It was a dark and grey night -- literally -- at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, as eight grey and roan horses went behind the gate for the annual Grey Ghost and Poltergeist Pace on Wednesday night.
On a cool night with a track listed as sloppy after rain throughout the day, the Invitational Race, the fourth on the card, got underway at 7:25 p.m.
Six Gun, trained by Nick Sodano and driven by Anthony Napolitano, shot out of the gate quickly. He was followed by the Tyler Buter-driven Jonsie Jones, the powerhouse mare shipping in from Yonkers, and Delco Rocknroll, another Yonkers shipper with Andrew McCarthy in the bike. Gotta Love Him, last year’s winner of this race, settled into fourth, with Pocono’s leading driver George Napolitano Jr. in the bike. Waltzacrossthewire took a bad step early and was way back.
Fractions were quick and Delco Rocknroll took over at the half in :54.4, leading the ghostly greys. Putnams Storm with Pat Berry in the bike shot by and stole the lead at the three-quarter pole, but Im Blue Too, racing for the new barn of Rene Allard and driven by Simon Allard, sailed past to win by four lengths. Delco Rocknroll finished third. The final time was 1:51.4.
Im Blue Too (General Aidid–Broadway Melody) now has eight wins from 18 starts for the season.
The race was sponsored by the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York and representatives were on hand with an exhibit honouring the great trotter Greyhound. The night was also a fundraiser for the trotter’s exhibit at the museum, and commemorative wristbands were sold. The winner’s circle was filled with children of Pocono horsemen, in costume, and representatives of the Harness Racing Museum.
(With files from Pocono Downs)