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].
Sep 19, 2018 | Racing
September 15-21, 2018
We are now just about a month away from the 2018 Breeders Crown, to be hosted by none other than The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Excitement is definitely building for that monumental event. But that doesn’t mean everything else stops. Overnight racing at Pocono continues to hurtle forward, with each new week bringing us a fresh batch of excellent performances. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the finest efforts from the past week of racing as we hand out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: MAROMA BEACH
Stepping up in class is never easy to do, but that’s especially true when you have reached the upper rungs on the condition ladder. At that point, taking a jump into a higher condition means you will be going up against the toughest horses on the grounds. That was the predicament that faced Maroma Beach, a four-year-old gelding trained by Ron Burke. He was coming off a victory gate to wire in his previous start on September 1 in a career-best 1:50.
That was the good news. The bad news was that the earlier victory came against a $12,500 condition pacing group, and on Saturday night, the opposition would come in the form of a $17,500 class. That meant Maroma Beach skipped a class to make the move up and face that field, and that was reflected in the odds, as he went off at 13-1. Still, driver Pat Berry was aggressive, sending the gelding to the lead from an outside post and setting swift fractions.
Throughout the race, Maroma Beach kept a solid advantage, preventing anyone from putting too much pressure on him. In the lane, he was able to dig in and come home strong, finishing a half-length in front of fellow long shot Seel The Deal N in 1:50.4. Maybe Maroma Beach will move up again following that second straight victory. One thing is for sure: He’ll have less people doubting his ability to do it next time around.
Other top pacers this week include: Persistent Threat A (George Napolitano Jr, Gilbert Garcia-Owen), who rolled to a win in a condition pace in 1:49.3, a new career-best and the fastest pacing time this week at Pocono; Bettor N Blue (Eric Carlson, Gilbert Garcia-Owen), whose victory on Saturday night in 1:51.4 was his second straight claiming handicap win at Pocono and his third straight overall; and Eclipse Me N (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), who captured Tuesday night’s featured condition pace for mares in 1:51.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: MUSCLE DIAMOND
In the $21,500 featured condition trot on Sunday night, the field was stacked. Among the entries: Fraser Ridge, winner of four consecutive races; What’s The Word, a three-year-old who had barely missed behind the superstar Crystal Fashion in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championships; and Dayson, who was coming off his first victory of the year and was the 8-5 betting favorite. Muscle Diamond’s record was propped up by two wins at The Meadowlands, with both of his victories coming in faster times than anybody else in the field could manage.
Muscle Diamond, a six-year-old stallion trained by Brett Bittle, left from post position #4 in a field of seven. He sat back in the pack early and then appeared to be content to follow cover for a while on the back stretch. But driver Tyler Buter coaxed him into action, and with a sudden burst of speed, he went three-wide around Fraser Ridge and kept right on rolling past the pacesetter Dayson. By the time the field reached the three-quarter pole, he had opened up a sizable lead.
Considering the powerful late kick of Muscle Diamond, you knew that lead was going to be tough to overcome. He kept the field at bay all the way around the final turn and through the stretch, winning by three comfortable lengths over Dayson. The win proved that he could handle the 5/8-mile oval at Pocono as well as he could the one-mile jaunt at The Meadowlands. And his winning time of 1:52.2 was the fastest trotting mark of the week at Pocono.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Ostrich Blue Chip, a mare who picked up a condition win on Saturday night in a new career-best mark of 1:52.3; Sciroccco Imsosmart (Tyler Buter, John Butenschoen), who handled a tough condition group on Sunday night in 1:55.2; and Boxing Gloves (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller), who stepped up in class to win his second straight condition trot on Tuesday night in 1:55.4, a new career mark.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: CAJOLE HANOVER
With trainer Joe Poliseno in the bike, this condition trotter opened up Sunday night’s racing with a surprise at 22-1, paying off $46.40 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MARCUS MILLER
Known for coaxing home long shots at Pocono, Miller was at it again on Tuesday night, scoring with 19-1 shot Boxing Gloves among his three victories on the evening.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: GILBERT GARCIA-OWEN
Garcia-Owen immediately made an impact this past week after switching to a training role, picking up three victories on the Saturday night program.
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].
Sep 5, 2018 | Racing
September 1-7, 2018
It was Pennsylvania Championship night this past Sunday evening at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. In the past, we contented ourselves with the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes finals as the centerpiece of this special September card. But this year, the finals of the newly-minted Great Northeast Open series were added to the festivities.
