Ghosts are supposed to be the spirits of those who have transitioned from one reality to another.
Which made the trainer of the winner of Tuesday’s $10,000 Grey Ghost and Poltergeist Pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono very appropriate – for the conditioner of the victorious Stirling Escort is Doug Hamilton, for whom Pocono had a retirement party at the 'end' of his career last week!
But Hamilton chose to stay at the barn another week, and “in his last official night of training before retirement” (that’s from a press release, so you know it’s true), Hamilton put a harness on a racehorse for the last time and sent out the Roll With Joe gray gelding Stirling Escort, who went a tough leave-then-first-over route, yet still succeeded in catching the event’s defending champion, White Rolls, by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.3. Matt Kakaley handled the sulky duties for Sandbur Farms, Valarie Sutton and Joseph Hemingway.
In a $16,000 co-feature for younger distaffs, driver Jim Marohn, Jr. and his partner in Team Anagram, Rob Harmon (rearrange the letters of their last name), combined with the Yankee Cruise sophomore Caroline Hanover to get home first in 1:54.3 for Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc.
In the $14,000 event for more seasoned females, the American Ideal mare Gweneeee J actually got a half-drop in company off a win at Philly last time, and the newest member of the $250,000 Club took advantage of the class relief to win in 1:51.3 for driver Andre McCarthy, trainer Ross Croghan, and the Let It Ride Stables Inc.
(PHHA/Pocono)