A pair of $21,918 contests, one on each gait, headed the afternoon card on Saturday, May 24 as Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania opened up a four-day racing week. And all-time Pocono driving champion George Napolitano Jr. held the hot hands, producing six winners on the 12-race card, including in both feature races.

The pacing feature, for fast-class performers, saw Maxim Hanover not able to find a first-turn hole (shut by eventual winner Southwind Celsius and Napolitano), so he had to go on past the favoured Miki Shan N, used hard well past the :27.1 opener before hitting the top, then getting to the half in :55.2.

Into the backstretch Miki Shan N came up paceless, allowing first-over Chimichurri N into the pocket and putting “second-over” Southwind Celsius uncovered. The victorious son of Captain Crunch had the pedal to the metal to clear to the inside midturn after the 1:23 three-quarters, only to have Maxim Hanover find a late surge of pace to rebound to within a head in the 1:50.3 mile. Nicholas Devita trains the winner for owners David Hamm, Glenn Phillips, and Pit Bull Stables LLC.

The trotting event was for developing horses, and it was won by a shipper from The Meadows, the Southwind Frank gelding Tenforthebigguy, who overcame a tough trip to equal his lifetime mark of 1:54.1. Tenforthebigguy was out past the :26.4 quarter before finding a pylon spot third, then soon after the :55.4 half he was right-lined by Napolitano and advanced first-over. Going to the lead past the 1:24.3 three-quarters, he then had to hold off the Pocono Pike charge of potential pocket rocket Kovu As by three parts of a length for trainer Scot Davidson and the ownership of Randy’s Lawn Care.

Napolitano also posted the fastest clocking of the card, a 1:50 success with Combustion, a son of Captaintreacherous who went to the lead off the first turn and didn’t have an anxious moment thereafter for trainer Doug Dilloian Jr. and owners David Linker, Brian Loman, and Robert Venable.

When racing resumes at Pocono Sunday, May 25 at 6 p.m., there will be a carryover into the Pick 5 wager. Monday’s 1 p.m. card will feature three $30,000 USD divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest for three-year-old trotting fillies, and the week’s racing concludes with a Tuesday 1 p.m. program. 

( PHHA / Pocono)