Keystone Riptide recorded her third win in her last four starts, quarter-moving to the lead and going on to a 1:52.4 victory in the $17,500 distaff pacing feature Tuesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Driver Marcus Miller brushed with the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere past the :27.1 quarter, then put up middle splits of :56 and 1:24.1. Keystone Riptide, a winner of $260,800, stayed strong in the lane to win by two lengths over closing Forever Liza, with favoured Sail To The Beach having to settle for third behind the Randy Bendis-trained mare; Bendis is also co-owner with the eight-time 2018 winner with Thomas Pollack.
In a thrilling internal battle that lasted the entire week, Anthony Napolitano notched five winners on the Tuesday card while his brother George took down two heats, making their "final score" for the four-day race week Anthony Nap 16, George Nap 15. The Napolitanos thus won 31 of the 53 races conducted during the week -- which means that some combination of their red and white colors was seen in the winners circle an extraordinary 58% of the time this week!
Speaking of "extraordinary," as the saying goes, "It all comes down to the Breeders Crown," and the Breeders Crown now comes to the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, bringing the cream of the harness racing crop to northeast Pennsylvania. The only Friday night card of the year, at 7 p.m., will see ten elimination races for two-year-olds; on Saturday starting at 7, all fourteen races will be Crown elimination for three-year-olds and for the older set. Those advancing out of their eliminations will be back a week from Saturday, October 27, for the $6,000,000 2018 Breeders Crown Championship Card, with the Pocono action on the huge night beginning at 5:30 p.m.
(PHHA / Pocono)