Boots N Chains overcame a first-over trip to win the $12,800 feature for high-priced claiming trotters on Tuesday afternoon (July 28) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, a race where the top seven finishers were within two lengths of each other at the wire.

The Yankee Glide gelding Boots N Chains plugged along relentlessly out in the air and proved to have enough to defeat closer CR Blazin Beauty by a half length in 1:55.2. The favoured pacesetter Striking Encore finished close behind in third. Daniel Dube drove Boots N Chains, who is a career winner of $365,976, for trainer Brandon Todd and owner Belrose Standard LLC.

The Tuesday card also features four $10,400 events for two-year-olds, and driver David Miller was victorious in both pacing features – although he had to share one. In the pacing colt contest, Miller had the impeccably-bred freshman Perfect Sting (Always B Miki – Shebestingin) on the lead in his purse bow. The Sweet Lou–Faster Faster colt Myboysweetmax came at Perfect Sting from the pocket late, and the photo-finish camera could not separate the two at the wire in 1:53. Perfect Sting is trained by Joe Holloway for Brittany Farms LLC and Val D’Or Farms, while Mysweetboymax was driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Sam DePinto and owners Robert and Brandon Horowitz. The time went down as a life's mark for each of the victors.

Miller actually had an easier time in the filly pace, as he and the pocket-sitting Fire Start Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere–Fit To Frame) were able to get by the pace-setter Odds On Whitney to tally a one and a half-length victory in 1:53 (even though Fire Start Hanover was 17-1 and Odds On Whitney was 1-9). Trainer Nifty Norman saw his pupil break her maiden and take a new mark for the Pinske Stables, David Hoese, and Lawrence Means.

On the trotting side, driver Kakaley and trainer Norman, also winners on the pace, tasted additional victory. Kakaley, top driver on the card with four wins, won the filly event with the Father Patrick–Noble Miss filly Diffident, who rolled on the engine to a six and a half-length victory in her purse debut while posting a new record of 1:57.2 for trainer Åke Svanstedt and the SRF Stable.

The colt winner had an even bigger margin (over twice as much), as the Cantab Hall–Jolie De Vie gelding Jack Fire left his rivals 14 lengths in arrears at the end of a 1:56.3 mile. Jack Fire overcame the outside Post 9 to run his record to 3-2-1-0 and take a new mark for trainer Norman and the partnership of the Pinske Stables and Curly Tall Curly Small.

(PHHA / Pocono)