Clarion Hall Captures Pocono Feature
The Windsong Espoir gelding Clarion Hall made a successful debut for the barn of Gilbert Garcia-Herrera, the leading trainer at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with driver Anthony Napolitano finding enough room up the inside to reduce the trotter’s mark to 1:54.4 in winning the $12,800 claiming handicap trot Monday (May 17).
Clarion Hall got early position then stayed inside and found himself shuffled back through quite a few lead changes, entering the stretch in the difficult fourth-inside position. However, the pace had been hot, and Napolitano was able to rally his charge up the "Pocono Pike" to catch the pacesetting Stop Resistin right on the money.
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Clarion Hall, who is owned by the trainer’s son Gilbert Garcia-Owen, actually carries some blueblood breeding – his sire was an O’Brien award winner at two, and he is a half-brother to the champion Cantab Hall. Although he had not won in 25 starts prior to Monday’s victory, he had put together a streak of nine wins in 11 starts at Yonkers in fall 2019, and has 21 victories in 82 trips to the gate.
In the $11,200 co-featured fast-class trot, the Trixton gelding No Drama Please was reserved off a fast pace, then narrowed in through the last quarter to catch pacesetter Blenheim in 1:54. No Drama Please has now won both starts since coming back from a three-month respite, with Matt Kakaley handling him here for trainer Tom Fanning and owner Joseph Smith.
Good younger horses will contest three $15,300 features on the Tuesday (May 18) card at Pocono, which starts at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). In addition, the Rainbow Pick 5 carryover will be $61,677.50.
When the track resumes racing Saturday (May 22), there will be three $30,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars divisions for three-year-old trotting colts, with quality sophomores such as Inaminute Hanover – winner of three straight and from the connections of 2019 Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade – and Whiskey Blu – unraced at two but with nine wins and two seconds in 11 starts – for trainer Ron Burke. Program pages will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)