Mar 24, 2014 | Racing
March 23, 2014
Sixteen Mikes, Ray Hall, and Time To Quit picked up wins in the first leg of the Bobby Weiss Series on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Each of the three divisions of the series, which included three and four-year-old trotting colts, stallions, and geldings, carried a purse of $15,000.
Sixteen Mikes, driven by Mike Simons and trained by Gail Wrubel, scored in the first division as the 2-1 second choice in 1:56:3. In the second split, Ray Hall, with Tim Tetrick in the bike for trainer Mark Harder, controlled matters as the 1-5 favorite in 1:55.3. 1-9 favorite Time To Quit, piloted by Matt Kakaley for trainer Ron Burke, rolled in the final division in 1:56:4.
Nov 15, 2013 | Racing
Well, racing fans, we have just about reached the end of another amazing racing season at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The Pocono meet ends up with a pair of added racing nights on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23, a little more icing on what has been a particularly rich and tasty cake. After that, time to settle in, enjoy the holidays, and look forward to next year.
Still, for me anyway, I’m sure that a lot of those lazy winter days will be spent reflecting on the season that was. 2013 was my sixth year calling the races at Pocono and my 16th year at the track overall, and it was easily the most exciting one that I’ve ever witnessed. That doesn’t in any way denigrate some of the great years we’ve had in the recent past, but it all came together this year.
The obvious catalyst for the ridiculously thrilling action was the racing schedule. For many years, Pocono was home to just a couple of big-money stakes per year. That number of stakes races has steadily increased to the point where Pocono was pretty much the hub of the harness racing universe in 2013. There were three nights during the season that were dedicated to nothing but stakes races of the highest caliber, and each of those nights lived up to their lofty expectations, culminating with the scintillating thrills of Breeders Crown night in October.
Because of this abundance of stakes races held at MSPD in 2013, the local fans got several opportunities to witness the finest stars in the standardbred galaxy. When they name the sport’s horses of the year for 2013, it’s a safe bet that they will all have raced multiple times at the Pocono oval this season. Indeed some of the biggest names, like Captaintreacherous, I Luv The Nitelife, Bee A Magician, and Foiled Again, had their most memorable triumphs on the Pocono stage.
The easiest way to tell just how competitive the racing action has been in 2013 is to check out our track records page in the front of the program. A quick perusal of that page will show you that a stunning 20 of 24 groupings, which are separated by age, gait, and gender, have records which were set this season. Of those, 17 either set or matched world records for tracks that are 5/8-mile long like Pocono.
It is easy to get swept up in the equine accomplishments, but their human stars of the sport also helped to make Pocono racing so memorable. At press time, George Napolitano Jr. and Chris Oakes were poised to repeat as leaders in driving victories and training average, respectively. Rene Allard is headed to his first ever title in training wins. In driving UDRS, it was still too close to call between Jim Morrill Jr. and Ron Pierce.
Of course, those guys we mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. The Pocono driving community continues to be one of the most competitive groups in the country. In addition to Napolitano, Pierce, and Morrill, Matt Kakaley, Andrew McCarthy, and Tyler Buter all topped 100 wins this season at MSPD. Six more drivers had at least 50 victories, including Pocono newcomers Marcus Miller and Simon Allard.
The training colony was equally rugged. What was notable this season was how many of the nation’s top trainers made Pocono a destination instead of a pit stop. As a result, many of the names on the Pocono training leaderboard coincided with the list of the nation’s top statistical trainers. Oakes, Allard, and Ron Burke were the biggest winners on the training side, but the victories and purses were parceled out to a wide roster of excellent handlers in 2013.
There are far too many individual moments to recount in this relatively short article, but suffice it to say that I could have gone on for quite some time detailing all of the star-making performances and jaw-dropping upsets that kept the faithful on their toes all year long. I have the best seat in the house up in my announcer’s booth, and this year has never ceased to amaze, right from Opening night through these chilly final weeks.
