The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Week In Review

July 14-20, 2018

It was another busy week of stakes action at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with Pennsylvania Sire Stakes, Pennsylvania All-Stars, and Stallion Series racing all holding court. Our two top horses this week, however, battled for the honors on Monday night, which featured nothing but overnight racing. It just goes to show you that every night is witness to something special at Pocono, as this edition of the Weekly Awards makes plain.

PACER OF THE WEEK: FUTURE LIFE

Sometimes a winning streak is only as impressive as whom you beat. In the case of Future Life, she came into a $15,000-$20,000 claiming handicap pace for mares on Monday night having picked up a victory in her previous race against lower claiming competition. The nine-year-old mare trained by Andrew Adamczyk had churned out a come-from-behind win on July 9 in 1:53.0. But the field that she faced on Monday night included five of eight horses who had won their previous start, including Unbeamlievable, who had been the dominant force in the division.

Future Life started from post position #2 in a field of eight at long odds of 16-1, likely because of the move up in class. As a horse who doesn’t mind coming from off the pace, driver Tyler Buter kept her out of the early battle for the lead, which was eventually won by Unbeamlievable. The mare began her journey on the back stretch by making a third-over move, meaning that she had a lot of traffic to overcome on her way to the front.

In the stretch, Buter tipped Future Life out four-wide to get a clear look at Unbeamlievable, who was still battling away on the front end. The momentum that Future Life gathered proved too much for the favorite, as she blew by to win it by a half-length in 1:53.4. That gives the mare five wins on the year and two in a row, and in neither of the last two races was she favored. She’ll probably get more betting attention next time around.

Other top pacers this week include: De Los Cielos Deo (Dave Palone, Ron Burke), a two-year-old colt who moved to two-for-two in his young career with a Pennsylvania All-Stars victory on Saturday night in 1:52.4; Ginger Tree Cash (George Napolitano Jr., Robert Bath), who moved up in condition to win his second straight on Saturday, this one in 1:52.0; and Warrawee UBeaut (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke), who captured the second straight win to start her career on Tuesday night and did so in 1:52.1, the fastest time of four divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars for two-year-old pacing fillies.

TROTTER OF THE WEEK: PAT MATTERS

This three-year-old filly trained by Paul Kelley didn’t race as a freshman. At the start of her career this year, she had issues staying flat in her races, which was odd because of how sharp she was in qualifiers. On June 24, she finally found her form under the lights, picking up her maiden victory in 1:59.2 on a sloppy track. Pat Matters followed that up with an impressive second place finish on July 2, with only an extremely fast mile from Urban Legend beating her.

On Monday night, Pat Matters took on a group of non-winners of two trotting fillies and mares as a 4-5 favorite. It was a pretty solid field she faced in this one, including several horses that were coming off sharp efforts in Stallion Series races. Leaving from post position #5 in a field of nine, the filly fired early to the front end. Driver Matt Kakaley then chose to stay in the pocket with Pat Matters when Strength Of A Woman made a play for the lead on the front stretch.

Strength Of A Woman and Pat Matters stayed one-two in the order for most of the mile until the home stretch rolled around. That’s when Kakaley asked for more from Pat Matters, who immediately swooped on by to pick up the victory by two lengths in a new career mark of 1:56.1. The filly seems to have put those breaking problems well behind her, which means that she could be ready for more rugged competition in the near future.

Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Crosbys Clam Bake (Pat Berry, Randy Bendis), who scored a condition victory in the slop on Saturday night in 1:55.4; Homicide Hunter (George Napolitano Jr., Chris Oakes), who continued his dominance in the Great Northeast Open Series on Sunday night with a win in 1:52.2, his fourth consecutive victory; and Magic Vacation (John Kakaley, Travis Alexander), who handled a condition field on Sunday night in a career-best 1:54.2.

LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: PYRO

Even stakes races can provide long shot winners, as this two-year-old colt driven by Pat Berry proved when he scored a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win on Saturday at 29-1, paying off $60.20 on a $2 win ticket.

DRIVER OF THE WEEK: COREY CALLAHAN

Callahan had a big night on Sunday during the Stallion series for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, winning three of the six divisions.

TRAINER OF THE WEEK: BRIAN BROWN

Brown always seems to make his presence felt come stakes time, and he did it again on Saturday night by sending out two winners in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action for two-year-old male pacers.

