Aug 11, 2014 | Racing
August 5, 2014
Angel Of Terror posted the fastest winning time among the winners in Stallion Series action on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. There were six $20,000 divisions of the Stallion Series held for 2-year-old pacing fillies.
Angel Of Terror (Western Terror-Angel Falls), driven by Jason Brewer and trained by Brian Brown, won her split in 1:54:2. Other Stallion Series winners on the night: Icapella Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-I’m Sassy), driven and trained by Joe Pavia Jr., in 1:55:2; Angel Plus (Quik Pulse Mindale-Crew Angel), driven by Scott Zeron and trained by Steve Cook, in 1:55:3; Terror Ain’t A Fool (Western Terror-Aint A Fool OK), driven by Corey Callahan and trained by Douglas Lewis, in 1:55:2; Serious Filly (Somebeachsomewhere-Seriously), driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Brian Brown, in 1:55:3; and Hillary’s Style (Somebeachsomewhere-Style), driven by David Miller and trained by Danny Collins, in 1:54:2.
Jul 19, 2013 | Racing
July 17, 2013
Two-year-old pacing colts and geldings took center stage on Wednesday night at Pocono when they battled it out in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action. There were four divisions held, with purses ranging from $68,752 to $69,153.
In the first division, McWicked (McArdle-Western Sahara) saved ground all the way then shot through an opening on the inside in the stretch to win by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:52. Andy Miller was in the bike for trainer Julie Miller, as McWicked, the 3-1 third choice, won for the second time in three career races. All Star Partner finished second while He’s Got It, who led much of the mile, faded to third.
Let’s Drink On It (Art Official-Letmedowneasy), the 2-5 favorite in the second split, led at every pole with Jim Morrill Jr. in the bike and won by three-quarters of a length in 1:51:4. The colt from the Joe Seekman barn now has two wins in three lifetime starts, with both of those victories coming on the Pocono oval. Cabana Boy Hanover finished second and Seventh Secret picked up the show.
8-5 second choice Limelight Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Benear) used a pocket trip and a powerful late kick to win the third division by 2 ¼ lengths in 1:53. It was the second straight Sire Stakes win for Limelight Beach, who had David Miller in the bike for trainer Brian Brown. Sometimes Said finished second while At Press Time was third.
In the final Sire Stakes division, Bristol Bay (Somebeachsomewhere-Terri Hall), the 6-1 second choice, used the passing lane to rally for a tight victory by a neck over 1-5 favorite West Matters in 1:53. Matt Kakaley did the driving for trainer Chris Oakes, as Bristol Bay earned his maiden win in his third career start. Spinmeister was third.
Jul 3, 2013 | Racing
July 2, 2013
Driver Corey Callahan and trainer Michael Hall hooked up for a pair of wins in Pennsylvania All Stars action for 2-year-old pacing fillies on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. There were five divisions of the races held, with each carrying a purse of $30,000.
Callahan and Hall first won with Rusty’s Bliss (Four Starzzz Shark-Rusty’s Joy), who scored in 1:54:1. Later in the evening the pair won again with Palm Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Duncans Artsplace), who won her split in 1:54:1.
Other Pennsylvania All Stars winners on Tuesday night at Pocono were: That Woman Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-Sub Rosa Hanover), driven by Mike Wilder and trained by Dan Altmeyer, in 1:54; Gallie Bythe Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Galleria), driven by John Campbell and trained by Jim Campbell, in 1:52; and Sister Stroll (Art Official-So Western), driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Brian Brown, in 1:54:2.
Jul 2, 2013 | Racing
Captaintreacherous might be known as Captain Courageous after the way he won Saturday’s (June 29) $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old pacers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Starting from the outermost spot on the gate, Captaintreacherous and driver Tim Tetrick were on the outside for the entire mile — three wide at points — but managed to win by a neck over Vegas Vacation in 1:49.2 over a track turned sloppy by heavy rain roughly an hour before the Hempt.
Captaintreacherous, the defending Pacer of the Year, improved to 5-for-5 this year for trainer Tony Alagna and the ownership group known as Captaintreacherous Racing. The colt has won $808,293 this season and $1.72 million in his career thanks to 13 victories in 15 lifetime starts.