As always, it’s been a pleasure and an honor to have this opportunity to share my thoughts and spread the facts about the racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The best thing about 2013 might the feeling that I get that tells me that this year won’t be an aberration in terms of its quality and excitement. It feels like seasons like 2013 will be commonplace at the Pocono in the years to come.
So enjoy the final nights of racing at Pocono for this season and make sure to have a great holiday season. Until next year, we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Oct 1, 2013 | Racing
September 20-26, 2013
We returned to a full racing schedule this past week at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs after a few weeks of an interrupted slate. The action picked up fast and furious from where it left off, producing a plethora of candidates for the Weekly Awards. Without further ado, let’s get right to it and highlight the best of the best of the week that was.
PACER OF THE WEEK: ROCKIN THE HOUSE
Saturday night witnessed the first sloppy track at Pocono in quite some time, but that didn’t stop the powerhouses in the $25,000 Preferred pace from putting on an impressive show. The best of the group appeared to be red hot Chester invader Bestjetyet, but his early break threw the race wide open for the other competitors. Rockin The House proved to be ready for the opportunity.
The 6-year-old gelding from the Ron Burke barn had won his previous start in a rugged condition group in gate-to-wire fashion, but, because of the move up in class, he was only a 9-1 shot on Saturday. Driver Matt Kakaley settled him in the pocket early, but things still looked dire when pacesetter Flem N Em N opened up a nice margin heading into the stretch.
Rockin The House had something left to give in the lane though, while Flem N Em N began to falter. As they approached the line, Rockin The House went past and prevailed by a half-length. That made it two wins in a row and three in the last five for the gelding, who scorched the slop to the tune of a 1:50:2 winning time.
Other top pacers this week include: Competition Cam (Tyler Buter, Richard Banca), who stepped up in class to handle the toughest pacers on the grounds on Saturday night with a rallying win in 1:51:4, giving him three victories in a row; First Impression (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), who, despite moving up his claiming price and switching barns, chalked up his third win in a row on Saturday night, this one in 1:53:1 in the slop; and Lotsa Chrome (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), whose rallying win in Tuesday night’s condition pace came in 1:50:1, fastest time of the week at Pocono.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: KEYSTONE THOMAS
When Keystone Thomas arrived at Pocono earlier in the meet, he was immediately slotted against the very best trotters on the grounds and was maybe a tad overmatched. Thus began a process of his handlers moving him from class to class in an effort to find the right spot for him to compete. That process seems to have reached its fruition the last few weeks.
Trained and driven by Joe Pavia Jr., the gelding parlayed a pocket trip into a victory in 1:54:2 on September 6. On Saturday night, he moved up in class into a condition for non-winners of $19,000 in the last five races and got away at 5-1. Pavia was the aggressor nonetheless, putting Keystone Thomas in front early and holding tight.
Things did indeed get tight, but the 7-year-old gelding dug deep and held off all comers. Pavia guided him across the line in 1:55:3, a rock-solid time considering the lousy racing conditions. With wins in two races in a row, this talented veteran appears to have finally found his stride, meaning that he might be able to advance even higher to continue an already-impressive season.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Quantum Lightning (George Napolitano, Bill Mullin), who stepped up in class to the $10,000 claimers on Tuesday and earned his second straight win at Pocono, this one coming in 1:56; Judith (Anthony Napolitano driver and trainer), a mare whose win over the $7,500 claimers on Friday night in 1:56:2 was her second straight in that class; and Wind Of The North (Matt Kakaley, Clifton Green), who scored a win over an excellent condition field on Saturday night in 1:55:1 in the slop.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: EXCEL NINE
He got a break when the horse that crossed the line first was disqualified for interference, meaning this condition pacer driven by Matt Romano inherited a victory Saturday night at 29-1, paying off $60 to win.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MATT KAKALEY
Kakaley is currently experiencing one of the hottest stretches of his season. He followed up four victories on Saturday night with six more winners on Tuesday.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: PIERRE PARADIS
Pierre has been a productive member of the training community at Pocono for many years, and this week he added two more wins to the ledger, including a 21-1 shot on Wednesday with ER Mr T.
