Jul 3, 2019 | General News
Trainers of some quality three-year-old colt trotters will have an idea about the future route of their charges – the Grand Circuit, state-bred competition, or “back to the drawing board” – after they contest three $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday evening.
In the third race first division, the Muscle Hill gelding Goes Down Smooth has been established as the early favorite from post two for trainer Ron Burke and driver Matt Kakaley. The winner of the Walner series final at The Meadowlands and a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows, Goes Down Smooth qualified for the Beal Trot Championship here last Saturday, but was far behind early and then suffered interference; he and his connections will be hoping for better racing luck here in the field of six.
The Åke Svanstedt stable, which masterminded the upset of the heralded Greenshoe in the Beal Championship with Marseille, will send out Night Hall as the second choice from post four, with Eric Carlson guiding the Muscle Hill colt who shows a second and a third in Pennsylvania stakes competition.
In the fifth race second division, the Explosive Matter gelding Explosivebreakaway, a full brother to the top mare Phaetosive, starts from the rail for trainer Fred Grant and driver Tom Jackson. The lightly-raced colt, locally-based, has six wins in ten lifetime starts, including a Pennsylvania Sire Stake win over the track and a solid victory in an overnight race here last week.
The Cantab Hall colt Lindy’s Crazy Hall has two wins in three starts in 2019, including a Stallion Series victory, and he may be coming on strongly now as he starts from post three for trainer Domenico Cecere and driver Drew Monti.
In the third division tenth race, the Muscle Hill gelding Final Claim looks to rebound from the rail for the Burke / Kakaley team. Final Claim was undefeated in three seasonal starts prior to the Walner final, where he made a break, and following a layoff after that race, he did well after a hard trip in his comeback attempt.
Rock My Muscles and Chiplosive both have Stallion Series victories to their credit, but in this division they have had the misfortune to draw the outside posts six and seven, respectively.
First of fourteen races on the Saturday night card at Pocono is listed for 7 p.m.
Jul 3, 2019 | General News
June 29 to July 5, 2019
Expectations are a funny thing. They can put you in a mindset where you can only see a few possible outcomes for some upcoming event, when, in actuality, life has a funny way of showing us that anything can happen at any time. That is certainly true in the world of high-stakes harness racing, where unpredictability is built into the sport because of the dependence on animals to repeat performances week after week against other top-notch competitors all trying to do the same thing.
After watching the eliminations for the 2019 edition of Sun Stakes Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, I thought I had a pretty good feel for what would transpire. But I can’t say that any of the four Finals this past Saturday worked out anything like what I would have expected, other than the fact that they were all as exciting as could be predicted. I clearly wasn’t alone in my confusion, as none of the four races was won by a favorite, and the odds for the winners got progressively longer as the night went on.
Let’s take a look back at what transpired and try to pick apart how the unexpected became commonplace on this star-studded night of racing.
THE JAMES M. LYNCH MEMORIAL PACE FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES:
What We Expected To Happen: A showdown between Treacherous Reign and Warrawee Ubeaut, two fillies who have been going back and forth at each other in a battle for divisional supremacy.
What Actually Happened: Well, in this case, we weren’t all that far off, because there was indeed a showdown between Warrawee Ubeaut and Treacherous Reign, the top two choices in the race. But that showdown occurred too early and for too long a chunk of the mile, leaving both a bit weary in the lane. That left the 3-1 third choice Stonebridge Soul in perfect position in the pocket. Driver Tim Tetrick guided the Chris Ryder trainee up the passing lane for the victory by three-quarters of a length in 1:49:3, providing the first indication that the pocket was going to be the place to be on this night.
THE MAX C. HEMPT MEMORIAL PACE FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD PACERS
What We Expected To Happen: Proof, with a much better post position than the other two elimination winners, would build on his outstanding career-best mile in the eliminations and dominate.
What Actually Happened: Proof did indeed go off with 1-5 expectations, but wasn’t on his game after starting slow, eventually finishing sixth. Meanwhile, Captain Victorious tried to double on his elim win with another gutsy front-pacing effort. But he couldn’t shake Shake That House, trained by Chris Oakes, who has a shelf full of huge stakes victories at Pocono. From the pocket, Shake That House, with Brian Sears in the bike, erupted late for a two-length win in a career-best 1:49:2, paying off handsomely for his backers with 8-1 odds.
THE BEN FRANKLIN PACE FOR FREE-FOR-ALL PACERS
What We Expected To Happen: A three-way donnybrook between Western Fame, McWicked, and Lather Up that would produce a definitive aged pacing group standout.
