If you were ever to see a six-horse field lined up 6-5-4-3-2-1 under the wire the first time, it would be in the featured $16,500 USD claiming handicap pace at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, where the USD claiming price of the entrants, in the order listed above, was $39,000, $36,000, $34,000, $32,000 and two $30,000s.

The race came down to the lead horse and the pocket horse, Belmont Major N and Intimidation, and the Art Major gelding Belmont Major N held on tenaciously to snatch a 1:52 decision over his threatening rival as the rain came down for the first time on the night.

Fractions of :26.1 and :55.1 have proven to be within Belmont Major N’s capacity recently, and so he had enough to turn back the first-over bid of favoured Real Surreal passing the 1:23.1 three-quarters. But Intimidation was fresh and live in the two-hole, and Anthony Napolitano coaxed the horse along, and he got enough response late to down his Pocono Pike rival by a nose with slow-clearing Hammering Hank missing getting the big end of the money by a head.

Speaking of money, Belmont Major N was claimed for $30,000 USD on April 5 by owner Todd’s Auto and trainer Lou Pena, and since then in five starts Belmont Major N has three wins, a third and a fourth, worth $28,800 USD in purses for his two-month stay with his connections.

The racing week continues on Monday at 1 p.m. and concludes on Tuesday, with that card also having a 1 p.m. start. The first two-year-olds of the season are scheduled for the Wednesday morning qualifiers, and then the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old trotting males come to town on Saturday, June 7.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)