Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review

Apr 20, 2013 | Racing

April 13-19, 2013
The first few weeks at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs have featured some exciting young horses competing in the Bobby Weiss Series. The preliminary legs are just about over, and next week in this space we’ll be taking a look at who came out triumphant in the big-money finals. In the meantime, another outstanding week of racing has produced some excellent candidates for the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: GO BOTH WAYS
Last Saturday night’s racing was typically sharp at Pocono, with race after race featuring fast times by the winners. The fastest of all those winning times came from Go Both Ways, who put up a mile of 1:50:1. Not only was that the fastest of the night and the best in the 9-year-old gelding’s excellent career, but it was also the fastest posted at Pocono all week long.
The interesting thing about the mile by Go Both Ways is that it came in a $20,000 claiming event. While that is a solid grouping with many excellent competitors, there are higher claiming classes at Pocono, not to mention the condition races which are stocked with horses that go blistering times each and every week.
But nobody told Go Both Ways, who hails from the barn of Michael Hall, that he was supposed to be on a middling level. With Jim Morrill Jr. in the bike, he took the early lead, set scorching fractions, and paced away and hid from the field. Considering that the Dover shipper came in winless, it’s safe to say that he loved the Pocono oval and, with a time like that, he can hang with any class of pacers.
Honorable mention on the pacing side goes to: Star Keeper (Jim Morrill Jr., Doug Berkeley), a mare who won her third straight claiming handicap on Wednesday night in 1:52:4; Naughtytiltheend (Marcus Miller, Erv Miller), who moved up in class to score her second straight condition win on Wednesday night in 1:52; and Passion Starlet (George Napolitano Jr., Peter Pellegrino), who won her second straight $5,000 claimer at Pocono on Wednesday night in a career-best 1:54:2 and now has five victories in her last six races.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: MODERN FAMILY
You’ll often hear handicappers using the term “needs a start.” What they mean is that the horse needs one race to get itself acclimated to racing before it can be expected to perform at a top level. This term is generally used to describe a horse coming off a layoff, but it can also refer to a horse who is new to its surroundings.
Modern Family was a powerhouse early in the season, picking up wins at Dover, Harrah’s, and the Meadowlands. In his first start at Pocono on April 6, he rallied late but came up short by two lengths in a Preferred Handicap trot behind Tall Cotton. On Saturday night in the same class, trainer/driver Daryl Bier had a chance for revenge in the same class against Tall Cotton and a stellar field.
Bier had to be patient as Modern Family got shuffled back on the inside as the lead changed hands a few times. The 4-year-old stallion managed to slip to the outside in the stretch and he staged a furious rally to get up to win by a nose in 1:52:2. Not only was it his career-best, it was also the fastest trotting time at Pocono this season. He may have needed a start at Pocono, but with his confidence building after this great win, he just might not stop.
Other top trotters this week include: Permanent Joy (Brandon Simpson, Robert Krivelin), who used a thrilling stretch move to come from behind for a win in Tuesday night’s featured trot in 1:55:3, a new career mark; Bloomfieldcantifly (Jim Morrill Jr., Bill Mullin), who continued her excellent early part of the meet with a condition win on Tuesday in a career-best 1:55:1; and Definitely Mamie (Jim Morrill Jr., Brewer Adams), who overcame the far outside post for a gutsy condition win in the Wednesday night  feature in 1:53:2, which matched the mare’s career-best time.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: MIDAS BLUE CHIP
In a claiming handicap pace on Saturday night, Midas Blue Chip got away at 36-1, and driver Tyler Buter rallied the gelding four-wide in the stretch for the win and a $74.60 payout on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: DARYL BIER
Bier had just two drives on Saturday night, but Modern Family won in the week’s fastest trotting time, and St Lads Zoom Zoom scored in the second-fastest pacing time. Bier trains both horses as well.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: MICHAEL HALL
It’s been an excellent start to the season for Hall, a relative newcomer to Pocono. This week he picked up three wins including a training double on Sunday night.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