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 6, 2013 | Racing
August 30-September 5, 2013
August may be in the rear-view mirror, but it went out with a bang at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. A track record fell on Friday night and a world record went by the books on Saturday night. It was quite a week of racing, and it’s no surprise that those two record-setters end up with the most honored positions in this edition of the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: LIGHTNING PAIGE
If anyone seemed poised to break a record in Friday night’s $21,000 featured pace for mares who were non-winners of $24,000 in the last five races, Southwind Jazmin was the one. In the very same class a week earlier, the 5-year-old mare completely dominated with a two-length win in 1:49:3, and the margin and time could have been more impressive had she been kept to task. It’s no wonder that she was the 2-5 favorite at race time.
One of the horses that she beat the previous start was Lightning Paige, a 4-year-old mare from the Steve Elliott barn. She was a non-threatening third in that race, and she found herself in the pocket chasing the heavy favorite throughout the race. Even with fast fractions, it seemed like the only thing up for debate was whether or not Southwind Jazmin would challenge a track record.
Yet Lightning Paige had other ideas. Driver Andrew McCarthy urged her on through the stretch as she blitzed by the favorite to win by a neck. To add insult to injury, Lightning Paige’s winning time of 1:49 even broke the track record for 4-year-old pacing mares. The previous mark of 1:49:2 was held by, you guessed it, Southwind Jazmin, who set it a year ago. That’s what you call a double whammy. Here’s hoping these two star distaffers face off again in an exciting budding rivalry.
Other top pacers this week include: Caviart Spencer (George Napolitano Jr., Eddie Sager), whose victory on Friday night over the $7,500 claimers gave him three straight victories and came in a career-best 1:52; Light Up The Sky (George Napolitano Jr., Marty Fine), who switched barns and still came up with his second straight win against the toughest claimers on the grounds Saturday night, this one in a career mark of 1:49; and Mustang Art (Kevin Wallis, James McGuire), a veteran pacer who put on a show on the front end on Saturday night with a mile of 1:48:3, best of his career and fastest this week at Pocono.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: BEATGOESON HANOVER
One of my little rules for writing this column is that I try to spread the wealth around in giving these awards. When a horse wins Pacer or Trotter of the Week once during a season, I usually disqualify them from winning it again. For Beatgoeson Hanover, I broke the rules, simply because it’s unusual for a horse to crash the record books twice in the same season.
Back in April, Beatgoeson Hanover, a five-year-old mare trained by Nifty Norman, matched a track record for aged trotting mares with a scintillating victory in 1:52:1. Yet on Saturday night in a Preferred trot with a $25,000 purse, Beatgoeson Hanover could only go off as a 3-1 second choice, because DW’s NY Yank, who also set a track record at Pocono earlier this season as a 4-year-old gelding, was the heavy favorite. Beatgoeson Hanover sat the pocket trip behind the favorite, who surprisingly caved in at the top of the stretch under pressure from the first-over move from Real Babe.
Driver Tyler Buter made a nifty move by swinging Beatgoeson Hanover out wide to elude her tiring cover and gather momentum for a rally. The mare did the rest, zipping by Real Babe to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:51:4. Not only did that reset her track mark, but it also set the world record for aged mares trotting on a five-eighths-mile oval. Maybe we bent the rules a little bit by handing out this award, but that performance was worth it.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Must Be Psychic (Anthony Napolitano, Scott Osterhout), who won his second straight claimer on Tuesday night, this one coming in a career-best 1:55:1 despite a move up in class; Hoorayforvacation (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who scored a victory in Tuesday night’s featured claiming handicap trot in a career-best 1:53:4; and Raven De Vie (Matt Kakaley, Chris Ryder), who followed up his maiden win with another condition victory on Wednesday night in 1:56:1.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: WEST RIVER VICTORY
On Tuesday night with Mike Simons doing the driving, this trotter utilized a pcoket trip to rally for a victory over a $12,500 claiming class at 17-1 for a $37 win payout on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: ANDREW MCCARTHY
McCarthy gets a lot of acclaim at Pocono for his ability to bring in long shots, but this week he was winning with every kind of horse, as evidenced by multiple driving victories on all four racing nights.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: MARTY FINE
Part of the Canadian invasion of horsemen who have really made their mark on the 2013 season at Pocono, Fine stayed hot with a three-win week, including a double on 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].
