Dandy Ideal and Ruthless Hanover were the two horses handicapped to the outside posts in the $40,972 fast-class featured Winners Over Handicap pace – with the scratch of Ruthless Hanover, Dandy Ideal became the overwhelming favourite and he proved himself worthy of the faith with a 1:49.1 victory on Saturday, Aug. 8 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

Tyler Buter sent the four-year-old American Ideal-Ok Heavenly gelding to the lead nearing the :26.1 quarter, then got a breather to the :55.1 half. The pace picked up with a tailwind at the three-quarters to a 1:21.4 fraction into the turn and then Buter could get a :27.2 last quarter out of him into the breeze, fastest of the day (the average last quarter of the other races on the day was :29).

The game Congressional (Kevin Wallis), as quick a gate-leaver as anyone, went out and sat the pocket, but he was 1-1/4 lengths behind Dandy Ideal, who now has career earnings of $1,593,468 from 20 victories in 35 starts. Hunter Oakes trains the New York Sires Stakes graduate for Susan Oakes of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Alan Johnston of Syracuse, New York.

Favourites won the three featured races at Pocono on Saturday afternoon – but mutuel mayhem was more the order of the day.

The Betting Line-Gallie Bythe Beach gelding Goliath Hanover had to overcome the rough tuck then first-over journey in the $22,222 fast-class pacing sub-feature, but the five-year-old pacer proved equal to the tough task, grinding to the wire first ahead of pacesetter Be Dazzle Lou A (:26.3, :56, 1:23.1) to win by the smallest possible margin in 1:51. Jack Pelling got the giant effort out of the winner for trainer Darren Taneyhill and P T Stable of Brick, New Jersey.

In a $24,206 trot for up-and-coming horses, the four-year-old Walner-Dark As A Pocket gelding Night Phantom went wire-to-wire in his debut for trainer Lily Cimino, leading past the poles in :26.2, :55.4 and 1:23.4 en route to a three-length win in 1:53.3. Anthony Napolitano had the sulky duty behind the winner of four of his last five for owner Jaypaul Hoover of Ephrata, Pennsylvania.

The other side of “the chalk line” is reflected by the fact that there were three winners who paid $50 or more to win – the first time that event has happened at Pocono since April 29, 2024. The Robert Belcher trainee Nvrfearlloydishere was the top payer at $115.40, driven by Dan Rawlings, and Tyler Buter was also a part of the longshot lunacy with Oakes trainee Imaginary Line despite post eight at $62. Of course, it figured that Buter would be somewhere in the big-number mix – in addition to having the most overall victories for the meet, Buter also has the most $50+ winners with five (one ahead of Anthony Napolitano, who is second to him in the seasonal standings).

Buter had four winners overall on Saturday to earn himself another distinction; Simon Allard doubled. Trainers with two wins include Oakes and Taneyhill, with Buter driving both of the former’s and one of the latter’s.

The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series come to town for their third preliminary leg on Monday card beginning at 1 p.m., with $191,292 USD up for grabs among two Sire Stakes divisions and four Stallion Series sections. And, of course, just around the corner is the $2.4 million USD Sun Stakes Saturday supercard – more details to come as the Aug. 22 card firms up.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)