May 12, 2015 | Racing
May 2-8, 2015
We’re coming a fun week of racing at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, featuring five racing cards in four calendar dates thanks to a doubleheader card on Kentucky Derby. We also had the first appearance of the always-thrilling Pennsylvania All Stars races and our first major invitational race of the season, the $50,000 Van Rose Memorial on Saturday night. So let’s take a look at this heady week of action by handing out some Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: DOMETHATAGAIN
Held each year in honor of a local sportswriter who did an amazing job highlighting the action at Pocono over his long career, the Van Rose Memorial drew an especially impressive group of pacers for the 2015 edition. The favorite was understandably Domethatagain, a six-year-old stallion who was not only coming off a win in the prestigious Levy at Yonkers, but also boasted the driver/trainer combination of Simon Allard and Rene Allard, who have been dominating Saturday night action at Pocono.
Yet despite the half-million dollar race he just bagged and the hot connections, Domethatagain was a somewhat tepid 2-1 choice on the board. Part of that was due to the balance of the field, and maybe part was based on the notion that he had lucked out in the Levy with a great trip. But there’s a skill in the ability to find that pocket, and Domethatagain did it again in the Rose on Saturday night, tucking in early behind pacesetting Bandolito.
Bandoilito had to go hard on the back stretch to hold off the first-over pressure of Dancin Yankee, leaving him ripe for someone coming from behind. Since Domethatagain was sitting only a length back, he didn’t have far to come in the passing lane to get past. Simon Allard asked and the stallion responded, blowing by to win a length in 1:49, fastest time of the 2015 meet at Pocono so far. If he keeps winning against the best of the best, no matter how he does it, you won’t be able to get such favorable odds on Domethatagain anytime soon.
Other top pacers this week include: Rocky Mountain Guy (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), who picked up his second straight condition win on Saturday afternoon and did so in a career-best time of 1:50:4; Caviart Shelly (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), a mare who rolled to her second straight condition win on Tuesday night, this time in a career-best 1:51:4; and Arodasi (Joe Pavia Jr. driver and trainer), who moved up in class and won her second straight condition race for mares on Wednesday night, this one in 1:52:1.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: SIM BROWN
His name sounds like a computerized approximation of the former Cleveland Brown running back Jim Brown. And this 7-year-old gelding has been racing lately with the same kind of bruising authority. In his start in April 25, he handled a tough condition group on the front end in 1:54:4 for trainer Carmen Auciello. On Saturday night, he moved up in class to face the non-winners of $20,000 in the last five starts for a purse of $22,000.
With Wisenheimer setting a furious pace, Sim Brown stayed third on the inside early. Driver George Napolitano Jr. took a chance that there would be racing room for his horse late, which seemed doubtful for a while as the outer flow moved up alongside him. But Wisenheimer’s quick numbers caused the outside horses to falter, allowing Sim Brown room to roam at the top of the stretch.
Sim Brown may have had the racing luck break his way, but he had to have the goods to take advantage of it. Napolitano called for late kick and he responded by zipping by the leaders with a powerful brush. He ended up winning by a length-and-a-half over Bouncing Bax in 1:53, a new career mark and the fastest trotting time of the week. With two straight winning efforts, this talented trotter is living up to his Hall-of-Fame name.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Upfront Billy (George Napolitano Jr., Mark Ford), who powered to an easy condition victory on Saturday, his second straight, in 1:54; Oh My Darlin (Ake Svanstedt driver and trainer), a filly who followed up her maiden win with a condition victory on Tuesday night in a new career mark of 1:55:3; and Ali De Vie (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), whose claiming handicap victory on Wednesday night in 1:55:1 was his second straight overall and his fourth straight when racing at Pocono.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: DAVID ON ICE
This condition pacer came from way off the pace with Marcus Miller to surprise in Saturday night’s last race, scoring at 21-1 for a $45.80 payout on a $2 win bet.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY NAPOLITANO
Anthony scored wins in all five of our racing cards this past week, and was especially fine under the bright lights on Saturday night with three victories.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: KEVIN LARE
Lare has been very effective in the early part of the season at Pocono, and this week he scored a pair of winners on Saturday night and one more on Sunday.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Oct 22, 2014 | Racing
October 17, 2014
Regil Elektra rallied from far back early to pull off a major upset in the featured Open Handicap pace for mares on Friday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race carried the night’s top purse of $35,000.
