Jun 10, 2015 | Racing
A specially-formatted 16-race card was featured on Belmont Day, June 6th, at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with four races held before the historic doings in Elmont NY and then the remainder starting after the big race.
The race attracting the most attention was the tenth race (held in the evening portion), a $30,000 Open pace, and there was “dancin’ in the moonlight” as 2014 Pennsylvania Pacer of the Year Dancin Yankee never looked back in a 1:48.3 victory, going out in 26 and coming home in 26.4 firmly in control. George Napolitano Jr., king of the local driving colony again this year, was named on four horses in the race, and he picked the right one as the son of Yankee Cruiser raised his lifetime earnings harvest over $1.2M for trainer Josh Green and owners Baron Racing Stable and Richard Lombardo.
In the other $30,000 Open pace, Big Boy Dreams marked himself as a 4-year-old to watch as he reduced his mark to 1:49.4 in taking another $30,000 Open pacing contest. The son of If I Can Dream made the front just past the ¼ for driver Simon Allard, set the pace, then rocketed home in 26.4 for his second straight victory after a third-place finish in the Confederation Cup Final. Trainer Rene Allard shares ownership of the winner of over half a million dollars with Robert Hamather and Mary Lou Poliseno.
The ladies were in the spotlight in the last race of the “early” card and the first race of the “later” card.
In the last race held before the Belmont, Blue Chip Matchmaker winner Venus Delight asserted a claim to be the leader of the older female division with a 1:50.2 decision in a $30,000 mares handicap pace, despite not having started since her victory in the Yonkers series final on April 25. But the daughter of Bettor’s Delight and driver Jason Bartlett had to work hard for the top money, rallying out of the pocket to catch perhaps the most-improved horse of 2015, Ooh Bad Shark, to tally by a head after grabbing the lead with about 100 feet to go. The winner, who set a personal mark, is trained by Jeff Bamond Jr. for owners Bamond Racing LLC – who might get a fifth straight older pacing mares yearly title, with Anndrovette having won in the last four seasons.
After American Pharoah won the Belmont and the first thoroughbred Triple Crown in 37 years, the Broadway Hall mare Frau Blucher went 34 4/5 seconds faster in winning, capturing a $30,000 open trot while defeating six males and two females in 1:51.4, 2/5 of a second off her mark and the 4TM world record she set at The Downs last year. Frau Blucher, driven by George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Chris Oakes, made every pole a winning one while raising her career bankroll to $976,932 for owners Hauser Brothers Racing Enterprises LLC and Susan Oakes. (And she’d be over $1M right now but for an inch, as she was deadheated for the win by stablemate Classic Martine in the world record-DH PA Sire Stakes 3TF Championship race in 2013.)
–On this 16-race card, two drivers won ten of the races, and only five drivers in all won: George Napolitano Jr. and Simon Allard both had five victories (four of Allard’s were trained by brother Rene); Jason Bartlett had 3, Anthony Napolitano had 2, and Marcus Miller had 1.
—There were a total of seven miles in 1:50 or better on the card, topped by Dancin Yankee’s 1:48.3; among the drivers, George Nap had three, and Allard two.
May 19, 2015 | Racing
Trainer Brian Brown, trainer of 2014 divisional and Jugette champion Color’s A Virgin and a resident of Delaware OH, may be having himself a two-day party late this September at the famed half-miler, as he already has five different Pennsylvania Sire Stakes-winning three-year-old pacing horses, three fillies and now the two colts who continued the hot trainer’s winning ways Saturday night, May 16th, at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, being among the four winners in the $226,168 first leg of their Sires action.
As the track turned “sloppy” for the fifth race Sires division (Pocono is about 150 miles northeast of Baltimore as the crow flies, and the Preakness rain started about two hours before the storms hit northeast PA), Rise Up Now remained undefeated in five outings this year, tucking in the pocket down the back and then catching leader Blood Brother in the stretch to post a 1½-length 1:51.3 over a newly-christened “sloppy” track. Blood Brother had snapped off splits of 26.1, 55.3, and 1:22.2, but the 53 usage in the odd-numbered quarters did not allow him to hold off the Somewheresomebeach gelding and driver Simon Allard, who piloted the Brown trainee for King McNamara of Florida, the only non-Buckeye in the ownership group which includes the Strollin Stable, William Robinson, and Country Club Acres.