All totaled, the seven championship races on the card put more than $1.3 million on the line. Each race was a thrilling in its way, whether because of the tightness of the finish or the magnificent performance of the winner. Those races also whet our appetites at Pocono for the Breeders Crown races coming in October, since many of Sunday night’s big winners will likely be back once again for that event. Here are the results.
GREAT NORTHEAST OPEN SERIES PACING MARES
Each of the Great Northeast Open Series finals, which carried purses of $100,000, were contested at 1 ¼ miles. And in the night’s first title showdown, it felt like the drivers were feeling each other out to see how each would react. It led to a field that was bunched up at the end of the mile. The 6-5 favorite, Shartin, felt the effects of an outside journey and faded late. But Betterhaveanother, with Matt Kakaley in the bike for Ron Burke, stayed inside the whole mile and then squeezed through a gap in the passing lane for an upset victory at 10-1 in 2:21.3.
GREAT NORTHEAST OPEN SERIES TROTTERS
Homicide Hunter came into the race as the biggest point-getter in the preliminaries and went off as the 3-5 favorite. But even those facts couldn’t anticipate the way that this longtime Pocono favorite would dominate the race. Driver George Napolitano Jr. was able to get away with soft fractions for the first three-quarters of a mile. From there, the six-year-old gelding from the Chris Oakes barn turned off the afterburners. Homicide Hunter left the outstanding field behind to win by 8 ¼ lengths and tripped the timer in 2:22.2, which easily broke a world record for trotters at this distance on a 5/8-mile oval.
GREAT NORTHEAST OPEN SERIES PACERS
Donttellmeagain went off as the 6-5 favorite and controlled matters on the front end with Tim Tetrick. The pace was rated nicely, quick enough to scare off the rabble, but not so fast as to wear down the favorite. Unfortunately, for Donttellmeagain, he couldn’t open up much of a lead on pocket horse and 5-2 second choice Western Joe. And that proved to be crucial near the end of the race, when driver Scott Zeron unleashed Western Joe, a four-year-old stallion trained by Chris Choate, in the passing lane. Western Joe blitzed Donttellmeagain and won it by a neck in 2:20.2.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLIES
In the first of the $253,000 Sire Stakes finals, Phaetosive was made a decisive 1-2 favorite by the betting public. Winner of four of her six starts as a three-year-old against the stiffest competition imaginable, she held back from the early chase for the lead, as Live Laugh Love set the pace. But driver/trainer Trond Smedshammer found some solid cover on the back stretch in the form of Seviyorum, who came up first-over. In the lane, Smedshammer spun Phaetosive out three wide and she found her best stride, passing the tiring leaders and holding off fellow closer Courtney Hanover by a length in 1:52.3.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD PACING FILLIES
Kissin In The Sand came into the final having already captured a major stakes race this year at Pocono thanks to her thrilling Lynch win in June. Driver Scott Zeron decided he didn’t want to see Kissin In The Sand parked every step like she was in the Lynch, so he sent her to the front end as the 3-5 favorite. The fractions were swift throughout the mile, yet there were still several horses hanging around as they entered the stretch. As a matter of fact, 31-1 shot Parisian Blue Chip briefly threatened in the passing lane, but Kissin In The Sand, trained by Nancy Johansson, held tight by a half-length in 1:49.3.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLTS AND GELDINGS
The big favorite was Crystal Fashjion, who was bet at 3-5 thanks to a resume that included the Earl Beal Memorial title earlier this year at Pocono. The Jim Campbell trainee is not the type to leave for the engine, however, especially with a #8 post like he had on Sunday night. So driver Tim Tetrick chose to hold him back while What’s The Word did the work up front. The only problem was that Simon Allard gave What’s The Word a great rate job, and it looked as that horse might steal it on the front end. But Crystal Fashion got in gear just in time following his second-over, three-wide journey, nosing out What’s The Word in 1:52.4.
PENNSYLVANIA SIRE STAKES THREE-YEAR-OLD PACING COLTS AND GELDINGS
The last stakes race of the night turned out to be the tightest. Dorsoduro Hanover, the 1-5 favorite and another standout in the charge of trainer Ron Burke and driver Matt Kakaley, grabbed the early lead and set rapid fractions. He was hounded, however, by 49-1 long shot This Is The Plan, who came at him first-over and refused to relent. Just as Dorsoduro Hanover had dispensed with that challenge in that stretch, he had to hold tight as Hayden Hanover, at 15-1, came charging at him at the very end. The pair hit the line in tandem and had to wait while the judges studied the photo to see that Dorsoduro Hanover prevailed by the scantest of margins in 1:49.4.
