The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Week In Review

Oct 19, 2017 | Racing

October 14-20, 2017
The weather finally got a little bit chilly in the middle of this past racing week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but not so much that it had a profound effect on the racing conditions. It was still a fast and frenzied four nights of racing at Pocono. As is so often the case, there were many excellent candidates for the Weekly Awards, so read on and see who gets the honors.
PACER OF THE WEEK: DOREL
When a horse steps up its game and pulls off a performance that is much better than any other that it had previously managed, it’s easy to assume that said performance was a fluke. Dorel probably had some people thinking that about him as he prepared to take on a non-winners of five pacing group on Sunday night. In his previous race, the three-year-old gelding trained by Chris Ryder tore up a condition claiming group from a #8 post at 10-1, going gate-to-wire for a career-best win in 1:50:4.
The field was tougher on Sunday night, including an impressive sophomore shipper named Daiymir. That colt was the even-money favorite and assumed control of the early lead, but needed a blistering 25:4 opening quarter to get there. Dorel, who went off as a 9-2 third choice from post position #4 in a field of eight, settled for the pocket spot, which turned out to be the right place to be.
On the back stretch, Daiymir started to labor and driver Anthony Napolitano quickly guided Dorel around him and into the lead. For the last quarter mile, the gelding dug deep and had to endure a late-closing threat from Crossfirehurricane. He held tight to win by three parts of a length in 1:52:4. One great win could be a fluke, but two excellent performances in a row is starting to look like a trend for this rising star.
Other top pacers this week include: Regalanthropist (Matt Kakaley, Bruce Clarke), who switched barns and moved up in class but still managed a victory in a claiming handicap on Saturday night in 1:51:4; About The Benjamins (Matt Kakaley, Daniel Renaud), who captured his third consecutive win against the $7,500 claimers on Monday night, with this one coming in 1:55; and When Sharks Fly (Jim Marshall III, Donna Marshall), a mare who moved up the condition ladder on Tuesday night and scored her second straight win, this time in the distaff feature in 1:51:4.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: SOUTHWIND WARSAW
Anytime a horse reaches double figures in the win totals in a calendar year, it’s an impressive accomplishment. Southwind Warsaw, an eight-year-old gelding trained by Lou Pena, stood on the precipice of that achievement when he faced off against a $10,000 to $12,500 claiming handicap field to start off the racing action on Monday afternoon.
In an eight-horse field, Southwind Warsaw left from post position #6 as a 1-9 favorite. The heavy betting attention was understandable, as the gelding was coming off a 3 ½ length win the previous week in the same class in front-trotting fashion. Once again driver Anthony Napolitano was aggressive with the favorite, sending him to the front end early in the mile. From that point it was just a matter of keeping the fractions under control while not allowing any pressure to rankle his horse.
Napolitano handled that task expertly, and Southwind Warsaw did the rest, lengthening the lead steadily until no one else was in the picture. He coasted home effortlessly 6 ½ lengths in front in 1:54:1. Not only was that his second straight victory, but it was put him at the ten-win marker for the season with a couple months to spare. Who knows? If he stays in this kind of groove and keeps after it into the winter months, he might threaten 15 wins for the year.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Skates N Plates (Anthony Napolitano, Andrew Harris), whose condition victory on Saturday night came in 1:53, the fastest trotting time posted this past week at Pocono; Checkmate Time (Donald Dupont, Marie Dupont), who followed up a win at Harrah’s win with a victory on Sunday night at Pocono in 1:56; and Up Front Billy (George Napolitano Jr., Mark Ford), who returned from Harrah’s for a condition victory on Saturday night in 1:54:2.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: DECISION DAY
This 2-year-old pacer’s maiden win on Sunday night is not one either he or his backers will forget, as he rallied with Eric Carlson in the bike to win at 60-1, paying off $124.40 to win on a $2 ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MATT KAKALEY
Kakaley amassed double figures in the win column this past week and, on both Monday and Tuesday, ripped off three wins in a row at one point on the program.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: ROB HARMON
Harmon wasted no time making an impact at Pocono on Sunday night, as he scored training victories in two of the evening’s first three races.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