Leaving from post position #3 in a field of eight, Regil Elektra (Mach Three-Top Time Notcher), a 4-year-old mare from the barn of trainer Monte Gelrod, got away seventh as a battle for the lead produced devastating early fractions. Driver Joe Pavia Jr. set the mare in motion third-over on the back stretch as the outer flow moved up on tiring pacesetter Drop The Ball.
In the stretch, Regil Elektra spun out four wide and powered home in a career-best 1:50:3, holding off fellow long shot Spirit Of Desire by three-quarters of a length. Camille finished third, while Yagonnakissmeornot, the 2-1 favorite fresh off big wins at in Ohio and Kentucky, struggled to seventh.
Regil Elektra, owned by Fred Monteleone Stables, won for the fifth time in 23 2014 races. It was her 17th career victory, pushing her lifetime earnings to $356,191.
Oct 22, 2014 | Racing
October 10-16, 2014
With a couple of Friday nights added to the racing schedule in October, racing fans at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs have been able to enjoy four nights of live action per week lately. That means a bunch more races than usual featuring excellent performances deserving of consideration for another edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: E STREET PLAN
Some of you may know that in my free time I do a little writing about music, including a recent book about the songs of Bruce Springsteen. And so I have a soft spot in my heart for this 5-year-old gelding whose name is derived from the name of Springsteen’s longtime partners in rock The E Street Band. Lately E Street Plan has been racing like the Boss.
Trained by Gilberto Garcia-Herrera, E Street Plan is on an impressively consistent streak, coming into last Saturday night’s action with five straight in the money including a victory on September 20. Yet Saturday night seemed to be a tough test, considering he was moving up into the non-winners of $23,000 in the last five races, the most rugged condition group at Pocono. To make things even more difficult, he had to journey first-over, a tough trip under any circumstances.
Yet by the top of the stretch, E Street Plan had corralled pacesetting Scott Rocks. In the lane, the closers lining up behind him couldn’t get there in time. Joe Pavia Jr. guided the gelding home by a half-length over I Like Dreamin in 1:49:4, a new career-best and the fastest time of the week at Pocono. With miles like that, it’s fair to say that this Springsteen-honoring horse is in the midst of his glory days.
Other top pacers this week include: Penn Turbo Ted (George Napolitano Jr., Chris Oakes), whose victory on Saturday night in 1:52:2 was his third straight against the $10,000 claimers, with two of those victories coming at Pocono; Talk Strategy (Andrew McCarthy, Peter Stratton), whose last-to-first victory on Tuesday night in 1:52:3 gave him two straight upset victories; and Bevel Hanover (Anthony Napolitano, John Barchi), who earned his second straight condition claiming victory on Tuesday night, this one coming in a career-best 1:51:4.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: HE’S LUCKY
This 8-year-old gelding has not only been splitting his time between Pocono and Harrah’s at Chester, but he’s also been moving back and forth between claiming and condition events. All of that change might bother some horses, but He’s Lucky, trained by Kevin Carr, has managed a nice hot streak of late. It began two starts ago with a near-miss second in a condition trot at Pocono, losing by just a neck to Cathy’s Princess.
He followed that up with a victory in a condition trot at Harrah’s in 1:55 on October 2. On Tuesday night, he took on a claiming handicap group in his return to Pocono, with claiming prices ranging from $12,500 to $15,000. Since He’s Lucky was on the high end of that range, he had to start from the far outside post in a nine-horse field, a difficult task even for a horse with the back class he possessed.
Finding no other option with the tough post, driver George Napolitano Jr. sent He’s Lucky on a taxing first-over grind. Making a steady advance through the field, the veteran gelding worked his way past pacesetting Iain’tnomomaluke and held off the pocket horse Fancy Label by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:53:4, a new career-best. No matter the track or the class, He’s Lucky looks awful tough to beat right now.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Waiting On A Woman (Andrew McCarthy, Ron Burke), who put together a powerhouse performance in a condition victory on Saturday night in 1:52:2, a new career-best and easily the fastest trotting time of the week at MSPD; Quantum Cashman (Mike Simons, Gail Wrubel), who won Friday night’s featured claiming handicap trot in a career-best 1:53:3; and Avalicious (Andrew McCarthy, Ron Burke), who picked up a condition win on Saturday night in 1:53:2, a new career-best.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: ARTSBRED CAMOTION
This gelding was 8th in the same class a week ago, so his win in a claimer on Wednesday night with Matt Kakaley was a huge surprise at 27-1, paying off $57.40 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: SCOTT ZERON
Zeron only makes occasional appearances at Pocono, but he usually makes his presence felt, such as on Friday night when he picked up three victories.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: PAUL HOLZMAN
Holzman sent out just three starters on Saturday night, but two of them, C C Stormey and Machin Music, came back winners even though neither was the race 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].
