Sep 17, 2014 | Racing
September 12-18, 2014
Since there were only two nights of live racing in the past seven days at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs due to the Oktoberfest festivities on the grounds, it seems like a good time to look at the broader picture of harness racing through the Pocono lens. This is the time of year when people start to talk about yearend awards and horses of the year and things like that. We’ve been graced with the presence of many of the year’s best, so let’s examine the performances of the Top 10 horses in the latest Breeders Crown/Hambletonian poll when they travelled to MSPD this year.
Four out of the top ten, #8 JK Shesalady, #7 Artspeak, #5 He’s Watching, and #4 Trixton, have not appeared at Pocono. (Trixton, this year’s Hambletonian champ, did have a winning qualifier at Pocono.) The other six have not only raced here, but they’ve all picked up at least one victory on the Pocono oval this year, often in impressive fashion.
#10 Sandbetweenurtoes, a 3-year-old pacing filly from the Larry Remmen barn, just suffered the first loss of her season with a disappointing seventh in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championships at Harrah’s at Philadelphia. But her lone voyage at Pocono was successful, as she rallied from an early deficit to win a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race on August 9 in 1:50.
#9 Lifetime Pursuit wasn’t quite on top of her game when she raced at Pocono earlier in the meet, going once across the board in three starts with the win coming in a Pennsylvania All Stars race in June. The 3-year-old trotting filly from the Jimmy Takter barn has been sizzling since, winning her last five races including the Hambletonian Oaks and the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final in her age group.
It’s been an amazing 3-year-old season for pacing colt Mcwicked, trained by Casie Coleman. Much of that success took place at MSPD. He’s won three of four at Pocono in 2014. Although his record includes wins in the prestigious Adios and in the Pennsylvania Championships, his signature victory for the year was likely his incredible effort in winning the Max Hempt Memorial pace at Pocono in June in a world-record time of 1:47:3.
The #3 horse on the list is Father Patrick, who has made an impact everywhere he’s raced but has been absolutely spotless at Pocono. The 3-year-old trotting colt went four-for-four at Pocono as a 2-year-old, including a Breeders Crown title. He has won all four of his starts at MSPD this year as well, the highlight of those coming in the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial trot in June when he won in 1:50:2, the fastest ever trotting time for a 3-year-old on a 5/8-mile oval.
On that same night in June, #2 Sweet Lou, a 5-year-old stallion from the Ron Burke barn, was solidifying his amazing return to prominence in the sport. After struggling in the early part of the season, which included a ho-hum 3rd in an Open at Pocono in May, Sweet Lou found the stride that made him such a force early in his career. In the Ben Franklin at Pocono on that fateful June night, the stallion dominated a stellar field with the fastest pacing time ever on a 5/8-mile oval of 1:47.
The #1 horse on the list has been a revelation all year long and his one start at Pocono was one for the ages. Of course, I’m talking about the sublime Sebastian K, the eight-year-old trotting stallion trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt who has won eight of his nine 2014 races, usually in record-breaking fashion, despite never have raced in the U.S. prior to this year. In his lone start at Pocono in an Open trot on that same June 28 that saw so many incendiary performances, Sebastian K stole the show with a win in 1:49, the fastest mile trotted on any track of any size in the history of the sport.
As you can tell, many of the superstars of the sport have left indelible marks on the Pocono racing wars in 2014. There is still a lot of racing to go in the season before such things as yearend awards are decided. But when those honors are chosen, it’s likely that some of the most compelling evidence for those choices will come courtesy of action 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].
Jul 7, 2014 | Racing
June 29, 2014
Shake It Cerry bounced back from her first loss of the 2014 season with a victory in a division of the Pennsylvania All Stars on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. There were three $33,800 divisions of the All Stars races held at Pocono for 3-year-old trotting fillies.
Shake It Cerry (Donato Hanover-Solveig), who was stymied by a world-record performance by Designed To Be in her last start, improved to four-for-five in 2014 with a well-rated victory in 1:54:1. Ron Pierce was aboard the 2013 Breeders Crown champ for trainer Jimmy Takter. Other division winners in the age group on Sunday night were Ocean Love Potion (Yankee Glide-Sole Mate), driven and trained by Ake Svanstedt, who scored her maiden win in 1:54:3; and Lifetime Pursuit (Cantab Hall-Queen Of Grace), driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Jimmy Takter, who scored in 1:53:3.