Sophomore Trotters on Display in Weiss Series at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Mar 29, 2013 | Racing

March 27, 2013
Daggett, Jurgen Hanover, and Maximum Credit scored wins in the first leg of the Bobby Weiss Series for 3-year-old colts and geldings on the trot on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The races each carried a purse of $15,000.
Daggett (Chocolatier-Elena Victory), with Marcus Miller in the bike for John Butenschoen, parlayed a pocket trip into a victory in the first split, scoring in 1:58:2. In the second division, Jurgen Hanover (Credit Winner-Yassi Hanover) romped to win in 1:56:1, the fastest of the times in the first leg of the series. David Miller did the driving for trainer Donna Marshall. The final split was captured by Maximum Credit (Credit Winner-Marjorie Hall), as George Napolitano Jr. drove him to a frontrunning win for trainer Paul Kennedy in 1:58:2.

Donuto Hanover, John’s Polyview and Sir Richard Z Tam punch ticket to Sire Stakes Championship

Aug 31, 2012 | Racing

August 29, 2012
Donuto Hanover, John’s Polyview and Sir Richard Z Tam all secured themselves a spot in next Friday’s $200,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship for two-year-old pacing colts with impressive victories in Wednesday’s  $345,974 final divisional SS preliminary at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. 
Donuto Hanover, on the outside looking in for a finals spot before Wednesday, punched his Championship ticket with a 1:51.3 victory in his cut, a clocking which knocked a fifth of a second off the PcD track record for baby geldings formerly held by Arctic Warrior. Donuto, an alerted son of Dragon Again trained by Kelly O’Donnell for owner Richard Delarm, sat fifth at the quarter pole, but when David Miller gave him the word he rushed to the lead and paced his back ¾ in 1:24 flat, again showing the speed which had made him the sport’s fastest baby this year on an “f” track when he won in 1:50.4 on Super Stakes Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia. 
The McArdle colt Johns Polyview moved early to command for doubling driver Miller, then withstood a determined charge late from Lex Vegas to triumph in 1:52.4-55.1-27.2 in his division. The season’s leader on a 5/8 for his section by means of an earlier 1:51.1 triumph, Johns Polyview is trained by Donna Marshall for Mortburg Trust 10-27-98. 
Sir Richard Z Tam finished on even terms with Johns Polyview in the preliminary pointstandings by rallying into a 26.4 last quarter for trainer/driver Pat Lachance to catch pacesetting Good Day Mate in 1:54.2. Pat Lachance also co-owns the Somebeachsomewhere colt with M & M Harness Racing LLC and Ira Rosenblum. 
The Pocono card also includes five $20,000 divisions of the final prelim for the two-year-old trotting fillies’ Stallion Series, with the baby misses looking for spots in the September 6 final at Harrah’s Philadelphia.  Starting with the fastest winner, these diamondgaited baby fillies visited Victory Lane:
–Tonato Of Love, 1:57.3 (sire Donato Hanover, trainer Nifty Norman, driver Brian Sears, owners Deo Volente Farms LLC and T L P Stable);
–Changed It All, 1:58 (Yankee Glide, Mike Hall, a Sears driving double, Claim To Fame LLC and Janet Ho);
–Electra De Vie, 1:59.1 (Broadway Hall, and the family affair of driver Tony Schadel, trainer Linda Schadel, and owners Bruce and Tanya Schadel);
–Global Beauty, 2:00 (a Broadway Hall double, a stakes triple for driver Miller, Pete Foley, James McLaughlin and Lynne Foley; she was also the leading preliminary pointwinner);
—Homepage, 2:00.3 (Tom Ridge, Eric Carlson, Syl King Jr. as trainer and lessee).