Shnitzledosomethin missed a neck to Stay Hungry in his Breeders Crown Final way back in 2017, and the now seven-year-old is still going strong, narrowing in on millionaire status and winning the $17,500 pacing side of the features at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday (Oct. 15)
Shnitzledosomethin fought to get the early lead, made favourite Casual Cool do more work to take over the top by a :26.1 quarter, only to go right back to the front before a :55 half. The son of Fred And Ginger then went a :26.3 third quarter with the wind, hoping to tire his foes out by getting to the three-quarters in 1:21.3, and the strategy succeeded. Even though Casual Cool got closer in the lane, Shnitzledosomethin had enough in reserve to win by a half length over the chalk in 1:49.4.
The red-hot teaming of driver Simon Allard and Pocono’s leading trainer Ron Burke is the braintrust behind Shnitzledosomethin, who is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Howard Taylor, and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC. He boosted his lifetime bankroll to $944,939.
On the trotting side, the lightly-raced but always-digging Explosive Matter six-year-old gelding Baldaquin rode lively cover to win in 1:56.2. The front end was much-contested, with fractions of :28.1, :57.4, and 1:26.2, and when they straightened away into the stretch headwind Baldaquin proved to have the most, winning by three-quarters of a length over Cant Say No, who never said no despite being outside the whole mile. Marcus Miller drove the strong-closing trotter, who has a 35-13-10-7 lifetime scorecard for trainer Louise Pepin, co-owner with Steven Bryden.
Impressive in his Pocono debut was the Rockin Image sophomore gelding Dalby Hanover, who won his Indiana Super Final at age two and appears to have been rejuvenated by the mountain air. The three-year-old posted fractions of :26.3, :54.3, and 1:21 en route to taking a new mark of 1:49.4 for trainer Jamal Williams, owner Rising Stein Stables LLC, and driver George Napolitano Jr., who won three races to lead the local colony today.
Pocono will be back in action for Monday and Tuesday afternoon cards beginning at 1:30 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)