Fiftyshadesofblu is now three-for-three for trainer Britney Dillon and the Joseph Musser Trust, coming to Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania and overcoming the outside eight-hole to win the $21,528 featured conditioned trot at the mountain oval on Tuesday, March 31.

Tyler Buter, the winningest driver at Pocono last year and this, showed the patient sulky skills that have helped him four feature races in the last five Pocono cards, gradually working forward with the Hoosier shipper to make the lead near the :28 quarter, then easing back to rate a :58 half. Fiftyshadesofblu (pictured above) accelerated with the backstretch tailwind to hit the three-quarters in 1:26.2, and the four-year-old Fiftydallarbill-Skyla Blu gelding named his own margin to the wire, eventually finishing 5-1/2 lengths to the good while lowering his mark to 1:55.3. Double Arch (Jim Pantaleano) and Masseto (Anthony Napolitano) rounded out the top three.

Plenty of hopefuls for the upcoming Weiss Series for developing three-year-olds raced on the Tuesday card after having been declared in for the Weiss first preliminaries – on Saturday for pacing colts, and on Monday for their trotting counterparts. The two victorious side-wheelers were Barrow, a Captaintreacherous gelding who is three-for three this year for driver Bradley Chisholm and trainer Brett Pelling after winning in 1:52.1, and the Huntsville gelding Casper The Ghost, starting off his season by taking a new mark of 1:53.1, back half :56.1, for Buter and trainer Ray Schnittker.

On the diamond-gaited side, the International Moni gelding Dilly Hanover stepped his back half in :56.3 to make a successful career bow in 1:56.3 for driven Braxten Boyd and trainer Emily Bost, while the Captain Corey gelding Captain Micah broke his maiden with a 1:58.3 tally for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander.

All of the day’s top horsemen were represented in these quality races: Boyd and Buter had driving triples, and Kakaley a driving double; Schnittker was the only trainer who had a pair of victories.

As noted, the Weiss Series begins during the track’s next card on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the pacing colts joined by fast-class pacers going for $27,500 USD; the trotting colts will headline Monday and both gaits of fillies will be featured on the Tuesday program. Each of the four groupings has three $17,500 USD preliminary rounds, with the top performers squaring off in four $50,000 USD championships starting on Saturday, April 25.

(PHHA / Pocono Downs)