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 4, 2018 | Racing
June 30-July 6, 2018
Harness racing is a fascinating sport, in large part because of its unpredictability. Coming into Sun Stakes Saturday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, we previewed the races and focused on the horses that seemed likely to dominate the action. By the time the dust cleared on Saturday night, only one of the four races went even remotely how all of those previews expected it go. And we weren’t alone: The races also flummoxed the betting public, as just one of the four huge stakes races on the card went to a favorite.
More than that though, the biggest names on the program, for the most part, struggled, while some new, unsung heroes stepped up in their wake. As we take a look back at the four finals from Saturday while keeping a watchful eye on the horizon and the Breeders Crown at Pocono in October, it all comes back down to a powerful lesson: In this sport, nobody knows anything.
$300,000 JAMES M LYNCH MEMORIAL PACE (Three-year-old fillies)
The favorite in this race was Sidewalk Dancer, who was coming off a hard-luck loss in the eliminations but stood to enjoy a much better post position in the final. Kissin In The Sand, who had beaten Sidewalk Dancer the week before, was saddled with an outside post this time around. Meanwhile Youaremycandygirl, the defending division champion, seemed ready for a big mile on the front end following her own elimination win. Kissin In The Sand did indeed get the worst of it, parked the entire mile outside of pacesetting Youaremycandygirl. But driver Scott Zeron made the best of it, keeping Kissin In The Sand afloat somehow until she surged past Youaremycandygirl to win it by a neck for trainer Nancy Johansson in a career-best 1:49.3
$500,000 MAX C. HEMPT MEMORIAL PACE (Three-year-olds)
Lather Up came into the final looking absolutely unbeatable. Winner of his first seven starts on the year, including a triumph in the lucrative North America Cup and a waltz in the previous week’s eliminations, he was bet down to odds-on. For whatever reason, he just never fired, starting in the middle of the pack, stalling out on a first-over attempt, and even eventually going off stride. That didn’t stop the others in the field for going after the huge purse with everything they had. Dorsoduro Hanover set a nasty pace, leading to the closers coming into the picture. The best of those closers was Springsteen, overlooked at 15-1 despite an impressive record and despite coming from the Rene Allard barn. With Simon Allard in the bike, he glided around the tiring leaders late to win in a career-best 1:48.3. Glory days, indeed.
$500,000 BEN FRANKLIN PACE (Free-For-All)
McWicked was attempting to become the first horse in history to win both the Hempt and the Franklin, all the more impressive because of the four years elapsed between his Hempt win as a three-year-old. The pride of the Casie Coleman barn has been stellar this year, even when in defeat, and he conjured up a second-over trip in the final as the 3-5 choice. The one thing that didn’t go according to plan for the seven-year-old stallion was a pace that was rather tepid. Under normal circumstances, that would make it difficult for a horse coming from off the pace. But McWicked is good enough to overcome such circumstances. When driver Brian Sears called on him for more, he blitzed the leaders and hustled home for the victory in 1:49.3, securing the Hempt-Franklin Daily Double in the process.
$500,000 EARL BEAL JR MEMORIAL TROT (Three-year-olds)
This race was billed as one where something had to give. Mission Accepted came in from Ohio to win an elimination and stood four-for-four this year. Six Pack, a New York invader, trumped that with seven straight wins dating to last season. And then there was Manchego, the superstar filly unbeaten after 15 career races and trying to beat the boys. It turned out that they all gave. The late-trotting style of Mission Accepted didn’t suit a race where there were soft fractions. Meanwhile Six Pack, who grabbed the early lead, and Manchego, who came first-over, weakened each other. Manchego’s winning streak went up in flames when she went off-stride, Six Pack wearied, and Crystal Fashion, driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Jim Campbell, showed them all how it was done by rallying from the pocket to win in 1:51.4
It was another thrilling Sun Stakes Saturday, even if it didn’t turn out as quite expected. The surprising results only make the divisions involved more interesting as we head towards the many more stakes races ahead, both at Pocono and elsewhere.
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].
