Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Week in Review

Jun 3, 2014 | Racing

May 24-30, 2014
It was another extraordinary week of harness racing at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, one that featured a world record performance and some exciting Grand Circuit races. But the two horses that won the major honors this week are a pair of veterans who appear to be peaking at a time when most others are either winding down their careers or already retired. Let’s take a look at their exploits as we hand out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: ANDERLECHT
While it’s not unusual for a nine-year-old pacer to be winning races, most of those veterans do so in the lower claiming ranks. Since arriving from Yonkers, this stallion has taken on some top-flight condition pacers and showed them how it’s done. On May 17, he absolutely blitzed a group of non-winners of $15,000 in the last five races with a monster mile of 1:48, which would have been a track record were it not of Dancin Yankee beating him to the punch a few races earlier with a 1:47:2 mile.
After a mile like that, it was obvious that he would be the favorite facing the same condition group on Saturday night. Yet the concern for Anderlecht, trained by JD Lewis, was that the ripping time from the previous week would leave him a bit winded this time out. When Getitoffyourchest made an aggressive move past him on the back stretch, it looked like maybe those fears would be realized.
Driver Simon Allard didn’t panic though, biding his time until the stretch when he cut loose Anderlecht for another move. He rallied past Getitoffyourchest to win by a 1 ½ lengths, posting another scorching winning time of 1:49:1. Can this veteran move up in class off these two wins and beat even more accomplished pacers? Based on these performances, it seems like horses of all ages and classes should be wary.
Other top pacers this week include: Somwherovrarainbow (Tim Tetrick, Joe Holloway), whose win in a Preferred pace for mares on Sunday night came in 1:48, the fastest time ever posted by a female pacer on a 5/8-mile oval; Stanhope (Anthony Napolitano, Steve Salerno), who moved up in class to win his second straight condition pace on Sunday night, this one coming in 1:51:4; and Ella’s Twin (George Napolitano Jr., John Barchi), a mare who churned her way to her third straight claiming win on Wednesday night, this one in 1:54:3.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: CHERRY TREE NICOLE
For a trotter to be a consistent winner week after week, it generally has to have a decent amount of getaway speed. Being close to the early lead takes a lot of variables out of a race, so the horses that can fire out of the gate well every race usually give themselves a good chance to win. Cherry Tree Nicole has virtually no leaving speed, yet the mare has been one of the most consistent winners since arriving from California in April.
The pattern for her races has been pretty much identical. She tends to start slowly, out-pacing just a couple horses in the large field around the first turn. On the back stretch, the mare starts to make steady advancement, and, in the stretch, she blows by everyone. That strategy led her to victories in three of her first four races at Pocono. Tuesday night was a tougher test because she was moving up in class to the $10,000 claimers. Plus, she was switching barns, racing for the first time under the banner of trainer Steve Salerno.
Yet for all the changes, the results turned out to be strikingly similar. Cherry Tree Nicole, an eight-year-old mare with an impressive 65 career wins coming into the race, started in her usual lethargic way. When it counted though, driver Matt Kakaley had her in gear, and she coasted by the tiring leaders for a win in 1:57:2. Who said you can’t come from off the pace and win consistently? This gritty mare will have none of that nonsense.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Stitch In Time (Tyler Buter, Amber Buter), who captured Tuesday night’s featured condition trot with a flying rally in a career-best 1:54:4; A Crown For Lindy (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), who picked up his second straight claiming win on Wednesday night with a victory in 1:55; and Broadway Socks (Dan Rawlings, David Wade), who followed up a Stallion Series win at The Meadows with a victory here on Sunday night against other three-year-old fillies in the Historic Series, posting a career-best 1:55 in the process.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: PRINT IT
After winning at 22-1 on April 26, this 12-year-old pacer did it again on Saturday night with Tyler Buter in the bike, defeating a claiming group at 32-1 for a $66 payout on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: TYLER BUTER
One of a seemingly endless cadre of excellent drivers plying their trade at Pocono, Buter was hot this week, racking up five wins including a three-bagger on Saturday.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: STEVE SALERNO
Year in and year out, Salerno is a force at Pocono, and he’s been picking up steam of late, including a training double on Sunday night and three wins for the week.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