“He was tremendous,” Alagna said. “To do what he did over this track the way it is after the downpour, if that’s not a mile in (1):47 then I don’t know what is on a good track. To be out as far as he was over this, it’s a monster mile.
“I had confidence. When he landed second over I knew this horse fitness wise was in great shape. I told Timmy he’s never been better tonight warming up. I told him he was going to be out the whole way, but I still think he’ll get the job done.”
Captaintreacherous’ performance was part of a $2 million card dubbed Sun Stakes Saturday at Pocono Downs. Foiled Again won the $500,000 Ben Franklin Pace for older male pacers, becoming the first pacer to surpass $5 million in lifetime earnings, while Corky won the $500,000 Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters and I Luv The Nitelife won the $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers.
In the Hempt, Captaintreacherous raced outside behind the cover of Sunfire Blue Chip and then Word Power before battling through the stretch to pull out the win. Vegas Vacation was a fast-closing second and Sunfire Blue Chip finished third.
“I knew we’d never seen this horse’s bottom,” Alagna said. “Tonight off the last turn, here he comes again. I thought Sunfire Blue Chip had a pretty good jump on him up the backside, but this horse does not want to quit. He has the will to win. That’s what it takes.
“That’s part of being a champion. That’s part of what great horses do; they find a way to win. They win.”
I Luv The Nitelife also started from an outside post with Tetrick in the sulky in the Lynch, but was able to get favorable position behind pacesetter Shebestingin before rallying in the stretch for a 1:50 win. Shebestingin finished second and Jerseylicious was third.
“I had a feeling that one way or another she was going to get where she needed to go,” trainer Chris Ryder said. “She got the right spot and it worked out. He drove her perfect and she’s a special horse.”
I Luv The Nitelife has won five of six races this year, including the $384,044 Fan Hanover Stakes on June 15, and nine of 16 starts in her career. The Lynch victory pushed her lifetime earnings to more than $1 million for owners Richard and Joanne Young.
“I saw (Shebestingin) coming and I thought about not letting her go, but I figured she’d carry me there, and she did,” Tetrick said. “My mare exploded when she got out.”
Corky, with David Miller in the bike for trainer Jimmy Takter, won the Beal by one length over Picture This in 1:54.3. Dontyouforgetit, also trained by Takter, finished third.
Smilin Eli, the favorite based on his 4-for-4 career record entering the Beal, started from post nine and was able to get the lead after the opening quarter-mile. He held the advantage until the stretch, but Corky was able to claim the top spot with a first-over effort. Smilin Eli finished fifth.
Corky has won three of seven races this year — with his wins coming consecutively since a second-place finish to Smilin Eli in the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship on June 1. Corky, owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding and Jim Fielding, has won six of 14 career races and never finished worse than third while earning $575,968.
“He’s a very laid-back horse,” Takter said. “I always knew he had something deep within him; he’s been very consistent. He’s coming into himself right. He ended up with some bad luck last year. He got like a thousand warts on his hind legs — I’ve never seen anything like it — and thank you (veterinarian) Patty Hogan. She had to burn them away and it took a whole day for her to do it.
“I think we have a hell of a shot in the future with him. He’s been extremely good his last three starts.”
Miller hopes Corky is his horse for August’s Hambletonian Stakes.
“He’s getting better all the time and tonight’s another step closer to it,” Miller said. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully he can hold on another month.”
Times were fast prior to the stakes slate getting underway, with multiple world-record performances on the card. But during the middle of the eighth race, the preferred pace won by Abelard Hanover in 1:48, heavy rain arrived and soaked the track for nearly 20 minutes.
Abelard Hanover’s time equaled the fastest mile ever by a gelding pacer on a five-eighths-mile track.
Bolt The Duer, driven by Mark MacDonald for trainer Peter Foley, won the $50,000 Franklin Consolation in 1:47.4, equaling the fastest mile ever paced on a five-eighths track and setting the track record for Pocono Downs.
Beach Memories, driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Brian Brown, won the $50,000 Hempt Consolation in 1:48.3, equaling the world record for 3-year-old gelding pacers on a five-eighths oval and setting the track record for 3-year-old gelding pacers at Pocono Downs.
