Loud Splash, a son of Thinking Out Loud who was the longest shot on the board in the $16,000 claiming handicap pacing feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon, came from way back to post a 1:51.2 victory in a race where seven of the eight entrants were within 1-1/4 lengths of each other at the finish.
Despite showing good closing ability in his last four starts, Loud Splash was dismissed at 27-1, probably because he was going up to the track’s highest price level and drew the disadvantageous post six. But driver Jim Taggart Jr. had him out in a good cover flow, tipped him four-wide from sixth at headstretch, and guided him home strongly to win by a head over Burning Midnight, whose cover he followed most of the way, with Daamericansky another head shy coming up the Pocono Pike. But Loud Splash proved most photogenic in the contentious affair for trainer Tee Wine and owner Samuel Abdoo, and now has won three of his last four trips behind the gate.
A $12,000 conditioned pace looked like a good opportunity for the sophomore Scootnroll to improve his lifetime record to 10 for 11, and indeed he got to the lead in front of the stands and was still in command as they turned for home. But the Mysticism gelding Gold Star Yoder, whom Scootnroll had supplanted on the engine, moved from the pocket to the Pocono Pike, and the 19-1 shot went past the 1-9 shot for a half-length victory in 1:51.3. Anthony Napolitano drove the Eric Mollor trainee for Niss Allen Inc.
George Napolitano Jr. led all drivers with four victories on the Saturday card; his brother Anthony and Simon Allard were right behind with three (all three of Allard’s were for trainer Ron Burke). For George, it was quite a productive 27-1/2 hours, as during that timeframe he won fourteen races -- seven at Harrah’s Philadelphia yesterday afternoon, three more at The Meadowlands last night, and then the four at the mountain oval this afternoon.
Favourites won six of the first seven races, then were shut out for the balance of the card.
(PHHA / Pocono)