What Actually Happened: Lather Up continued to be haunted by clunkers during the biggest nights at Pocono, starting slowly and eventually breaking stride. McWicked battled first over but could never get even with the leader. Western Fame, who went off as the favorite, set that pace, but was pressured enough by McWicked that he labored in the lane. Which left This Is The Plan, winless in 2019 coming into the race, ready for his closeup. The Ron Burke trainee came flying from the pocket with Yannick Gingras driving to win at 12-1 in 1:48:2.
THE EARL BEAL JR. MEMORIAL TROT
What We Expected To Happen: A coronation for Greenshoe, the colt who many thought could only lose if he broke stride (and even then, many wondered if it would matter.)
What Actually Happened: Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt didn’t get the memo apparently, because he fired out from an outside post with 55-1 shot Marseille as if the outcome was still up in the air. Greenshoe, meanwhile, got away a bit lethargically, in much the same manner as he did in the elimination. The difference on this night was that he was beaten to the punch in the outer flow, meaning that he couldn’t glide up to his liking. Once he finally did shake free, it was too late to catch the well-rated Marseille, the stunning winner in 1:52:3.
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].
Jun 5, 2019 | Racing
June 1 to June 7, 2019
This past week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono featured some of the most extensive stakes action that we’ve seen so far this year. On Saturday and Sunday nights, Pocono hosted Pennsylvania All-Stars, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, Stallion Series and Great Northeast Open Series races. Even though the weather didn’t quite cooperate (again), the action was still scorching. Let’s take a look at our top performers as we hand out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: RECLAMATION
What a streak this four-year-old mare from the Ron Burke barn has put together over the past few months. After finishing second in her first start of the season at the Meadowlands, she ripped off three straight wins there in various condition groups. She then arrived at Pocono and the winning continued. In featured condition paces for mares on May 21 and May 28, she captured victories with winning times of 1:50:4 and 1:50, the latter a career-best.
On Tuesday night, she was at it again in the $17,500 feature. In her previous victories at Pocono, she had shown versatility, winning once on the lead and once in come-from-behind fashion. On Tuesday night while leaving from post position #3 in a field of nine as a 1-9 favorite, Reclamation was sent to the front around the first turn by driver Matt Kakaley. She set honest fractions from there, quick but not out of control, and still held the advantage at the top of the stretch.
As has been the case with most of her victories during this streak, Reclamation didn’t blow anybody away. Both Clear Idea and Sidewalk Dancer came at her late with closing kick. But Reclamation once again stood up to the challenge, holding off Clear Idea to win by a half-length in 1:51:2. This mare simply doesn’t like to lose, as evidenced by her 13 wins in 21 career races. After her Tuesday night triumph, she is clearly at the head of the distaff class at Pocono.
Other top pacers this week include: Demi Hill (George Napolitano Jr., Chris Oakes), a filly who picked up her third straight condition won at Pocono in the slop on Sunday night, matching her career-best of 1:51:3 in the process; Beach Boogie (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), whose career-best 1:49:2 mile in a condition victory at Pocono on Saturday night was the fastest time posted this week; and Alii Nui (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller), a three-year-old filly whose victory on Saturday night in Pennsylvania All-Stars action gave hew two straight wins at Pocono, each of which came in 1:51:3, her career mark.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: EXPLOSIVEBREAKAWAY
Sunday night’s action at Pocono was highlighted by three divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, with each race carrying a hefty purse of $56,868. And you could have made the argument that the showcase horse coming into the night in those races was Osterc, the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion at age two and winner of stakes races in his first two starts of 2019 in impressive fashion.
Explosivebreakaway has been impressive as well, just maybe not against the same caliber of competition as Osterc. The three-year-old gelding trained by Fred Grant came into Sunday night with four wins and three second-place finishes in seven career races. He also won a non-winners of five condition at Pocono in his first start of the year by seven lengths on May 21. And, in the Sire Stakes race on Sunday, he found himself nestled in the pocket behind Osterc, who was a 1-2 favorite.
Osterc faced some heat on the front end from first-over Summit In Sight, but the fractions never got away from him. Still, as he rounded the final turn, he made a break of stride. That left Explosivebreakaway and Summit In Sight to battle it out from there. Driver Tom Jackson summoned more energy out of Explosivebreakaway, who trotted away from Summit In Sight to win by 2 ¾ lengths at 9-1. His winning time of 1:54:2 in the slop matched his career-best from his previous race.
