May 2, 2012 | Racing
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review
April 20-26, 2012
Last week, we highlighted the first two finals of the Bobby Weiss late closer series in this space. This week we can tell you about the last of those $30,000 finals, this time out for the 3 and 4-year-old trotters. As a matter of fact, the winner of that race was an easy choice to lead off this edition of the Weekly Awards. Let’s take a look.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: UPFRONTSTRIKESGOLD
One of the toughest things for a horse to accomplish in the sport of harness racing is to win when saddled with a first-over trip. What that means, for those who might not be familiar with the term, is that the horse, preferring not to get caught behind horses on the inside, moves to the outside and must provide all the momentum on its own without any cover in front to pull it along. In addition, the outside trip means the horse must travel a little extra distance around the turns.
Yet some horses thrive with such trips, and Upfrontstrikesgold seems to be one of them. A product of trainer Mark Ford’s barn, this gelding won the first two legs of the Weiss series despite having to make things happen with an outside trip. In the final, he had to do the same, beginning his first over move on the front stretch with more than half the race still in front of him.
Even with that long journey, he pulled even at the three-quarter mile marker, eventually wearing down the leader to win by 1 ¼ lengths in a new career-best time of 1:54:3. Tyler Buter did the driving for Upfrontstrikesgold, who completed the sweep and now has five wins in just seven starts in the 2012 season to date.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Lolique (Jim Morrill Jr., John Wagner), the veteran gelding who scored in the week’s featured condition trot on Saturday night in 1:54:4; Tameka Seelster (Mike Simons, Dennis Walsh), a mare who moved up in class for her second straight claiming win on Tuesday in 1:57:2; and MM’s Lucky Boy (Jim Morrill Jr., Erv Miller), who scorched the track for a condition win on Friday night in 1:53:2, the fastest trotting mile of the 2012 meet to date.
PACER OF THE WEEK: FORECLOSURE N
The cold and wet weather brought us our first sloppy track of the season on Saturday night, and, as is so often the case when the racing surface softens, many of the horses with early speed struggled to get home in the stretch. That didn’t seem to bode well for Foreclosure N, who was coming off a win in his 2012 debut the previous week.
This classy 4-year-old earned over $200,000 in each of his first two racing seasons, but taking on a rugged condition group from the outside post seemed like a tough task. Driver Jim Morrill Jr. didn’t seem worried though, aggressively sending his charge to the front end and daring everybody else to come and get him.
In the stretch, when closers lined up behind him, Foreclosure N found another gear and kicked away from his foes to win by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:51:2, the fastest time anyone managed on the sloppy track all night. Now 2-for-2 and having proven he can handle the top of the condition ranks, it should be fun to watch what lies ahead for this superstar from the Chris Ryder barn in weeks to come.
Other top pacers this week include: Fred And Ginger (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who pounced from the pocket to win the week’s featured winners of over $25,000 pace on Saturday night in 1:51:4; Dinneratartsplace (Tyler Buter, James Eaton), who sizzled to a condition win on Friday night in 1:50:3, the fastest time any pacer achieved all week; and Odds On Aventure (Tyler Buter, Scot DiDomenico), who stepped up again and won her fourth consecutive race on Tuesday, beating the highest condition group for mares in a career-best 1:51:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: CELEBRITY HALL
Making just his second career start, this young trotter, with Andrew McCarthy driving, opened some eyes in Tuesday night’s opening race with a come-from-behind win at 29-1, paying off $61.20 to win.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: TYLER BUTER
Buter continued the solid start to the season with a breakout week, earning multiple wins in three of the four racing nights to solidify his standing in the Top 5 of the drivers colony.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: CHRISTOPHER BANKS
Banks, a newcomer to Pocono, scored with Donttellmewhattodo on Friday and I Scoot For Cash on Saturday, neither of whom were favored to win.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Apr 19, 2012 | Racing
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week In Review
Opening Night Recap – April 3, 2012
It didn’t take long for the 2012 season at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs to kick into gear. In front of a solid crowd on Tuesday night, a field of seven pacers went to the gate in Race 1 for the first of about 1,900 races that Pocono will host from now to November.
What’s funny about it is that all of us who love the sport of harness racing spend lots of time looking forward to a new season, but it takes just a matter of moments for us to really get engrossed in it all over again. In this case, it took about 53:4 seconds, which is how long it took Midas Blue Chip to cover a half-mile of ground.
For those of you who might not be familiar with the sport, that is seriously fast, the kind of pace you would expect from a stakes race in the middle of summer. Instead, it came in the first division of five on the night for the Bobby Weiss series, an ongoing racing event scheduled in the month of April at Pocono to honor the longtime track superintendent who retired in the offseason.
So, while this was a good field of young pacers, it was not the kind of field, or the kind of night for that matter (somewhat chilly) to produce such fast fractions. So the logical conclusion that most racing fans would come up with is that the horse setting that pace, Midas Blue Chip, was bound to fade.
Only he didn’t. With Jim Morrill doing the driving, the gelding from the barn of Brian Seidel sustained all the way to the finish line for a thrilling victory in 1:52. And so, another racing season was off and rolling in impressive fashion.
As fast as that race was, however, things got even faster as the night progressed. Later on in the Weiss series, Social Network updated his status with a victory in 1:51:4. Following that up, Three Artist got a win a tick faster in 1;51:3, the night’s fastest time. It was a flying start to a series that should be fun to watch as the month rolls on.