All Laid Out, driven by Andrew McCarthy for trainer Noel Daley, won the $50,000 Beal Consolation in 1:53.1.
Earlier on the card, 4-year-old Uncle Peter, trained by Takter, won the preferred handicap trot in 1:50.3, setting the record for the quickest mile ever by a trotter on a five-eighths track. He eclipsed the mark of 1:50.4 set by Googoo Gaagaa at Pocono Downs last year.
“I’ve been high on him all his life,” Takter said. “To see him go a world record today was an unbelievable feeling.”
Ken Weingartner for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
May 23, 2013 | Racing
May 18-24, 2013
We saw a lot of excellent performances at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs this week, so there were plenty of great candidates for Weekly Awards honors. Still, the action in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes on Sunday night was so intense and electric that it needed to be retold over the course of a full article rather than just a few lines. So the Weekly Awards will return next week while we take the time this week to relive Sunday night’s outstanding performances, which included a superstar’s triumphant return to racing and an unexpected track record.
The Sire Stakes races on Sunday night, which were for 3-year-old colts and geldings on the pace, were the first of the season at Pocono, and it was a great way to kick things off. There were four divisions held in this glamour group, each carrying a hefty purse of $62,587. With that kind of dough on the line, it was a foregone conclusion that some of the best horses and horsemen in the country would be on the scene.
The action heated up right off the bat with the night’s first Sire Stakes split. In that race, Apprentice Hanover was made the favorite based on his outstanding two-year-old campaign in which he earned over $266,000. But it was his first start of the year, and he got off to a bit of a sluggish start in the race. By contrast, Martini Hanover, a 3-year-old gelding from the Chris Ryder barn, already had one start under his belt in 2013, so he was primed for a big effort.
With Dave Palone, no stranger to big Sire Stakes victories, in the bike, Martini Hanover took over the lead just shy of the half-mile marker and just rolled from there. He ended up with a romping 5 ½ length win over Apprentice Hanover in 1:49:3, which gave an early glimpse of the sizzling times to come.
Palone was at it again in the next Sire Stakes race, which was a bit of an odd one in that there were only six horses in the field and two of them went off-stride before the quarter-pole. Beach Memories had broken stride in his previous race so he knew well about issues with staying flat. But on this night, the 3-year-old gelding from the Brian Brown barn was not only flat but very fast, as Palone guided him to the front early and led him all the way home for an easy win in 1:51:2.
The third split featured the return to racing of Captaintreacherous, who was one of the sport’s transcendent stars as a 2-year-old in 2012 when he won 8 of 10 races and earned a stunning $918,253 for trainer Tony Alagna. Regular driver Tim Tetrick also made the trip to drive Captaintreacherous, who went off as the 1-9 favorite despite the nearly seven months off.
Any questions of rust were answered as Captaintreacherous glided to the lead with an effortless brush on the front stretch. From there, Tetrick let his horse do the rest, never lifting a finger as the star colt kept his competition at a safe distance and secured a 3 ½ length victory. He paced a mile of 1:49:4, including a final quarter of 26:3, without any urging whatsoever. That’s amazing for a first start of the year, and it’s also a good indication that Captaintreacherous is ready to build on his already fantastic resume.
That would have been a great highlight for any night’s racing, but there was still one split to go and Normandy Invasion had big plans for it. Also trained by Brian Brown and driven by Palone, the 3-year-old gelding won two of three starts to start his year at The Meadows. Still, he wasn’t favored in Sunday night’s race; that honor went to Lonewolf Currier, who had won five of his six career starts coming into the night.
Once again Palone played the aggressor, cutting loose Normandy Invasion on the front end. He built up a sizable lead and kept a scorching pace so that the rest of the field never had a chance. The gelding ended up a 2 3/4 length winner, but the eye-popping numbers were reflected in the timer: Normandy Invasion paced the mile in 1:48:4.
That time set a new track record for 3-year-old geldings on the pace, one that was set just last October at Pocono by Bet On The Law. So Captaintreacherous might have been the headliner, but the Grand Finale put forth by Normandy Invasion may have stolen the show. And considering the entire evening, it’s just the opening act for what promises to be an amazing Pennsylvania Sire Stakes season at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
