning talents to the Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Some of Bolton’s most popular hits include “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “How am I Supposed to Live Without You,” “Time, Love and Tenderness,” “How Can We be Lovers,” “Georgia on my Mind” and many more.
Tickets for this event will go on sale on Friday, April 3rd and will be sold for $100.00, $60.00 and $30.00 through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may purchase tickets by logging on to ticketmaster.com; calling Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number 1.800.745.3000; or visiting any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets are also available at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Box Office.
Selling over 53 million albums and singles worldwide, Michael Bolton continues to tour the world every year, all while writing, recording and taping for a wide array of projects spanning music, film, television and theater. In recognition of his artistic achievements, Bolton won 2 Grammys for “Best Pop Male Vocal Performance” (nominated four times), 6 American Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a songwriter, he has earned over 24 BMI & ASCAP Awards, including “Songwriter of the YearA”, 9 Million-Air awards and the Hitmakers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
For more information on Michael Bolton, please visit his website.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN POCONO:
Mohegan Sun Pocono, owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, is one of the most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania. 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 91 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, download our app and view us on YouTube.
Mar 30, 2015 | Racing
The Quik Pulse Mindale gelding Victory At Last became the first two-time winner in his section of the Bobby Weiss Series for late-developing pacing males, winning one of the three $15,000 second round Weiss events Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Last week Victory At Last led at every call and lasted over the late charge of a Rene Allard-trained horse, YS Lotus, by a head; this week the winner sat the pocket behind another Allard trainee, Vance Bayama, and rallied in the Pocono Pike to win in 1:54.2, last quarter 27.3, with the victory margin a head this week as well. Matt Kakaley again handled Victory At Last for trainer Ron Burke and the powerful combine of Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi.
Rene Allard, the leading trainer at Pocono last year, sent out the fastest winner in the two rounds of competition when YS Lotus, mentioned above, made a sweeping move around tired foes to the 3/4s and won by five lengths in a personal best 1:52 (on a 26 degree night). Rene’s brother Simon was in the sulky behind the altered son of If I Can Dream, an “iron horse” racing for the fourth time in 11 days, for owner Yves Sarrazin.
Both Victory At Last and YS Lotus were the crowd choices; such was not the case in the third Weiss event, as 13-1 shot Weapons Dealer angled wide in the stretch and caught Shadow Margeaux, a $77 win bomber last week, by a neck, taking a new speed badge of 1:54.1. Anthony Napolitano handled sulky duties behind the Western Ideal gelding for trainer Daniel Renaud and owner Robert Di Mozzi.
Mar 27, 2015 | Racing
The favorites used different methodologies in their two $15,000 divisions of the first round of the Bobby Weiss Series for trotting females Wednesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but both ended up in the desired positions – home first, and then in the Winners Circle.
Classic Belisima headed right to the front in her division and was never headed, winning by almost 7 lengths in a career best 1:55.2 despite the track being rated only “good.” David Miller was sulkysitting behind the daughter of Crazed, who now has six wins in eight seasonal starts, for trainer John Cabot and owner William Cantrell.
In the other Weiss section, Dress For Success had to travel the difficult two-wide route without cover, but she proved to have enough late to turn back Linda Marie by a half-length in 1:57.1. Matt Kakaley, handling the daughter of Infinitif for the first time, obviously got along well with her by getting the job done for trainer Christopher Freck and owners Stacey Ruddick and Denise Dennis.
Four-time defending Downs dashwinning driver champion George Napolitano Jr. visited Victory Lane six times on Wednesday’s 13-race card. “Georgie Nap” will next get a chance to add to his local totals when the Downs resumes racing on Saturday, with the first race scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Mar 26, 2015 | Entertainment, General News, Hot Summer Fun
Every Thursday night, enjoy live entertainment and drink specials on the track apron
Mohegan Sun Pocono will host the largest party in all of northeast Pennsylvania every Thursday starting May 28th with their annual Party on the Patio series. Each week, live entertainment will be provided by some of the most exciting tribute bands in the country. Sponsored by Coors Light and Absolut, this highly anticipated party starts at 6:00pm on the Racetrack each week and will feature $2.00 Coors Light drafts. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about new Party on the Patio beverage and food specials.
Party on the Patio is a free event and open to guests 21 or older.
The featured bands for this summer of 2015’s Party on the Patio are as follows:
Thursday, May 28th – Black Dog (a tribute to Led Zeppelin)
Thursday, June 4th – Back in Black (a tribute to AC/DC)
Thursday, June 11th – Tusk (a tribute to Fleetwood Mac)
Thursday, June 18th – Beatlemania Again (a tribute to The Beatles)
Thursday, June 25th – Pyromania (a tribute to Def Leppard)
Thursday, July 2nd – Parrot Beach (a tribute to Jimmy Buffett)
Thursday, July 9th – Satisfaction (a tribute to The Rolling Stones)
Thursday, July 16th – Tramps Like Us (a tribute to Bruce Springsteen)
Thursday, July 23rd – The Long Run (a tribute to The Eagles)
Thursday, July 30th – Pirate Flag (a tribute to Kenny Chesney)
Thursday, August 6th – Stayin’ Alive (a tribute to The Bee Gees)
Thursday, August 13th – Draw The Line (a tribute to Aerosmith)
Thursday, August 20th – Almost Queen (a tribute to Queen)
Thursday, August 27th – Separate Ways (a tribute to Journey)
Thursday, September 3rd – Bon Jersey (a tribute to Bon Jovi)
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN POCONO:
Mohegan Sun Pocono, owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, is one of the most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania. 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 91 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, download our app and view us on YouTube.