Modern Family Rallies for Preferred Handicap Trot Win at Pocono

Apr 15, 2013 | Racing

April 13, 2013
Modern Family staged a furious rally in the stretch to come up with a victory in Saturday night’s featured Preferred Handicap trot at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race carried a purse of $25,000.
Modern Family (Cantab Hall-Domestic Diva) left from post position #6 in the field of nine as the 3-1 third choice, got away well, and settled second on the inside early. The 4-year-old stallion saved ground and was shuffled back to fourth as the lead changed hands a few times. In the stretch, trainer and driver Daryl Bier was able to shift him to the outside and Modern Family barreled through the lane to nip Blacktuxwhitesox by a nose in a caareer-best 1:52:2. Uncle Peter finished 3rd.
Modern Family, owned by Bier, Charles Dombeck, and Richard Poilucci, won for the 6th time in 9 races this season. It was his 10th career victory, pushing his lifetime earnings to $139,522.

Tall Cotton Captures Featured Trot at Pocono

Apr 7, 2013 | Racing

April 6, 2013
Tall Cotton led most of the way for a victory in Saturday night’s featured trot at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The race carried a purse of $25,000.
Tall Cotton (Revenue S-B Cor Peatra) left from the inside post in a field of six as the 6-5 favorite. Driver Matt Kakaley sent the 7-year-old gelding from the Ron Burke barn to the front around the first turn, and he benefitted from a lack of outside pressure which allowed him to set a comfortable pace. In the stretch, he kicked away from Modern Family to win by two lengths in 1:53:3. Photo King finished 3rd.
It was the first win in three starts this season for Tall Cotton, who is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, Edwin Gold, and Howard Taylor. He now has 15 lifetime victories and career earnings of $352,331.

Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Action at Pocono on Saturday Night

Jul 14, 2012 | Racing

July 14, 2012
Three divisions of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action for 3-year-old colts and geldings on the trot took center stage on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Each of the three divisions carried a purse of $99,438.
Despite being laid off since late May, Top Billing (Andover Hall-NY Starlet) survived a long first-over journey to score as the even-money favorite in the night’s first Sire Stakes division. The 3-year-old colt driven by Tyler Buter for trainer Julie Miller just nosed out Lindys Jersey Boy in 1:53:4, with Solvato finishing third. Top Billing, owned by Jason and Douglas Allen, won for the fourth time in six 2012 races.
In the second Sire Stakes split, My MVP (Cantab Hall-Exceed Expectation), the 1-5 favorite, worked hard to keep the lead after taking over on the back stretch and won by a half-length in 1:53:4. Magic Tonight finished second and Scary Good picked up the show. Mike LaChance drove My MVP for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Brittany Farms, Modern Family Partners, and Joe Sbrocco, as the 3-year-old colt won for the third time this year and second time in Sire Stakes competition.
The final Sire Stakes of the night turned into a thrilling stretch duel between 1-9 favorite Stormin Normand and pocket horse Lightning Storm, with the favorite winning by a nose in 1:52:4. Modern Family finished 3rd. After finishing 2nd in both the Earl Beal Memorial and the Yonkers Trot, Stormin Normand (Broadway Hall-Idole Normand) came up with his eighth win in 12 lifetime starts. Matt Kakaley drove the colt to victory for trainer Jim Campbell and owner Fashion Farms LLC.
In other action on Saturday night, Dynamic Youth won a condition pace, and in so doing, broke a track record for three-year-old geldings on the pace. The previous Pocono record for the grouping of 1:49:4 was set by Goddess’s Justin back in 2008, but that mark went down when Dynamic Youth (Bettor’s Delight-Always True) tripped the line in 1:49:2 with Andrew McCarthy in the bike for trainer Aaron Lambert. The gelding, who hasn’t lost in three outings at Pocono this year, is owned by Ken Tucci, J&T Silva Stables, and C&G Racing Stable.