Dash Of Danger kept his Bobby Weiss Series record after the third preliminary round for male pacers on Monday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, scooting up the Pocono Pike and reducing his mark a fifth to 1:51.3 to take his $15,000 section.
The Western Hanover gelding fled the gate quickly from his outside post six for driver Matt Kakaley, but met a determined rail starter in Dakota Jack, with the latter forcing the winner to take the pocket seat by the quarter in :26.4. Dakota Jack (2-1 odds) put up middle splits of :54.3 and 1:23.1 (the slowish third split explained partially by a headwind), with Dash Of Danger (the 9-5 second choice) in the two-hole and even-money favourite Rough Odds swinging three-wide off cover turning for home
The race was on among last week’s three winners in the Weiss, and it was Dash Of Danger who emerged victorious, largely through track geometry, as he could duck into the Pike and then held off Rough Odds, who suffered a good deal of ground displacement while wide then straightening and, though closing perhaps strongest of all, missed by a length, with Dakota Jack third.
The victory was the fourth in succession, all at Pocono, for Dash Of Danger, who is trained by Ron Burke for the combine of Burke Racing Stables LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and Marc Reynolds.
Also finding the inside route the winning one over the red clay surface was the Somebeachsomewhere colt Magritte, who lowered his record four seconds to 1:51.4. Matt Kakaley also had sulky duties behind this winner and handled him the same way as Dash Of Danger, getting him into the pocket, then tipping him down into the Pipe, er, Pike, making the lead, then holding off the deep inside bid of Ascaryone Hanover by a head for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owner Ted Gewertz.
Also getting a new speed badge was the third winner among the males, the Bettors Delight gelding A Bettors Risk, lowering his mark to 1:52.2 for driver Simon Allard, trainer/brother Rene, and owner Robert Hamather. A Bettors Risk made the lead, got a :58 middle half breather, then withstood Western Tyrant, who was sixth at headstretch but blasted home, only to miss by a half-length.
On the female pacers side of the Weiss, the Camluck mare Cousin Mary rang up her sixth straight win and boosted her Weiss record to 2-for-2 with a seemingly-effortless wire-to-wire victory in 1:53.2 – the only one of tonight’s Weiss winners to not take a new mark, as she went a fifth faster upon coming to Pocono last week. But Cousin Mary won with what looked like plenty of reserve for driver Anthony Napolitano, as she ran her 2017 record to 9-for-11 and her seasonal bankroll to $112,500 for trainer Andrew Harris and owner Jeffrey Williamson.
Also raising her Weiss tally to 2-for-2 and taking a new record was the Bettors Delight filly Miss Jones, who made a quick brush to the lead early in the backstretch and then won handily in the fastest female sector, 1:52.4, for driver Corey Callahan and trainer Joe Holloway. Owner Ted Gewertz, who also owns a piece of Monday Weiss winner Magritte as noted above, racked up an owning double, as he is in partnership on this promising miss with Crawford Farms Racing and Val D’Or Farms.
Trainer Scott Di Domenico, who recently reached the 1,000 career training wins plateau, is well on his way towards 2,000 with a talented barn that includes Angels Pride, a Roll With Joe filly who made a sweeping late move en route to an open-length victory for driver Jim Marohn, Jr. while lowering her mark two seconds to 1:53. Triple D Stables Inc. shares ownership of Angels Pride with JFE Enterprise LLC, and with only six lifetime starts under her girth, it’s logical to think that this filly can improve even further.
Trotters take over the Weiss Series spotlight on the Tuesday card at Pocono, with the third preliminary round for females and the second prelim for males each filling three divisions.
(PHHA/Pocono)