Aug 12, 2013 | Racing
August 1-7, 2013
The month of August started out without the sizzling temperatures that are the norm for this time of year in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s a good thing then that plenty of heat was generated on the track at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs this past racing week. It’s gets harder and harder to narrow down the very best of the outstanding performances we see each and every night at Pocono, but that’s what we’ll try to do right now by handing out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: MATTADOR D
It’s not easy to jump even a little bit in class in the harness racing wars at Pocono and have any bit of success. To make a big jump and see immediate results is a rare accomplishment indeed because of the extremely competitiveness of the scene. Yet Mattador D took a pretty daunting leap up the claiming ladder on Saturday night and handled it impressively.
It certainly helped that the 5-year-old gelding came into the race on a hot streak. He beat a group of $10,000 claimers on July 20 in 1:52:1, then followed it up the next week with a victory over the $12,500 claimers in 1:51:4. Still, those winning times didn’t figure to hack it on Saturday night against the $20,000 claimers. In his first start for trainer Lou Pena, Mattador D would have to step his game.
The gelding answered that challenge in sterling fashion. With George Napolitano Jr. in the bike, he hustled to the front end early and had to face severe pressure throughout the mile. Yet he sustained and came out on top in a career-best 1:50:2. It should be fun to watch Mattador D keep climbing that ladder and see how high he can get before someone slows his rapid ascent.
Other top pacers this week include: B N Bad (George Napolitano Jr., Peter Pellegrino), who powered to a condition pacing win on Saturday night in a career-best 1:49:2, which was the fastest time posted all week long at Pocono; Allamerican Daddy (Eric Carlson, Eddie Nickle), who staged a furious rally to win his second straight $10,000 claimer on Saturday night, this one coming in 1:51:4; and Audreys Dream (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who won Saturday night’s featured condition pace in 1:50.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: LIGHTNING STORM
While Mattador D provided a good example of a horse hot enough to move up in class, our Trotter of the Week this week is one who needed to drop down to find the groove. There’s no shame in such a move, since it doesn’t make any sense for an owner to keep sending a horse over and over into a class that he can’t handle. It’s better for the horse to find a group in which he can do damage.
Lightning Storm, a 4-year-old stallion from the Lou Pena barn, had success early in the meet in some rugged condition trots and then moved up into the Preferred trots in the month of June, taking on the best trotters on the grounds. He seemed overmatched with that class, finishing way up the track from the winners in three straight races.
It was only when he dropped back into the non-winners of $16,000 condition trots on July 19 that he found his stride again, winning that night in a career-best 1:53:2. On Friday night he was back at in the same class, and he once again controlled the action, winning in 1:54:3 this time around with George Napolitano Jr. in the bike. Now that he’s built up his confidence again, this might be the right time for Lightning Storm to try it again with some heavier hitters.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: CDs Eldorado (Joe Pavia Jr., Jason Robinson), whose victory over the $10,000 claimers in a career-best 1:55:2 on Tuesday night gave him wins in three straight and four of his last five; Biltmore (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), whose romping victory in a condition trot on Wednesday night in 1:55:1 was his third win in his last four races; and In Your Room (Mike Simons, Gail Wrubel), who rolled to a condition win on Wednesday night in 1:53, the fastest trotting time of the week at MSPD.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: HYANNIS HANOVER
This 2-year-old trotter had quite the memorable debut on Wednesday night, rallying from way back for driver Bret Brittingham to score at 90-1, paying off $182.60 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: GEORGE NAPOLITANO JR.
It took a little while, but George has ascended to his usual position atop the drivers’ standings at Pocono. He was especially lethal last weekend, picking up seven combined wins on Friday and Saturday.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: DOUGLAS BERKELEY
Berkeley has been a force at Pocono for the past few seasons, and he made his presence felt this week with a pair of training victories.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