Honorable mention on the trotting side this week goes to: Crystal Fashion (Tim Tetrick, Jim Campbell), who handled the field in the Great Northeast Open series with ease on Sunday night, coasting to a comfortable win in the slop in 1:53; Marseille (Ake Svanstedt driver and trainer), who made his maiden win a memorable won, capturing a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race on Sunday night in 1:53:3, fastest time of the three divisions; and Frankie Mullins (Marcus Miller, Bruce Clarke), who followed up a win at Tioga with a condition victory on Tuesday afternoon at Pocono in 1:54:4, a new lifetime mark.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: BLUE AND BOLD
This trotting gelding used the Stallion Series as the setting for his upset, winning a division on Sunday night with George Napolitano Jr. in the bike at 19-1, paying off $40.40 on a $2-win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MARCUS MILLER
The stakes competition brought out the best in Marcus this week, as he captured an All-Stars race with Alii Nui and a Stallion Series win with Nextroundsonme at odds of 7-1 and 8-1, respectively.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: ANDREW HARRIS
Harris came up with a couple big victories on the Sunday night program, winning a Sire Stakes with White Tiger and a Stallion Series division with Blue And Bold.
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].
May 22, 2019 | Racing
May 18-24, 2019
This week’s action at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono contained our first taste of both Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Pennsylvania Stallion Series action, while the Great Northeast Open series continued as well with the male pacers on Saturday night. There was a little bit of everything for the faithful on tap, including sudden thunderstorms, a dead heat for a win, and, of course, plenty of fantastic performances. Let’s take a look at the best of those by handing out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: ATTA BOY DAN
The hot streak for this 10-year-old gelding began on his way out of the Meadows on April 27 when he finished in a dead heat for the win in a condition pace in 1:51:1. He then came to Pocono and scored in a claiming handicap pace on May 11, winning that one in come-from-behind fashion in 1:51:4. On Saturday night he was at it again in that $30,000 to $40,000 claiming handicap group, only this time he was making his first start for trainer Hunter Oakes after he had been claimed in the previous race.
In this race, Atta Boy Dan was saddled with the outside post in a field of seven, which was probably why he was only the 8-5 second choice on the board. Driver Eric Goodell decided he wanted his horse on the lead, and the gelding was able to achieve that with a swooping move around the first turn. On the back stretch, Atta Boy Dan faced down a first-over challenge from 6-5 betting favorite Dancin Hill, which he rebuffed with extreme prejudice.
The work from Atta Boy Dan was far from done, as Concur and Boogie Nights, a pair of long shots who had been saving ground, both came charging up to challenge in the stretch. But the veteran answered the call by gutting out the win by 1 ¼ lengths over Concur in 1:51:4. At age ten, a lot of standardbreds are winding down. But Atta Boy Dan is on a blistering stretch right now and is showing no signs of giving his opponents a break and letting up.
Honorable mention on the pacing side goes to: Rock The Town (George Napolitano Jr., Antonia Storer), who moved up in class to win a claiming handicap pace on Saturday night, his second straight victory since arriving from Delaware, in a career-best 1:50:4; Rodeo Rock (Eric Goodell, Robert Cleary), who tore it up for a victory in the Great Northeast Open pacing series on Saturday night in 1:49, a new career-best and the fastest pacing time of the 2019 Pocono meet to date; and Captain Crunch (Scott Zeron, Nancy Johansson), who returned to start off his three-year-old season at the scene of his Breeders Crown triumph and put on a show in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes victory on Sunday night, matching a career-best with a 1:49:1 mile in the slop.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: DI OGGI
Sunday night is usually the night when trotters take center stage at Pocono, but this past week, the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old pacers highlighted the action. Still, there were some outstanding trots that would normally have been features, including a condition trot with a purse of #17,500 early in the evening. It was a top field of seven, six of which have been campaigning regularly at Pocono this year with high levels of success.
But it was Di Oggi, who had spent most of his time this year at the Meadowlands for trainer Ake Svanstedt, who went off as the 4-5 favorite. He came in on a streak of three second-place finishes, which included his lone start at Pocono this year when he came up short of Tag Up And Go. In this mile, Di Oggi, a five-year-old stallion, left from post position #5 but didn’t get away quickly. He was forced to grind away first-over in the sloppy conditions, dueling away with Tyson, who set the pace.
