Eclipse Me N, in career form and perhaps on her way to challenge fellow New Zealander Shartin N at this rate, won the $17,500 mares pacing feature Tuesday night (May 15) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, crossing the wire in 1:50.1 under a snug Simon Allard hold.

The daughter of Real Desire, two-for-two at The Downs, rallied from last to first in the stretch in her local debut. On Tuesday, she rocketed to the lead past the half and stormed home in :27.2 with seeming ease. Keystone Riptide was a game second, 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner. Eclipse Me N completed a triple for driver Simon Allard and trainer Rene Allard. Allard Racing Inc., Yves Sarrazin, and Donald MacRae own the six-year-old, whose 1:50.1 win was a personal best.

Immediately after the feature came two $14,000 sub-features, the first for trotters and the other for pacing mares. In the trot, Simon Allard bagged his fourth sulky success of the night, rallying Bucketlist Hanover from the pocket to take command in the stretch, then holding off the late-charging Kandy Korn by a nose while equaling her mark of 1:54.2. Pierre Paradis trains the Cantab Hall gelding for owner Paul Andre Lehoux.

In the race for pacing distaffs, Albany Girl lost a shoe and caused a recall — and may have been the focus of harness racing’s first live shoe repair broadcast on a track’s television system, as an alert TV crew showed the blacksmith working on the mare in the paddock. Albany Girl then stormed to the lead up the backstretch and went on to a 5-1/2 length victory in 1:51.1, her lifetime best. Albany Girl, who lost to Eclipse Me N by only a neck last week, was driven by Pat Berry for trainer Randy Bendis, who shares ownership with Thomas Pollack.

(with files from PHHA/Pocono)