Oct 20, 2011 | Racing
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review
October 14-20, 2011
A few weeks back in this column, I celebrated the immense variety of driving talent on display this season at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. On Saturday night, it was sort of a one-stop shopping event for patrons to witness that talent, as the best of Pocono‘s drivers faced off against the top helmsmen from The Meadows in the East Meets West Pennsylvania Driving Challenge.
The way it worked was this: Over a series of nine races on Saturday night’s program that were specially selected for the event, each of the nine drivers in the Challenge got one race in which he was allowed to choose the horse he wished to pilot. The other horses and drivers would be matched up in a blind draw. For each finish, points were awarded, such as 50 for 1st place, 25 for 2nd, and so on.
And what were they playing for, Johnny? Well these nine talented gentlemen were competing for the biggest share of a $50,000 bonus offered for the event. They also showed their character by agreeing to donate a portion of their winnings on the night to a pair of worthy charitable causes, The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure and Marley’s Mission.
The combatants: Representing the Meadows were Dave Palone, Brett Miller, Eric Ledford and Tony Hall. And for the home team, it was George Napolitano Jr., Matt Kakaley, Mike Simons, Joe Pavia Jr., and Tyler Buter. Any fan of racing can tell from that lineup what kind of talent was at the track. And, despite the guys’ reminders that it was all in fun, it didn’t take too long for the competitive spirit to kick in.
It was Miller who struck first with a victory aboard condition trotter Kristal Dream in frontrunning fashion. Pocono drivers struck back in the next two races with Tyler Buter and Mike Simons churning out victories, but Miller, thanks to a second-place finish in the race won by Simons and Four Starz Twins, was able to maintain his points lead.
Dave Palone took over the middle portion of the action with wins in two of the next three races. What made the wins extra impressive were that they came aboard a pair of pacers, I’m An Eyre NZ and The Maniac, who came into the night without a victory in the 2011. Sandwiched in between those two wins was another victory for Miller, this time with Thee Town Here, which kept Palone’s rush for the lead at bay.
Wins by George Napolitano Jr. and Joe Pavia Jr. in the next two races moved them up in the standings but also ensured that no one but Miller, who still held the lead, or Palone, a close second, would have a chance for overall honors on the night. It came down to a $7,500 claiming pace which served as The Challenge’s grand finale.
Palone, needing a win, tried a valiant first-over move aboard Art Glass. Though the gelding gave a great effort, all he could do was wear down the pacesetter, Life Of Ease. Meanwhile, lurking just behind the speed duel was a gelding named Satire, driven by, you guessed it, Brett Miller. Miller guided him home for the win and clinched the Challenge in style.
In the nine races in the Challenge, Miller drover three winners, two second-place finishers, and a third-place horse. Palone held on for second in the final tally, while Mike Simons led the Pocono contingent, finishing third overall.
Does the Challenge ultimately prove anything about the merits of these drivers? Not really. In the sample size of one night, there are so many variables that can have as much of an effect as the drivers, such as the post position, the quality of the horses, and just plain old stupid luck. As a good example, Tony Hall finished last on this night, but, facing many of same drivers in a similar event four years ago, came out on top. If we had the challenge 100 times, all nine of these guys would come up with their fair share of wins.
About the only sure thing on this night is that Brett Miller was a little better than the rest. That had to be a good feeling for him, considering that he suffered a nasty on-track accident at MSPD just a few months ago that left him out of action for a while. Based on Saturday night, I guess you can say there are no lingering effects.
And while there was a lot of good-natured ribbing among the drivers concerning the rivalry between the tracks (and, for the record, The Meadows drivers outperformed the Pocono drivers on this night), the true winners were the fans and the charities involved. Here’s hoping that we can make this Challenge a yearly thing and watch these outstanding drivers duke it out each and every season.
That’s it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Oct 13, 2011 | Racing
Over the past few weeks, racing fans at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs have been treated to some excellent action featuring two-year-old pacers and trotters. It’s been a part of the Equinox Late Closer series put together by our Director of Racing Rick Kane, and it culminated last Friday night with four $40,000 finals. Those finals were one of the highlights of an exciting racing week, so let’s honor those excellent freshmen in this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: SHADY BREEZE
One of the most fascinating things about two-year-old horses is that they’re still in the process of defining who they are. It’s hard to know what to expect from week to week in terms of performance, obviously, but it’s also hard for horsemen in control of these youngsters to gauge how to handle them. Luckily, driver Mike Simons was versatile enough to handle what Shady Breeze threw at him on Friday night in the Equinox final for colts and geldings on the pace.