It was also nice to see our old friends in the driving and training colony already in fine form as well. Matt Kakaley, the leading driver in victories at Pocono in 2011, got off to a quiet start, going winless in the first nine races. He more than made up for that though, winning four of the last five races on the program. Morrill added three wins while David Miller picked up a double. Familiar faces George Napolitano Jr., Anthony Napolitano, Mike Simons, Tony Schadel, and Ray Schnittker all notched driving wins as well. On the training side, Ron Burke and James McGuire each had doubles on Opening Night.
For the bettors, there were excellent opportunities to be had. Even though favorites came up with a solid winning percentage on the night, taking five of the fourteen races, a few mid-price horses spiced up the payouts. In the 6th, Chase The Sun snuck through the passing lane for a win at 6-1. In the next race, Girls Wiilb Girls put together a gutty effort to win on the front end at 7-1. Later on in the 9th, Showmeyourstuff was first-over for a good part of the mile but still scored at 6-1.
The exotic wagers were pretty lucrative as well, as Pocono inaugurated a 10-cent Superfecta wager in a few races. In one of those races, the 7-8-3-4 combination paid off a stunning $38,868.80. It’s not Powerball money, I admit, but it’s not bad for a $2 ticket.
By the time veteran Caerleon Hanover took the win in the 14th and final race, fans had witnessed several thrilling finishes and many outstanding performances. Not bad at all for an Opening Night, setting the tone for what should be another memorable season here at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
Remember that we race on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights in the early part of the season, with post time at 6:30 PM ET. Make sure to come out and join us.
Next week, we’ll have had a full schedule of racing under our belts by that time, which means we’ll had out the first edition of the Weekly Awards. Until then, we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Oct 27, 2011 | Racing
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review
October 21-27, 2011
As October rolls to a close, it’s impossible to avoid the fact that the 2011 season is really winding down at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. With just a few weeks of racing left, the action hasn’t slowed down one bit, as evidenced by some of the stellar efforts we witnessed the past few programs. Here is just a taste in the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: MR MASSIMO
A five-year-old gelding from the barn of Aaron Lambert, Mr Massimo seems to be getting better as he gets older. He didn’t do much in his career until busting out last year with nearly $100,000 in earnings. He has more than doubled that this season, and came into Saturday night’s featured pace for winners of over $25,000 lifetime with a win and a show in his last two starts in that tough company.
Still, Mr Massimo was something of an afterthought at 6-1 in the betting. The reason for that was the presence of Atochia, a super-classy veteran pacer who had been facing a steady diet of big-stakes competition and had won his last start at Pocono back in August with a superb effort. Although Mr Massimo held the lead, it looked short-lived as Atochia charged at him on the back stretch.
That set up a truly thrilling stretch duel, with the two combatant inches apart. In the final yards, it was Mr Massimo, with Andrew McCarthy in the bike, who persevered just a tiny bit better, winning by three-quarters of a length. The winning time was a scorching 1:49, doubly impressive because it was a career-best and because it came in chilly weather conditions.
Other top pacers this week include: Segundo Hanover (Andrew McCarthy, Sarita Mosher), who continued his outstanding season with by stepping up to beat the $15,000 claimers on Saturday night, giving him his 13th win of the season and his fifth victory out of six; Fool’s Gold (Daryl Bier, Daryl Bier), who shipped in from the Midwest and continued his winning ways with a condition win on Saturday night in 1:50, his 10th victory in 14 2011 races; and Annika S (Anthony Napolitano, Rene Allard), whose win on Wednesday night over the $10,000 claiming fillies and mares in 1:53:3 was her second straight and fourth in her last five.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: TAC’S DELIGHT
The fact that a horse can somehow lose his form seemingly overnight is one of the most confounding aspects of the sport of harness racing. Tac’s Delight is just one example of this phenomenon. Last year, he won eight times and earned over $132,000, but he came into the month of October without a win in 2011 and having broken stride in his previous three starts at Pocono.
Yet it often takes just one race to turn things around. For Tac’s Delight, that race took place on October 4, when he romped to a 14-length win on the Pocono oval in a ripping 1:53:4. Buoyed by that, the 6-year-old gelding from the Rene Allard barn followed up with an easy win at Chester on October 10. On Friday night back at Pocono, Tac’s Delight jumped several condition classes in a monumental step up the ladder.
The way that he’s racing right now, it doesn’t really matter how much he jumps. Driver George Napolitano Jr. cut him loose and the gelding did the rest, destroying the excellent field by 5 ½ lengths in 1:54:1. Expect another jump in class from there, and don’t be surprised if it’s another successful leap. Just call Tac’s Delight Mr. October.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Affirmed Action (Mike Simons, John Grasso), who swept by the field late to capture the week’s featured trot on Friday night in 1:54:3, his second win in the last three; Intimidator (Andrew McCarthy, John Duer), who moved up in class but rallied for his second straight condition win on Wednesday night in 1:55, matching his career-best; and Bambino Hall (Don Irvine Jr., Tyler Raymer), a 3-year-old gelding who once handled older horses in a condition trot on Wednesday night, winning his second straight in 1:54:3.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: OK DESTINY
With Anthony Napolitano doing the driving, this filly powered by late to win a claiming pace on Friday night at 30-1, paying off $63.20 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY NAPOLITANO
Earlier this month, Anthony became the sixth driver to reach the 100-win plateau in 2011 at Pocono, joining his brother George, Matt Kakaley, Tyler Buter, Joe Pavia Jr., and Andrew McCarthy.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: AARON LAMBERT
In an impressive display on Saturday night, Lambert’s trainees won three times in a four-race span. They were only horses he trained that night, and they won races with purses totaling $73,000.
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 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].
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.
