Scott Rocks, a member of an elite club of double season’s leaders on the various sizes of North American harness tracks, opened an insurmountable lead on the far turn in Saturday’s $20,000 pacing feature at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, then coasted home to a 2½ length victory in 1:50 – the fourth mile to go in 1:50 on, fittingly, a low-50s temperature night at The Downs.
The meet’s winningest driver and trainer, George Napolitano, Jr. and Chris Oakes, clicked for the second time on the night with the victorious Rocknroll Hanover gelding, with the final time especially impressive when one notes that once making the lead Scott Rocks and “George Nap” were able to rate the second quarter to :29.2. There was no getting to the winner of two straight races after that as defeated the winner of last week’s feature, E Street Plan, for owners Susan Oakes and Chuck Pompey, who saw the pacer elevate his bankroll to $156,174 for the year and $493,279 lifetime.
Scott Rocks set the season’s record for older pacing geldings for 5/8-mile tracks with a 1:48 mile at Pocono May 28 (at the time the fastest mile in North American harness racing in 2016), and he set a world record of 1:49 over the half-mile Northfield oval on September 3. Nine horses are double season’s leaders – eight of them set world records in at least one of their spotlight efforts, and three (Always B Miki, Hannelore Hanover, and Huntsville) went on to become Breeders Crown champions.
One winning streak had to fall (barring a dead-heat to win) in the $18,000 claiming handicap pace, as Terror Time A came into the event having won his last six starts and Rockin Rambaran had triumphed in his last five. But both streaks went by the boards as Freeneasy Hanover went three-wide under the finish line the first time, into the wind, to get the lead before the half and go on to victory in 1:50.
The Western Ideal gelding was making his first start after a claim for trainer Chris Oakes and owner Susan Oakes, and driver George Napolitano, Jr. was named on four horses in the race, including the two streakers – but those who followed him to “Freeneasy” got a $6.40 return.
Terror Time A, the favourite, was trapped to head stretch and was zooming late for third, while Rockin Rambaran got unlucky and was hung without cover; indeed, he was the horse that Freeneasy Hanover circled the first time under the wire.
(PHHA/Pocono)