Somewhereovrarainbow Sets World Record for Distaff Pacers at Pocono

Jun 3, 2014 | Racing

May 25, 2014
Somewhereovrarainbow paced faster than any distaff pacer on a 5/8-mile oval in history in winning a $25,000 Preferred pace for mares on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
A four-year-old mare from the Joe Holloway barn, Somewhereovrarainbow (Somebeachsomewhere-Rainbow Blue) left from the outside #7 post as the 2-5 favorite and settled third around the opening turn behind pacesetter Show Runner. After making the lead easily with a front stretch brush, driver Tim Tetrick cut Somewhereovrarainbow loose and she opened up a huge advantage on the outstanding field, until the only question was the winning time. She came home 7 ¼ lengths in front in 1:48. That winning time put her past Drop The Ball, who held both the 4-year-old mare mark of 1:48:4 and the all-ages distaff record of 1:48:2. Krispy Apple was best of the rest in second with Feeling You picking up the show.
Owned by Theodore Gewertz and Diamond Creek Racing, Somewhereovrarainbow won for the sixth time in eight races this season. It was her 18th career win and pushed her lifetime earnings to 1,165,509.

Stevensville Stars in Stallion Series at Pocono

May 30, 2014 | Racing

May 14, 2014
Stevensville posted the fastest winning time among five divisions of the Stallion Series on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The races were for three-year-old colts and geldings on the pace, and each carried a purse of $20,000.
Driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Ray Schnittker, Stevensville (Somebeachsomewhere-Wild West Show) won his division in 1:50:2. That’s the fastest time posted by a 3-year-old colt on a 5/8-mile oval so far in 2014.
Other Stallion Series winners were: Superficial (Art Official-Lovin A Fool), driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Mike Dowdall, in 1:51:4; War Front (Somebeachsomewhere-Vesta Blue Chip), driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Chris Oakes, in 1:51:3; Heart Felt (Well Said-Btwnyurheartnmine), driven by David Miller and trained by Jim Arledge Jr., in 1:51:3; and Workandplayhard (Western Terror-Slice Of Life), driven by Mike Simons and trained by John Butenschoen, in 1:51:1.

Ray Hall Completes Sweep of Weiss at Pocono

May 1, 2014 | Racing

April 22, 2014
Ray Hall completed his sweep of the Bobby Weiss series at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs for three and four-year-old colts, stallions, and geldings on the trot by dominating in the $30,000 final on Tuesday night.
Leaving from post position #4 in a field of eight as a 1-5 favorite, Ray Hall (Justice Hall-Comebyrail), a four-year-old gelding trained by Mark Harder who had won all four preliminary legs of the Weiss, made the lead entering the first turn. From there, driver  Tim Tetrick expertly rated the speed. Ray Hall trotted away from his foes in the stretch to win by 2 ¾ lengths in 1:53:2, which set a new career mark. Sarcastic Man finished second while Sixteen Mikes picked up the show.
In another $30,000 Weiss final on Tuesday, Prima Dragon (Dragon Again-Zacharysprimadonna) parlayed a pocket trip into a rallying win in the three and four-year-old fillies and mares pacing group. Brett Miller did the driving for trainer Michael Dowdall, as Prima Dragon, the 9-5 second choice, utilized the inside passing lane in the stretch to get by 3-2 favorite Envious Hanover by a length in 1:52:1, which matched a career-best. Cinnamony finished 3rd. It was Prima Dragon’s third consecutive victory.

Ray Hall and You Rock My World Score in Weiss at Pocono

Apr 15, 2014 | Racing

April 13, 2014
Ray Hall and You Rock My World picked up victories Sunday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in the Bobby Weiss late closer series. There were two divisions of the Weiss held for three and four-year-old colts, stallions, and geldings on the trot, each carrying a purse of $15,000.
Ray Hall (Justice Hall-Comebyrail), driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Mark Harder, made it a perfect four-for-four in the Weiss with a win in a career-best 1:53:3. You Rock My World (Muscle Mass-Disco Inferno), driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Ron Burke, rallied for a win in 1:55:3, a new career-mark.