Mar 25, 2015 | Racing
Trotting males and pacing females were featured in first leg action of their divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series Tuesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with two $15,000 sections for each group contested.
In the first trotting cut Two Hip Dip set the pace, then blasted home in 1:55.4 – 56.2 – 27.1 for driver David Miller and trainer/owner Nick Salenetri. The son of Glidemaster was the slight favorite in a race where two horses were sent off at 4-5 – his co-“odds-on” rival Bourbon Bay was outfooted late for second by Raise The Curtain.
The other diamondgaited division also went to driver David Miller, again on the engine, this time with Walk The Walk. Walk The Walk trotted the trot about five lengths better than anyone else in the field until the shadow of the wire, where he ran the run, but was not in violation of the breaking rules. The son of Muscle Hill, owned by trainer Chris Ryder in partnership with Sidney Korn, Robert Mondillo, and Max Wernick, posted a new personal speed badge of 1:55.1 despite the bobble, with back timings of 56.3 – 28.
Miller and Ryder again teamed in a division of the female Weiss action, using “pocket rocket” tactics into a 28 kicker with the Rocknroll Hanover filly Crescent City to get a nose up in a new mark of 1:54 for Diamond Creek Racing. This event also featured an unusual betting pattern, with three horses at less than 2-1 – the winner was 7-5, place horse Hollyrocker was 9-5, and first-over Caviart Shelly (fourth) was 3-2.
The other distaff division also saw a nose separate the top two, as a daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, Life Is A Beach, maintained an early brush to command to the wire over The Beach Nextdoor in a personal best 1:53.1, with twin 28.1s the last half. Matt Kakaley had sulky duty for trainer Ron Burke and the omnipresent Burke Racing / Weaver Bruscemi partnership.
David Miller and Kakaley had three wins on the card; doubles were recorded by George Napolitano Jr. and, on his birthday, Mike Simons, with the latter win for “The Trot Man” the appropriately-gaited Magnum Kosmos. As opposed to opening night this past Saturday, where the average win mutuel was over $21, 7 of 13 chalks clicked this evening.
Mar 24, 2015 | Racing
March 21, 2015
Sky McFly dominated on the front end to defeat a group of $25,000 claimers and kick off the 2015 racing season on Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. The race, the first of the night and the meet, carried a purse of $16,000.
Driven by Matt Kakaley for the Ron Burke barn, Sky McFly (Jereme’s Jet-N’vincible) took over around the first turn and never faced a serious challenge from that point. The 6-year-old gelding, a 2-5 favorite, scored in 1:52:1 by 2 ¼ lengths over Top Gear in second and To Beach His Own in third.
2015 promises to be a special one at Pocono, as it’s the 50th racing campaign for the venerable track in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The track opened in July of 1965.
In other opening night action at Pocono, three $15,000 divisions of the Bobby Weiss Series for three and four-year-old colts and geldings on the pace were held. The winners were: Shadow Margeaux (Shadow Play-Joyeux), a 37-1 long shot driven by Larry Stalbaum and trained by Steve Salerno, in 1:52:4; Mojito Hanover (Well Said-Mary Mattgalane), driven by Marcus Miller and trained by Jim Campbell, in 1:53:1; and Victory At Last (Quik Pulse Mindale-Bidforakiss), driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Ron Burke, in 1:52:4. And in the night’s $22,000 featured condition pace, Blatantly Best (Cambest-Garish), driven by Jim Morrill Jr. and trained by Larry Remmen, came on late to win in 1:51:3.
Mar 24, 2015 | General News, Shopping
bluwire, a leader in top electronics, recently opened their doors at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Offering innovative technology and ultimate portability, bluwire showcases trend-setting brands such as Beats by Dre, Jawbone, Parrot Zik, Mophie, Skullcandy and Harman Kardon. bluwire is known for bringing a unique experience for customers of all ages to each of their stores with state-of-the-art headphone demo stations and live demo speaker displays.
bluwire joins shops Marshall Rousso, MOGO and Ruby Blue and adds high-tech flair to Mohegan Sun Pocono’s shopping choices. For more information on bluwire, visit their website, Twitter and Instagram pages.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN POCONO:
Mohegan Sun Pocono, owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, is one of the most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania. 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 91 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, download our app and view us on YouTube.
