There were four $15,000 divisions of the 'non-winners of four races lifetime' condition contested as the top purse events on the Tuesday, November 6 card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Two of them were on the pace, with a favourite and a second choice taking the big end of the purse, and two were on the trot, where form took a bit of a holiday.
The pacers hit the track first, and in the initial event for that gait Captain Deo, a sophomore son of Somebeachsomewhere out of the $1.9M-winning mare Worldly Beauty, justified his favouritism with a dominating two-and-three-quarter length tally for driver Marcus Miller, trainer Tony Alagna, and the ownership of Alagna Racing LLC, Joe Sbrocco, In The Gym Partners, and Captain Deo Partners. Captain Deo won on the engine in 1:51.1, which included a :30 quarter in the second split – meaning, in the other three quarters, Captain Deo flashed 1:21.1 speed.
In the other pacing section, a distaff event, Saratoga-invader Northern Swift equaled her lifetime mark of 1:53.3 by overcoming a first-over journey for driver Matt Kakaley (who led the drivers’ colony on Tuesday with four wins), trainer Jean Drolet, and the ownership of Funky Munky Stable LLC and Marthe Drolet.
The victorious daughter of Mach Three won by one-and-three-quarter lengths over pocket-sitting Dont Mach Mia, who photoed out favourite and pacesetter Covfefe for second.
On the trot, QB Kemp set the pace while keeping favoured Northern Major on the rim and won by two lengths while lowering his mark by two seconds to 1:56.1 as a 9-1 shot for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Rob Harmon, and Harmon Racing Stable LLC.
A $21.00 win price, however, pales next to the $72.40 for $2 generated by the winner of the other featured trot, Nice Stuff. The Yankee Glide four-year-old mare, who started from the rail, got a literal break when a foe went offstride past the half, advanced to the pocket under the guidance of driver Tom Jackson, then rallied in the lane for a length win in 1:56.2.
Acquired by trainer Bucky Angle and the ownership of Howard and Joshua Kaufman at the end of the summer, Nice Stuff now has won two of her last three starts after going three-for-62 before her acquisition. Her win generated a $1,295.00 exacta with 20-1 Campbellini, a single 50-cent winning trifecta ticket worth over $2,900 with 21-1 Broadway Bruiser third and a single 10-cent superfecta ticket payout also in the $2,900 neighborhood.
(With files from PHHA)