That will do it for this week at Pocono, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

 

 

 

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Week In Review

June 9-15, 2018
It was a great week for all of horse racing with the stupendous Triple Crown-winning performance by Justify in The Belmont Stakes. That kind of thing reminds everyone what special athletes these horses are, and we at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono are privileged to get to see them do their thing up close and personal four nights a week. We see great performances on the regular, and the best of those from this past week get the spotlight as we hand out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: MAJOR TRICK
In many cases, the horses that take home the Weekly Awards are those who are in the midst of winning streaks. Yet in the case of Major Trick, his previous race to his start on Saturday night in a $30,000 to $40,000 claiming handicap pace was a loss by a half-length in third to Eastend Eddie. That loss snapped a string of three consecutive wins for the seven-year-old gelding. Major Trick, a popular claiming commodity even at the high price, rejoined the barn of trainer Hunter Oakes in his Saturday night attempt to atone for the loss.
Leaving from post position #4 in a field of nine as a 6-5 betting favorite, Major Trick sat third early in the mile. A speed duel materialized in front of him, and the fractions spiraled quickly out of control. Sensing that the leaders were tiring, driver George Napolitano Jr. sent Major Trick for a quick first-over move on the back stretch, and he was on the lead in just a matter of moments. But it also made him a target for the closers, especially considering how close he had been to the blistering pace.
In the stretch, both Our Dragon King and Our Regal Ideal were closing with a head of steam. But Major Trick showed himself to be none the worse for wear, closing strong to hold of Our Dragon King by a half-length. The proof of his excellence was in the winning time of 1:49.4, which established a new career mark. Major Trick has now won four of his last five races, and it seems like another prolonged winning streak could be starting right after the one that was just broken.
Other top pacers this week include: Unbeamlievable (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), who followed up a win at Harrah’s with a victory in Monday night’s featured claiming handicap for mares in 1:53.4; Boston Red Rocks (Anthony Napolitano, Jake Leamon), whose condition win on Saturday night came in 1:48.4, fastest time of the 2018 meet to date; and Mach It So (George Napolitano Jr., Jeffrey Bamond Jr.), who came up victorious in the Great Northeast Open series on Saturday night as an 11-1 shot in 1:49.3.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: OSTRICH BLUE CHIP
For handicapping purposes, there were a couple of red flags that might have dissuaded you from putting your money on Ostrich Blue Chip on Saturday night. On the one hand, the four-year-old mare from the Rene Allard barn was coming off a sharp win on May 28 at Pocono in 1:54.3. But the negatives for her condition trot on Saturday night included the fact that she would be leaving from the difficult #9 post and would be jumping a few rungs on the condition ladder to face the $14,000 group.
But the mare was driven by Simon Allard as if she was the no-doubt favorite and not a 6-1 third choice, which was the reality of the situation. She quickly hustled to the front end from the outside post in a rapid :26.4 for the opening quarter. That made it seem like she would be vulnerable, and, indeed, the favorite TSM Photo Bugger came brushing up on the back stretch to challenge. But when he reached Ostrich Blue Chip, she accelerated again and left him hanging on the outside.
From there, it was just a matter of sealing the deal, and Ostrich Blue Chip was able to do that with aplomb. She withstood yet another charge from the game TSM Photo Bugger at the end of the mile, coming home three-quarters of a length in front. The winning time of 1:53.1 was a new career-best and also the fastest trotting time posted at Pocono this week. For all of those red flags, Ostrich Blue Chip was the one who took home the green, as in the winner’s share of the $14,000 purse.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: LMC Mass Gem (Simon Allard, Rene Allard), who moved up in class to capture Sunday night’s featured condition trot, winning in 1:56.3 in the slop for his second straight victory; Skates N Plates (Anthony Napolitano, Andrew Harris), who stepped up the condition ladder to pick up his second straight win on Monday night, this one coming in 1:55.4; and Manchego, the three-year-old filly superstar who stayed perfect, two for two this year and 14 for 14 lifetime, with a Pennsylvania All-Stars victory on Tuesday night in 1:52.4, matching her career mark.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: HIGHLAND DYNAMITE
Dynamite, indeed: This trotting filly, with Simon Allard driving, pulled a stunner in Pennsylvania All-Stars action Tuesday night, winning at approximately 124-1 to pay off $250.80 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: GEORGE NAPOLITANO JR.
The milestones just keep on coming for Pocono’s 10-time driving champion, as his win on Monday night with Myidealson N was the 9,000th driving victory of his illustrious career.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: JENNIFER LAPPE
Lappe sent out a pair of New Zealand-bred winners on Saturday night, each of whom managed a new career-best with their victory: Motown N in 1:50.1 and Seel The Deal N in 1:51.1.
That will do it for this week at Pocono, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Week In Review

