Braxten Boyd, the young driver becoming known for his ability to get the most out of longshots, guided 10-1 shot Dire Straits to a 1:52.4 victory in the $34,247 Winners Over Handicap Trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 29.

Two of the sextet of featured horses lost gait as the field came off the turn before the start, and favoured Ferretti (Matt Kakaley) took back, but the inner three vied for early command, with Dire Straits finally making the front after a :27 opener. Boyd got him a breather to a :56.1 half then picked up the tempo to three-quarters in 1:24.2 as the outer tier made gains. Ferretti was second-over and swung wide at headstretch, but Dire Straits was just too far away to be overhauled, coming home in :28.2 in notching a 1-1/4-length triumph. Ferretti took the place cheque, passing show finisher Warrawee Yang (Tyler Buter) late. 

Ed Hart trains Dire Straits, a son of Muscle Hill-Southwind Cocoa, now a winner of $433,774, for owners Richard Gutnick of Blue Bell, Pa., Thomas Pontone of Holmdel, N.J., and Gary Cocco of Eddystone, Pa. The five-year-old stallion has won 12 of 51 career starts. He returned $23.60 to win.

Belmont Major N had won two of his last three starts against the top claiming handicap pacers at Pocono, but he still was dismissed at 9-1 in the Sunday $21,918 sub-feature. Anthony Napolitano (the leading driver on the card with four victories) did not let the outside post eight deter him, sending the Art Major-Belmont Fire gelding right to command and rolling on to fractions of :26.3, :55.2, and 1:22.4. Belmont Major N then held off the favoured pocket-sitter Lunar (Jack Pelling) by a half-length in 1:50.3. Priceless Beach (Boyd) was third. Lou Pena conditions the razor-sharp Belmont Major N for Todd’s Auto. The nine-year-old gelding, who returned $21.60 to win, is 33-for-146 lifetime with $509,900 in earnings.

A three-year-old trotting colt making his second start of the year five weeks before the Hambletonian might seem a dicey proposition for glory, but if your parents are Walner and Check Me Out, and if you are trained by Lucas Wallin, well, the odds against The Rogue Prince, a $375,000 yearling purchase, don’t seem so high. And when he came first-over, trotting his back fractions in :55.3 and :27.2, to win in a lifetime-best 1:53.4 by 5-1/2 lengths, the odds are surely not as steep as first thought for The Rogue Prince. The colt is now three-for-six lifetime for Wallin Racing Stable Inc., Karin Walter-Mommert, Arden Homestead Stable and Solfrid Myhre.

Tony Beltrami delivered a pair of odds-on chalks to win both American Harness Drivers Club trotting races on the card with All Rise and Papa Doc.

The first local stakes action of the season for two-year-olds comes Monday, with four $30,000 USD divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for trotting fillies; that card will also feature a $25,000 USD fast-class contest for distaff pacers.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Dire Straits warming up at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2022)