After wearing down Tyson, Di Oggi, also driven by Svanstedt, then had to deal with Lucky Colby, a 55-1 long shot who hugged the pylons most of the race and then came on strong late in the mile with a big move. But Di Oggi was up to the test, holding tight to beat Lucky Colby by a neck. His winning time of 1:54:1 was just shy of his career-best and was the fastest trotting time of the week at Pocono, despite the fact that it came on a sloppy track.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: CR Blazin Beauty (Anthony Napolitano, Jose Godinez), a mare who beat the boys in a condition trot on Sunday night in 1:55:4 in the off-going; Don (Mike Simons driver and trainer), who captured a tough condition trot on Sunday night in the slop despite it being just his second start of the year, matching a career-best of 1:54:3 in the process; and Explosivebreakaway (Tom Jackson, Fred Grant), who delivered a career-best performance by winning a condition trot on Tuesday in 1:54:2.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: MYSTICAL WYNN
This trotter came rocketing up the passing lane late with Mike Simons in the bike to win a condition at 35-1, paying off a hefty $73.80 on a $2-win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANDREW McCARTHY
McCarthy was on top of his game in his two appearances last week at Pocono, winning five times, including a pair of Stallion Series victories on Sunday night.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: TONY ALAGNA
Alagna seems to always have a deep roster of young talent, and that was proven on Sunday night when his horses took two of the four Stallion Series divisions for three-year-old pacers.
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].
Jul 2, 2018 | Racing
June 23-29, 2018
Last week’s eliminations for this coming week’s Sun Stakes Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono were notable for the way that most of the biggest names were able to sail through to the finals. In many cases, the elimination week can be extremely troublesome for highly-favored horses, but nine of the eleven Sun Stakes elims were won by the favorites, while the other two favorites who came up short did manage to get in by finishing high enough in the order. Although there were some highly-regarded horses who came up short of the finals, the races on Saturday are about as star-studded as fans could have hoped.
As we both look back at the elims and preview the finals, you’ll note that post position is a big factor heading into this Saturday. A few horses will have to overcome some tough spots to take home the winner’s share of the giant purses, while others will benefit from much better posts than they had a week ago. Here’s how it all shakes out.
Race 9: The James M. Lynch Memorial Pace
This $300,000 showcase for three-year-old fillies is distinguished by extremes in terms of the post position draw. Sidewalk Dancer, who actually came up short in her elimination behind Kissin In The Sand, will be the favorite. The reason: She had to deal with an outside post in the elimination, but for the final the Chris Oakes trainee gets the inside post. Meanwhile Kissin In The Sand drew the short straw and will start from the dreaded #9 post. Youaremycandygirl comes in as the defending division champion but has endured an up-and-down year. Although she won her elimination, her front-pacing style really benefitted from soft fractions, fractions she’s unlikely to get away with on Saturday night. One to watch who could get you decent odds is the Ron Burke-trained Double A Mint, who was closing fast last week right behind Youaremycandygirl.
Race 10: The Max C. Hempt Memorial Pace
With $500,000 on the line for three-year-old open pacers, you might expect it to be an incredibly competitive group. But the bottom line is that if Lather Up races like he has throughout this year, he will be tough to beat. Unbeaten this year with a win in the North American Cup as a highlight, he left the pursuit behind late in his elimination. Although Dorsoduro Hanover and Hitman Hill were the other elimination winners, it feels like the one with the best chance of springing the upset is Stay Hungry, a Breeders Crown champion at age two and coming off a third in the elimination despite an awful trip. Springsteen, coming out of the Rene Allard barn, also could be looking to enjoy some glory days on Saturday night, but this is Lather Up’s show. He just needs to race to his potential.
Race 11: The Ben Franklin Free-For-All Pace
On the one hand, McWicked was the easiest winner of Saturday night’s three eliminations for the $500,000 showcase for aged pacers, gliding first-over to a comfortable win. But he only had to beat four other pacers in that split, so the task on Saturday night will be considerably more difficult for the favorite. All Bets Off, Sintra, and Filibuster Hanover come out of last week’s most competitive race, as All Bets Off won thanks to a DQ of Sintra, who finished first but went inside the pylons to do it. Don’t sleep on Filibuster Hanover, who was squeezed in the stretch to suffer his first loss of the year. If the pace gets wild and woolly, which it very well could, Heaven Rocks A, the Aussie invader who came from behind to win his split, could be a major factor, although McWicked also generally comes from off the pace.
Race 12: The Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot
Something has to give in the $500,000 sophomore trotting showcase. Colts Mission Accepted and Six Pack come in undefeated on the year, but the filly Manchego is unbeaten in her career, having passed her first test against the boys in the eliminations, albeit barely over Crystal Fashion. Ake Svanstedt’s Six Pack is stuck on the outside, which won’t make it easy on his favored style of early speed. The Ohio invader Mission Accepted proved he belonged with a furious rally to win his split. Crystal Fashion must be feeling confident following his near-miss against Manchego, while Patent Leather, Fashion Woodchopper, and Evaluate are all extremely dangerous. If Manchego sustains against this stacked field, it’s hard to imagine her losing anytime soon.
As you can tell, it should be a thrilling night of racing on Sun Stakes Saturday. Don’t miss out on the action.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