October 7-13, 2017
It’s pretty difficult to believe that we are in the final quarter of the racing season here at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. (The warm weather is quite deceiving, because it certainly hasn’t seemed like autumn around here.) It will be soon be time to pick out yearend honors at Pocono, but that can wait a bit. For now, let’s be content to find the finest horses of the past week as we hand out the Weekly Awards.
PACER OF THE WEEK: SI SEMALU
This seven-year-old gelding from the Bruce Clarke barn has been a solid performer for much of the season both here and at Harrah’s, but he seems to really be peaking here at the tail end of the meet. On September 30, Si Semalu dropped into a $12,500 condition pace and worked out a trip from an outside post, coming up late for a win in 1:50:1 as a 16-1 long shot. The winning time was a new career-best mark.
On Saturday night, he stepped back up into the $14,000 condition group, a class that had given him problems earlier this season. This was a pretty stacked race, with a field that included million-dollar earner Lucan Hanover as the odds-on favorite. Si Semalu got away third from the #7 post as an 8-1 shot with Jim Marohn Jr. in the bike, while Lucan Hanover called the early shots. The pace was quick and the leader was pressured throughout.
On the home stretch, Marohn had room to nudge Si Semalu to the outside. After saving so much energy to that point, he powered home past a tiring Lucan Hanover and held off closer Sports Bettor by three parts of a length. His winning time was 1:50:3, giving him two straight victories with sizzling times and a lot of confidence heading into whatever comes next.
Other top pacers this week include: Unbeamlieveable (Matt Kakaley, Vincent Fusco Jr.), a mare who overcame an outside post and a barn switch to capture her second straight claiming handicap on Monday, getting it done in a career-best 1:52; Motor City Marco (John Kakaley, Travis Alexander), a three-year-old who rolled on the front end on Sunday to his third straight condition victory, picking up the victory in a new career-best of  1:53:3; and Allstar Partner (Anthony Napolitano, Andrew Harris), whose condition victory on Saturday night in a career-best 1:49 represented the fastest pacing time of the past week at Pocono.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: MONEYDONTBUYULOVE
It has been an impressive streak put together of late by this four-year-old gelding from the Rene Allard barn. He came into a condition trot on Sunday night having won his last four consecutive starts. One of those was at Pocono in a non-winners of three condition group on September  5 on a sloppy track in 1:57. There was also a victory at Saratoga and back-to-back scores at Yonkers amassed by Moneydontbuyulove during the hot stretch.
On Sunday night, Moneydontbuyulove faced his toughest test yet, going up against a noon-winners of five class for a purse of $16,000. The fact that he was stepping up didn’t scare off the bettors, who made him a 1-9 favorite in a short field of six. His toughest competition figured to be from Arch Credit, a three-year-old who was coming off a sharp qualifier and sure enough hustled to the lead.
Arch Credit attempted to set nasty enough fractions to shake the favorite, but even getting to the three-quarter mark in 1:24:4 didn’t do the trick, as Moneydontbuyulove stayed attached. In the stretch, it was essentially a two-horse race, and Moneydontbuyulove utilized the passing lane to make his play for the lead. With Simon Allard in the bike, he glided by to beat Arch Credit by 1 ¾ lengths. For the icing on the cake, his fifth straight victory came in a new career mark of 1:54:1.
Honorable mention on the trotting side goes to: Catch A Mission (Jim Marohn Jr., Erv Miller), a mare who followed up a win at Harrah’s with one at Pocono in a condition on Sunday night in 1:53:4, which was the fastest trotting time of the week; Silvermass Volo (Mike Simons, Michael Holcman), who rallied from far back for a condition win on Sunday night in 1:54:3; and Stormont Wizard (Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke), who moved up in class to knock off a condition group on Tuesday night in 1:54, which was a new career-best time.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: SIBSON
This trotter previously had issues staying on stride, but, with Anthony Napolitano in the bike, he was flat and fast in a condition win on Tuesday night at 33-1, paying $68.80 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: JOHN KAKALEY
The veteran driver had just four drives on Sunday night but won with two of them, scoring with pacer Motor City Marco and trotter Swiss Platinum.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: BRUCE CLARKE
The Clarke barn scored three wins on the week, highlighted by a training double on Sunday night and the second straight win by Si Semalu on Saturday 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].