Captinhammerhead A, a Yonkers Raceway regular, lowered his mark by three seconds as he captured the the $41,549 Winners Over Pace in 1:48.4 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a drizzly Saturday, July 18, with the track rated as "good" for the featured event.

George Napolitano Jr. reserved his pacer near the back during cutthroat fractions of :25.4 and :54, then moved the son of Captaintreacherous-Rogers Passion into a lively outer tier and swung him wide approaching the 1:21 three quarters. George’s brother Anthony had gone uncovered with Control Rocks and made the lead, and past midstretch it appeared to be a sibling battle to the wire. They were in tight quarters momentarily, but the Aussie import regathered momentum and won by a half-length for trainer Scott Blackler and owner Chad Kowal. The very game Congressional finished with impressive vigour off an arduous journey to photo Control Rocks for second.

Captinhammerhead A tallied his third win in seven starts since making his United States debut in May. The seven-year-old is now 18-for-57 lifetime with $348,902 in earnings. He paid $13.80 to win. 

Trainer Ron Burke had a triple on the program, headed by the four-year-old Southwind Frank-Regal Woman gelding Frank Leahy ($8.40) in a $24,648 conditioned event for trotters. The gelding never left the safety of the inside until mid-turn, then closed with a rush to post a two-length win over Lmc Wagon Wheel (Ridge Warren) in 1:52.4 in the only upper-class event raced while track was still rated sloppy. Voguish (Braxten Boyd) was third. Leading trainer Burke combined with top driver Tyler Buter to win with Frank Leahy, who is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

Buter and Burke won three of the first five races to further their meet advantages and also lead their respective categories on the day. Burke, the winningest trainer in North America in 2026, is 14 wins ahead of Darren Taneyhill on the Pocono leaderboard.

In the $26,056 sub-featured conditioned pace, the six-year-old American Ideal-Feeling You gelding American Fling ($20.20) closed from parts unknown to be along in 1:50.4 for driver Ridge Warren and trainer Randy Bendis, the latter co-owner with Pollack Racing LLC. American Fling also used three-wide sweeping tactics en route to his win as the third choice, with the two favourites sixth and seventh after hard work on or near the lead. The result was part of a tough day for chalks and front-steppers alike, with two from each of those categories winning on the 12-race program.

In the other $24,648 race for developing trotters, the five-year-old Archangel-Provide As mare Black Velvet As ($4.40) overcame a two-move trip and an equipment malfunction to finish a head to the good of 38-1 shot Wapiti Blue Chip (Kevin Wallis) in 1:52.4. Caballero (Anthony Napolitano) completed the top three. Brett Beckwith was in the sulky behind the winner for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owner ACL Stuteri AB.

Driving doubles were notched by George Napolitano Jr. and Ridge Warren.

During Sunday’s 5 p.m. twilight card, the penultimate Sunday program at Pocono in 2026, $210,455 USD is on offer in Pennsylvania-sired action. There will be three divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and four of the Pennsylvania Stallion Series for two-year-old pacing fillies. There will also be a double carryover into the fifth-race Pick 5 and a carryover into the first-race Pick Four.

And looking ahead, an interesting name appears as driver for two horses Tuesday – Hall of Fame horseman Brian Sears, down to handle two charges of Hunter Oakes after having not driven in a purse race since November 2023.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)