Brown is now two-for-two seasonally with the Well Said colt Lost For Words, who reclaimed the lead down the backstretch, opened up four lengths turning for home, then held off the late charge of the game little Allbeef N Nobull to win by 1½ lengths in 1:51.4 in the night’s second division, when the track was still “fast.” Lost For Words, a finalist in both the Governors Cup and Breeders Crown last year, was driven by Jim Morrill Jr. for the three Ohioans who share in Rise Up Now’s ownership and another Buckeye, Richard Lombardo.
For years Brown has done very well in the Pennsylvania program, but this year his numbers are only slightly short of unbelievable. He’s perfect in five Pocono starts, and at The Meadows he sports a 13-9-3-0 tally, for a Keystone State total of 18-14-3-0 – which produces a mind-boggling state UTR of .870!
McArdles Lightning teamed with driver Anthony Napolitano to post a 6-1 upset in taking the first division, coming from last at the half in the seven-horse field and blitzing his own back two quarters in 54.2 to equal his lifetime mark of 1:51. Steve Elliott conditions the McArdle ridgling (double thoroughbred Triple Crown racewinner American Pharoah is also a ridgling) for the Lightning Stable.
In the final Sires heat, Wazikashi Hanover was a pocket rocket in catching last year’s 2YO Sires champion, Yankee Bounty, by 1¼ lengths, with the time on the sloppy track 1:52. Yankee Bounty overcame the outside “eight-ball” to post splits of 27, 57, and 1:24.4, but “Wazikashi,” a Dragon Again gelding, was relentless and gained into the 27.1 kicker for trainer Joann Looney-King and the Tri County Stable. Driver Jim Morrill Jr. joined trainer Brown as a double winner in the Sires races.
Jul 21, 2014 | Racing
July 19, 2014
Dancin Yankee continued his dominance in 2014 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs with a victory Saturday night in the featured Preferred pace. The race carried the night’s top purse of $25,000.
Dancin Yankee (Yankee Cruiser-Dancewiththebest), a 6-year-old stallion from the barn of trainer Amber Buter, left from the assigned outside post in the field of seven as the 2-5 favorite and sat fourth early on as Digital Z Tam set a fast early pace. Pocket horse Domethatagain pulled to take the lead on the back stretch, allowing driver Tyler Buter to grab some cover on the back stretch before urging Dancin Yankee past Domethatagain in the home stretch for the win by 2 ¼ lengths in 1:48:4. Fat Mans Alley finished third.
The win was the sixth out of the last seven for Dancin Yankee, a stretch that includes five straight victories at Pocono. Owned by Baron Racing and Richard Lombardo, the stallion now has 13 wins in 20 races in 2014 and 37 lifetime victories for career earnings of $888,462.
May 30, 2014 | Racing
May 17, 2014
Dancin Yankee won the $25,000 Preferred pace on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, but the real story was his time, which was the fastest ever at Pocono and matched the world record for fastest pace on a 5/8-mile oval.
Fresh off a win in the Van Rose Memorial pace at Pocono in his previous start, Dancin Yankee (Yankee Cruiser-Dancewiththebest), the 4-5 favorite from an outside post in a field of six, took over the lead with a blinding burst of speed on the front stretch. With Brett Miller in the bike, the 6-year-old stallion from the Josh Green barn had to endure a first-over challenge on the back stretch from Mach It So and a home stretch battle from pocket horse Clear Vision, eventually prevailing over the latter by a neck with Feel Like A Fool finishing third.
The fractional times for the mile were :26, :52:2, 1:20:1, and 1:47:2. That winning time broke Pocono’s all-time mark of 1:47:4, which was accomplished three times in 2013. It also matched the fastest mile ever paced on a 5/8-mile oval, which was first set last year by Pet Rock at Scioto Downs. In addition, Dancin Yankee sets a new world record for aged stallions on the pace with the winning time.
Dancin Yankee, owned by Baron Racing Stable and Richard Lombardo, won for the 8th time in 14 races this season. He now has 32 lifetime victories and career earnings of $778,922.
