Oct 15, 2012 | Racing
October 5-11, 2012
Most of the verbiage spent in this column relates to the fine four-legged performers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, the horses whose incredible exploits leave us slack-jawed in disbelief night after night. Yet racing fans know that these performances wouldn’t be possible without the skills of the drivers who take the lines each night and attempt to guide their charges to victory.
That’s why we’re giving the Weekly Awards the week off to devote the article to the exploits of these drivers, particularly those that took place in Saturday night’s The Battle of Pennsylvania Driving Challenge. It’s one of our favorite events of the season at Pocono because it really does shine the spotlight on the drivers, allowing them to compete against each other for bragging rights.
The event also is the source of a friendly inter-track rivalry, as the Challenge incorporates not just Pocono drivers, but also drivers from fellow Pennsylvania track The Meadows. Nine drivers were chosen to compete this year. From Pocono: George Napolitano Jr., Matt Kakaley, Tom Jackson, Tyler Buter, and Joe Pavia Jr. From The Meadows: Mike Wilder, Tony Hall, Aaron Merriman, and Brett Miller, who won the event a year ago.
Here’s how it worked: Each of the nine drivers were randomly assigned to a horse in each of the nine selected races, with the exception of one race each where a driver got to pick whatever horse he wanted out of the nine-horse field to drive. This set-up allowed some strategy to come into play as well as a little luck in terms of drivers perhaps getting favorable post positions or stuck with several long shots or the like, although that luck tends to even itself out over the course of a competition such as this.
What was interesting was that only three of the nine races were won by drivers who had the selection in the race, meaning that the strategy often went out the window. Of course, at a track as competitive as Pocono, it’s typical for just about every horse in a given race to have a shot and for favorites to be cannon fodder, so it really was anybody’s ballgame.
Yet one man seems to have a knack for this whole deal, and that’s Brett Miller. To be successful in the Challenge, you have to not only win races, but you have to be consistently near the top in the order of finish. Since 50 points were awarded for first place, 25 were second, and so on down until just a single point was awarded for last place, it placed a premium on having not just wins, but also plenty of seconds and thirds.
Miller set the tone in the very first race aboard trotter Boiler Bob The QB, winning easily to quickly stake himself to first place in the Challenge. From there, he finished third, second, first, third, and second in the Challenge’s next five races, the consistently solid finishes giving him a huge lead that would be tough for any of the other helmsmen to surmount.
That’s not to say there weren’t other drivers who made things happen. George Napolitano Jr. and Aaron Merriman joined Miller as the only two drivers to pick up a pair of wins in the Challenge. Napolitano also had the longest shot to win in the event, picking up a victory aboard 9-1 shot Sonic Raider in a claiming trot. Tyler Buter, Mike Wilder, and Matt Kakaley also scored wins in the Challenge.
In the last race, Miller still had a pretty significant lead, yet Napolitano and Wilder still had mathematical chances to pull the rug out from under him. They each needed a win, but Kakaley won aboard Oyster Bay instead. That meant that it’s two titles in a row for Miller, which, even when you consider some of the luck that comes into play, is still a pretty impressive achievement.
The Challenge doesn’t prove anything about whether or not certain drivers are better than others. On another night, with different horses and draws, the results might have been quite different. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s a great chance to honor these drivers with their own night. By the way, they also deserve applause for donating a portion of their winnings for the event to Marley’s Mission.
These guys are out there each race making split-second decisions which are often second-guessed, even as their ability to prevent potentially awful accidents with horses trotting and pacing in such close proximity to each other is always taken for granted. Not just the nine drivers in the Challenge, but every guy or gal around the country who sits in the bike behind a standardbred deserves the utmost appreciation of both their skills and their courage.
Such appreciation is what The Battle of Pennsylvania Driving Challenge truly fosters, and it’s why we here at Pocono are really proud to have it as part of our racing season.
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 6, 2012 | Racing
October 6, 2012
Brett Miller won the night’s very first race and never looked back on his way to winning his second straight Battle of PA Driving Challenge on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The event featured drivers from Pocono and The Meadows.
The nine drivers were awarded points based on the performances of their horses in nine select races on the card. Drivers were randomly assigned horses throughout the Challenge while being allowed one race each in which they could choose a single horse.
One of four drivers representing The Meadows, Miller won the opening race in the Challenge aboard Boiler Bob The QB to take the lead. He then solidified his advantage by finishing no worse than 3rd in the first six races in the challenge, adding another victory aboard April Sunshine. He finished with 184 points. Pocono’s George Napolitano Jr. finished 2nd with 145 points and two wins, while Mike Wilder from The Meadows was 3rd with 135 points and one victory.
The other drivers who participated: For Pocono, Tyler Buter (132 points, one win), Matt Kakaley (92 points, one win), Joe Pavia Jr. (66 points), and Tom Jackson (44 points); for The Meadows, Aaron Merriman (129 points, two wins) and Tony Hall (63 points.)
Jul 8, 2012 | Racing
July 7, 2012
Meirs Hanover matched a track record at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs with his victory in 1:48:1 in Saturday night’s featured Open pace. The race carried a purse of $50,000.
Meirs Hanover, a 5-year-old stallion from the Ron Burke barn looking for a bounce back after breaking stride in the Ben Franklin final due to interference, left from post position #2 in the field of eight as a 6-1 shot and found the pocket early behind pacesetting 6-5 favorite Golden Receiver. The leader had to fight off pressure from Rockincam on the front stretch and Dial Or Nodial on the back, leading to sizzling fractions of 26:1, 53:2, and 1:20:1.
In the stretch, driver Matt Kakaley tipped Meirs Hanover into the passing lane and he rallied past the game Golden Receiver to win by a half-length. Special T Rocks came on for 3rd. The winning time of 1:48:1 matched the Pocono record for aged pacing stallions that was set just two weeks ago in the Franklin eliminations by Aracache Hanover.
Meirs Hanover, the offspring of Artsplace and Mary Mattgalane and owned by Burke Racing Stable, Van Dusen, Cimaglio, and Strollin Stable, won for the 4th time in 14 2012 races. It was his 21st career victory, giving him lifetime earnings of $460,207.
In addition to the Open pace, Grand Circuit Week continued at Pocono with three $50,000 divisions each of the 3-year-old colts and geldings on the trot and on the pace. On the trotting side, the winners were: Fashion Astral (Broadway Hall-Lindy Lane), owned by Fashion Farms LLC, trained by Jim Campbell, and driven by Matt Kakaley, in 1:54:4; Nothing But Class (Andover Hall-Bold Dreamer), owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Louie Camara, and Jan Hoibye, and trained and driven by Jimmy Takter, in 1:54:2; and Uncle Peter (Cantab Hall-Victory Treasure), owned by Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding, and Falkbolagen Ab, and trained and driver by Jimmy Takter, in 1:52:3.
On the pacing side, the winners were Mcerlean (McArdle-Igottwowordsforyou), owned by Muscara Racing Trust, trained by Trond Smedshammer, and driven by Matt Kakaley, in 1:51:1; Star Recruit (Dragon Again-Remarkable Star), owned by Carter, Carter, Reid, and Grubbs, trained by Bruce Riegle, and driven by Tony Hall, in 1:51:4; and I Like Dreamin (McArdle-I’m Not Dreamin), owned by Lomangino Standardbreds and Leo Lomangino, trained by Sam DePinto, and driven by George Napolitano Jr., in 1:51:4.
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.