An atypical backstretch headwind combined with an atypical number of front-end duels resulting in wild fractions, leading to many come-from-behind horses posting upsets during most of the Saturday (Oct. 3) afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

The best example of the combining of all these trends was the 1:49.2 victory of 15-1 shot Jolimont N in the $39,286 top fast-class pace. Splash Brother motored away powerfully from the pole, with the two favourites, Lou Hill and Christopher Dance N, outside early. Lou Hill made a break after backing off, but Christopher Dance N went on and made the lead, but only after paying a hefty :25.4 price. Christopher Dance N continued on to a :53.1 half and a 1:21.1 three-quarters, having been joined by pocketpulling Splash Brother before that station.

Driver Matt Kakaley moved Jolimont N, a Sweet Lou gelding, into a cover position on the far turn, then kept on gaining after Splash Brother took the lead nearing the stretch. Jolimont N was the fresh horse and went on to win by two lengths over Splash Brother while posting the upset for trainer Lance Hudson and owner William Hartt, lowering his mark by a tick as he won his third race in his last five starts.

The strong wind died down late in the card, which likely helped both subfeature fast-class winners to go wire-to-wire to victory. Kakaley came back to take the $30,000 second-level event with the Bettors Delight gelding Always A Thrill, never better in his $574,006 career as he motored home in :53.4 - :26.2 to lower his mark two seconds to 1:48.2 for trainer Travis Alexander and owner Eric Prevost.

Always A Thrill’s win came in the thirteenth race on the fourteen-race card; in the fourteenth, the $26,429 third-level pace for the veterans, Wedlock Blue Chip, a son of Bettors Wish, also could not be caught, coming home in :27.1 to stop the timer in 1:50. Braxten Boyd drove the winner for trainer Polie Mallar and owner Richard Cortese.

Though speed held up at the very end, only two of the first eleven winners on the day could sustain their pacesetting efforts to the finish. One of those miles came in the faster of two $25,000 trots for developing horses, with the Captain Corey sophomore colt Jim Beam, the heavy favourite off wins in the Colonial and a PA Sire Stakes Consolation, gaining command in front of the stands and holding the advantage to the end of the 1:53.2 mile for driver Jim Marohn Jr., trainer Scott Di Domenico, and owner Allen Wenc.

The topsy-turviness of most of the day’s racing returned in the other segment of this class, when the Crazy Wow gelding Spending Crazy checked in first in 1:53.4 despite not having raced since May 30. Trainer Todd Buter had him ready, and Pocono’s leading driver Tyler Buter stalked from just off the pace, then was able to go past the leaders to be an open-length winner for Mary Abbot, Lawrence Vincent, and Michael Card.

The drivers winning the featured paces, Matt Kakaley (three wins in all) and Braxten Boyd (two), were the only drivers to visit Victory Lane more than once on Saturday; the only trainer with a pair of wins was Deborah Daguet.

One consequence of the many upsets is that there will be a carryover into Monday’s fourth race Pick 3 wager at The Downs; that 1:00 p.m. card will find high-class trotters squaring off in a $21,000 USD headliner.

(Pocono Downs)