Two-year-old pacing filly Honey Roll extended her win streak to six in the John Simpson Sr. Stakes at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 18.
There were two divisions for freshman pacing females and two for sophomore trotting males. In both groups, the only favourite to win in the divisions turned in the group’s fastest mile.
The Stay Hungry-Pleasant Roll filly Honey Roll has certainly been a roll recently, as she followed up on a victory in her Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes Championship with a Simpson victory on a windy day that seemed like the coldest at the mountain track in months. Honey Roll had the largest winning margin in her Fair Championships (11 lengths) and she was most clear in the Simpson as well, with a 2-3/4-length victory in her $64,577 division in 1:54.1 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Steve Cook and Bay Pond Racing Stable of Malvern, Pennsylvania. Honey Roll now has nine wins in her 12-race freshman campaign, the last six consecutively, for more than $80,000 in earnings. The favoured filly was followed by Gigi N Miki (Jim Panaleano) and Schnapps Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) in second and third, respectively.
Gift Of Faith broke her maiden in her last start and the Captaintreacherous-Cannae Cammie miss got her second straight success with a length victory in the other two-year-old pacing filly division, scoring in 1:55. Driver Jack Pelling went to the lead and won nicely for his father, trainer Brett Pelling, and the ownership of David McDuffee of Rye, New Hampshire, Paul Bordogna of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Ont. Favourite Happy Papi (Tyler Buter) finished second and Sublime Hanover (Matt Kakaley) was third.
Among the three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, only the Chapter Seven-My Abigail colt Seven Grand lived up to the crowd’s confidence in his $42,254 division, tucking in third early for driver Brian Sears, re-entering the fray nearing the three-quarters and able to keep a length margin at the finish over slight second choice Minoan (Johnathan Ahle), with Oversear (Chuck Norris) third. Coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Bluegrass Stakes, Seven Grand lowered his mark to 1:54 for trainer Åke Svanstedt, who is also a co-owner with Little E of New York City, New York, Soderberg Bloodstock of Lexington, Kentucky and Van Camp Trotting of Port Perry, Ont.
The Svanstedt shedrow sent out a second Simpson winner in the Captain Corey-Wet My Whistle gelding Mr Penner, who controlled a reasonable pace and had a 1-1/2-length margin at the end of his 1:54.4 mile ahead of favoured Hamlet Hall (Mike Wilder). Nofreak Volo (Tyler Buter) completed the top three. Simon Allard was in the sulky for owners/breeders Åke Svanstedt Inc. and Little E, along with partner Knutsson Trotting of Delray Beach, Florida.
The hot sire Captain Corey had another of his progeny win, with the gelding Captain Vodka (dam Agro Dolce) digging in nicely for a win by a half length, shortest margin of all the stakes races, in a career-best 1:54.2. Ridge Warren had the drive for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., who is also co-owner with Christine Baggitt of Bangor, Pennsylvania and J L Sadowsky of Bonita Springs, Florida. Create Escape (Tyler Buter) was the close runner-up with Tymal Kryptonite (Shawn Johnston) finishing back in third.
In the other division, Highball Hanover become the first horse to pay $50+ to win twice at this meet but looked nothing like a longshot, going first-over after tucking then still with the power to win by 1-1/4 lengths over a pair of Svanstedt stablemates, the favoured Blugrass Stakes champion Magic Punk (Brian Sears) and Secured (Tyler Buter). Jordan Stratton handled the Bar Hopping-Hall Of A Dream gelding in the 1:54.2 victory for Sjoblom Racing And M Dolan of Chesterfield, New Jersey, Joe Sbrocco And JAF Racing of Staten Island, New York, Caviart Farms of Vienna, Virginia and P C Wellwood Enterprises of Cambridge, Ont. The triumph also put trainer Noel Daley on top of the “Pocono Bomber Brigade" with his third $50+ win price of the year.
In the week's $38,732 Winners Over fast-class pace, the Bettors Delight-Somethinincredible gelding Always A Thrill was last to the top and first to the wire, pacing in 1:50 despite the less-than-ideal conditions in winning by a half-length over Maximus Miki (George Napolitano Jr.). Matt Kakaley drove the favoured Travis Alexander trainee for owner Eric Prevost of Boynton Beach, Florida. The five-year-old pacer went over $600,000 in career earnings with his 20th victory.
Racing returns to Pocono on Monday at 1 p.m., with a single $84,700 USD division of the Simpson Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts. There are also several high-class overnight trots on the card.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)