There were also four $32,650 divisions of Pennsylvania All Stars Races held at Pocono on Sunday night for 2-year-old colts and geldings on the pace. Tomy Terror (Western Terror-Mib Hanover), a 10-1 shot trained by John Butenschoen and driven by Corey Callahan, posted the fastest winning time of the freshmen with a victory in 1:53:3. Other division winners: Dragon Eddy (Dragon Again-Jaska Hanover), driven by Mike Simons and trained by Butenschoen, in 1:54:3; Trading Up (Somebeachsomewhere-Rita J), driven by Scott Zeron and trained by Tony Alagna, in 1:53:4; and Yankee Bounty (Yankee Cruiser-Bootleg Yankee), driven by Callahan and trained by Kevin Lare, in 1:53:4.
Jun 25, 2014 | Racing
June 18, 2014
Designed To Be exorcised some demons in a big way by winning a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes race at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Tuesday night, matching a world record in the process. The race was one of two $98,100 Sire Stakes divisions held at Pocono for three-year-old trotting fillies.
The last time she was at Pocono, Designed To Be (Donato Hanover-Sheer Soul), trained by Julie Miller, broke stride as the heavy favorite in a Breeders Crown elimination race in October. This time around, in just her second start of the year following a Sire Stakes win at Chester in early May, the filly, an 8-5 second choice, had to face off with defending division champ Shake It Cerry. Driver Brian Sears made the lead with Designed To Be on the front stretch and rebuffed the challenge of Shake It Cerry on the final turn. In the stretch, she trotted away from closing Lifetime Pursuit to win by 2 ¾ lengths with Shake It Cerry fading to 3rd. The winning time of 1:51:3 matched the world record for three-year-old trotting fillies on a 5/8-mile track, previously set by Check Me Out at Pocono in 2012.
Trainer Julie Miller was able to claim a sweep of Sire Stakes action on the night, as her filly Take The Money (Donato Hanover-Repititions) took advantage of some racing luck to win her division in 1:52:4. In that split, Cooler Schooner was the heavy favorite and was in command heading into the final turn, but she spun way out wide and lost too much ground to hit the board. Take The Money, the 7-5 second choice with Dave Palone in the bike, inherited the lead from the pocket and toughed it out in the stretch to win by a length over Cantabs Fortune in 1:52:4. Tweet Me picked up the show.
Jun 3, 2014 | Racing
May 25, 2014
Shake It Cerry returned to the scene of her Breeders Crown win a year ago with a dominating victory in the Historic Series Coaching Club Oaks on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race, part of the Grand Circuit series, was one of two divisions held on the night for 3-year-old trotting fillies, each of which carried a purse of $33,212.
Driven by Ron Pierce for trainer Jimmy Takter, Shake It Cerry (Donato Hanover-Solveig), who won the 2-year-old distaff trotting Breeders Crown title at Pocono in October, moved to two-for-two as a 3-year-old with an unhurried victory by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:56:1. Cooler Schooner finished second in her 2014 debut while L Dees Scripture captured the show.
In the first division, Broadway Socks (Broadway Hall-I Gotta Feelin) went gate-to-wire for a three-quarter length victory in a career-best 1:55. Dan Rawlings did the driving for trainer David Wade aboard Broadway Socks, the 2-1 second choice who was coming off a Stallion Series win in her previous start. Highest Peak finished second while favored Lifetime Pursuit settled for third.
Aug 26, 2013 | Racing
August 21, 2013
It was clear sailing for the freshman filly trotter Cooler Schooner in the 4th and final division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. With John Campbell at the helm, the daughter of Broadway Hall-Pine Schooner breezed through panels of :26.4, :54.4 and 1:23.2 before stopping the teletimer in an eye-popping 1:51.3 to win by 1 ½ lengths. Shake It Cerry finished a fast closing second after going a long first-over trip in the $66,446 event. The new world record holder – for any size track – is trained by Jim Campbell for Fashion Farms of New Hope, Pa.
The first division of the night was captured by Lifetime Pursuit (Yannick Gingras) in 1:55.4 for trainer Jimmy Takter. The Cantab Hall filly is owned by Brittany Farms, Versailles, Kentucky. Struck By Lindy followed first over cover up the backside and took the lead for good at the three-quarter pole to take the second division, worth $66,846, drawing off by 3 ½ lengths in 1:55.4 for driver David Miller. The Explosive Matter daughter is owned by Melvin Hartman, R A W Equine Inc. and Adam Victor & Son Stable LLC and trained by Richard Norman. In the third division, A Perfect Gem, piloted by Marcus Miller led from start to finish to record her third win-a-row for trainer Erv Miller. Paymaq Racing, Louis Willinger and Daniel Plouffe are the owners of the Yankee Glide filly, who now has seasonal earnings of $113,907.