Sep 30, 2014 | Racing
September 19-25, 2014
Racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs has geared down somewhat in terms of quantity, as the schedule now features three live nights per week. But the quality hasn’t let down a bit, as evidenced by a Saturday night card that included no pacing miles slower than 1:50:2 and no trotting miles slower than 1:54. We even had a world-record performance, which, of course, stands out among this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: BIGTOWN HERO
This 6-year-old gelding was struggling with the upper reaches of the pacing ranks when he was last here in June, but he’s been performing well since then at other tracks, winning three of his last five races. The last four of those races came after he switched barns to be trained by Rene Allard, Pocono’s leading trainer, including a come-from-behind win in an Open Handicap in his last race at Yonkers as a 7-1 shot.
His confidence sufficiently boosted, he returned to Pocono to compete on Saturday night in a Preferred Handicap pace for a purse of $25,000. It was a stacked field, including star veteran Golden Receiver and Dancin Yankee, who had owned the oval at Pocono in his previous appearances in 2014. But driver Ron Pierce drove Bigtown Hero as if there were no other horses on the track, sending him to the front for a huge lead as each fraction ticked off proved more impressive than the one before.
In the stretch, Bigtown Hero began to slow ever so slightly. It was a good thing the lead he built up was so substantial, because Dancin Yankee and Aslan came closing at him fast. Pierce urged him home for a half-length victory in a stunning time of 1:47:3. That broke the world record for aged gelding pacers on a 5/8-mile oval, which was set last June at Pocono by Foiled Again and then matched by Abelard Hanover.
Other top pacers this week include: Ring Warrior (Matt Kakaley, Brewer Adams), a colt who followed up four consecutive wins at Ocean Downs with a victory at Pocono in a condition pace on Tuesday night in a career-best 1:54; Cherokee Hunter (Simon Allard, Rene Allard) whose condition win on Tuesday night was his second straight and came in a career-best time of 1:52:1; and Wake Up Peter (Tyler Buter, Larry Remmen), who scorched a condition pacing group on Saturday night in 1:49:2.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: SEVRUGA
Not all slumps are created equal. To wit, consider the struggles Sevruga had been having in the summer months. Last year he earned nearly $500,000 facing the best trotters around, and the highlight of his season was a world-record performance at Pocono with a win in 1:50:3. But he had come up empty for three months straight in terms of wins heading into Saturday night’s $25,000 Preferred trot.
In his last three races at Pocono, all against the most rugged trotters on the grounds, Sevruga, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Kevin Carr, had hit the board every time and had lost by just a neck in the last two. On Saturday night, he enjoyed his first quality post position in more than a month and took advantage of it, breezing to the front early with George Napolitano Jr. in the bike.
Things were by no means easy from that point, as Wind Of The North put up a sustained first-over challenge to the lead. But Sevruga had been rated well enough early in the race that he was able to dig deep in the final strides and win by a nose in a rapid 1:52:1. Maybe it wasn’t fair to say that Sevruga was in a slump considering the quality of his competition and the multiple near-misses, but it is fair to say that his losing streak is history and a lengthy winning streak might just be in the offing.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Tui (Anthony Napolitan, Don Wiest), a Pocono fan-favorite mare who scored her first win of the season on Saturday night in a tough condition group in 1:53:1; A Cool Million (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), a mare who moved up her claiming price and won her second straight race on Tuesday night, doing so in a career-best 1:54; and Fortunista (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), a mare who beat the boys in a tough condition group on Saturday night in a career-best 1:53:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: TRANSCENDING
An outside post and long odds didn’t bother this veteran pacer as he came from out of the clouds late to shock a condition field on Saturday night at 49-1, paying off an even $100 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: RON PIERCE
Pierce had it grooving on Saturday night, winning four consecutive races on the card, all in gate-to-wire fashion, a streak that culminated with the world-record win by Bigtown Hero.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: JOE PAVIA JR.
Joe still does such a great job as a catch driver that his training abilities can sometimes be taken for granted, but a training double on Wednesday night put them front and center.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
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.