In his previous start in the series, the 2-year-old ridgling from the barn of trainer Judith Welty picked up a win by waiting until the last possible moment and uncorking a furious stretch move. Considering all of the early speed congregated in the final, including heavy favorite Wahine, it seemed like Shady Breeze would try to take the same path. Instead, he soared to the front end and dared everyone to catch him.
As the stretch arrived, it seemed like Shady Breeze might give way to the closers lining up behind him. Instead, Simons got him to dig in for all he was worth, and he emerged with the victory by a length, pacing the mile in 1:52:3. I’m not sure what style he’ll choose next time, but it seems a safe bet that Shady Breeze will be tough to beat from here on out.
Other top pacers this week include: McSauna (Andrew McCarthy, Scott DiDomenico), who sustained a first-over trip to take the Equinox final for pacing fillies in 1:53; JJ Gladiator (Joe Pavia Jr. Rob Harmon), who won his second straight race at the top of the Pocono claiming ladder on Saturday night in a career-best time of 1:49:4; and Natural Woman N (Joe Pavia Jr., Brian Seidel), who churned out her second straight victory and fourth win out of five with a claiming handicap conquest on Wednesday night in 1:53:2.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: DELICIOUS
One of the prerequisites of competing in the Equinox series was that a horse was not allowed to have more than $50,000 in career earnings as of August 25. In this way, the series was set up more for horses still learning the game in the earliest stages of their careers. At least that was the theory, until Delicious entered the picture in the trotting fillies group already looking every bit the champion.
Oddly enough, a break of stride prevented her from winning her first try in the series, although she recovered to get 3rd in that race a few weeks ago. She followed that up with a win at The Meadows last time out, and returned to Pocono brimming with confidence for trainer Ron Gurfein.
After an early battle for the lead produced some scorching fractions, Delicious was sent first-over by driver Matt Kakaley on the back stretch. She left a bunch of helpless horses in her wake, looking every bit the 1-9 favorite in a nine-length romp. Her winning time was a stunning 1:55, just two-fifths of a second shy of a new track record. The rest of the Equinox series might have been all about talented newcomers, but this filly performed like an established superstar.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Blokbuster Hanover (Matt Kakaley, Richard Johnson), who stunned the field in the Equinox final for trotting colts and geldings by going gate to wire for his maiden win in 1:58:4; Rose Run Hooligan (George Napolitano Jr., Rene Allard), who shipped in from Canada to trot 1:53:3, the fastest time of the week, in a condition victory on Saturday night; and P L Conjure (Tyler Buter, Tyler Raymer), who followed up back-to-back wins at Yonkers with a scorching condition win on Saturday night in 1:54:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: MISS WAPWALLOPEN
The mare had been struggling of late, but, with Mike Simons in the bike, she showed her poise in a claiming handicap trot Tuesday night by sneaking up to win at 50-1, paying off $103.00 to win.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MATT KAKALEY
It’s been another solid week for the meet’s leading driver. Now over 250 wins on the season at Pocono, Matt ripped off five victories on Friday, including two scores in the Equinox finals.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: RENE ALLARD
The Canadian trainer made his first appearance at Pocono this summer, and he’s been steadily racking up wins ever since. He picked up big training victories this week on both Friday and Saturday.
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 16, 2011 | Racing
The best of the best in Pennsylvania will battle it out for bragging rights, plus a share of $50,000 in total prize monies, at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Saturday, October 15th.
The East Meets West Driving Challenge will bring the four leading drivers from The Meadows –Dave Palone, Brett Miller, Tony Hall and Eric Ledford – to Pocono Downs where they’ll face off against Matt Kakaley, George Napolitano Jr., Tyler Buter and Joe Pavia Jr. The host track picked a ninth “wild card” driver in Mike Simons, who will join the Pocono team. Drivers will pick one race, while the rest will be drawn, and a points system will be used for scoring. Participants have agreed to donate 10% of the night’s prize winnings to the Northeastern Pennsylvania affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure (komenpa.org) to benefit breast cancer research and Marley’s Mission (marleysmission.com), a non-profit provider of equine-based therapy to children who have experienced trauma.
“As the season winds down we look for ways to keep fans involved, and this is a fun way to give them something extra to root for,” said Sam Beegle, president of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association. “It also gives us an opportunity to expand harness racing’s contribution to breast cancer research beyond the Mildred Williams Driving Series while also supporting another charity, Marley’s Mission, at the same time.”
About the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association
Founded in 1967, the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association (PHHA) is a trade group that promotes the development of harness racing in Pennsylvania. The organization represents horsemen at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack. Its mission is to provide a stable foundation for horsemen by encouraging competitive racing that increases fan participation and enhances the reputation of Pennsylvania harness racing on the national scene. Headquartered in suburban Harrisburg, the PHHA maintains branch offices at the tracks it represents. The website is www.pahha.com.
