Herodotus took his third victory in his last four starts, winning the $25,694 fast-class trotting feature at a cool Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 9, going the mile in 1:53.1.
Away third with the favoured Bar Hopping gelding, driver George Napolitano Jr. made an aggressive move to the top as the field went past the stands the first time, and after getting his own pace, the rest of the field were footnotes of history in the latter stages (the field finished in post position order, 1-2-3-4-5-6). Jeff Cullipher conditions the winner of $416,250 for Pollack Racing LLC.
There were three $23,611 contests for developing horses, two of them on the trot. In the quicker, the Andover Hall three-year-old trotting filly Tuis Angel seems to like the recent addition of trotting hopples, as she was second in her first start with the straps and here made the lead just past the quarter and held off several strong stretch chargers to win in 1:54.3. The trainer-driver team with perhaps the most years between their ages in harness racing — driver Braxten Boyd, 24, and trainer Don Wiest, 94 — handle Tuis Angel for the partnership of Don Wiest, Pamela Kimmel, James Rappold and David Wiest.
The other co-featured trot was a victory for the International Moni gelding Dark Mind, who came from good positioning second-over to get the job done in a lifetime best 1:55.2. Tyler Buter, who had the hottest hands at Pocono on Saturday and ended up with five winners (giving him 197 for the meet as he aims for 200 local seasonal scores), rallied the trotter to tally for trainer Noel Daley and owner Sonja Katrina Booth.
The single spotlight race for pacers produced a major upset and the fastest time of the day, as 1-9 favourite Southwind Celsius could not catch 28-1 shot Seen Here, an American Ideal sophomore gelding who set the pace and went on to win 1:50.1, giving trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing LLC a feature double. Tyler Buter put everybody in behind Seen Here early, went a pair of :28.1 splits, and then went :26.4 in the third quarter as Southwind Celsius, who paced his backside in :26.1, came up raw to menace. However, Seen Here still had a :27 kicker in him and turned away the heavy chalk by 2-1/4 lengths.
George Napolitano Jr. posted three wins to come closer to Matt Kakaley, who after winning the last race of the day still holds a 261-258 advantage in the drivers win derby, a battle likely to go on until Pocono’s closing date of Saturday, Nov. 23.
Only six more cards remain in the 2024 harness racing season at Pocono Downs; two of them will come this Monday and Tuesday, with first post each day at 1 p.m, and Monday’s card will feature a carryover into both the first race Pick 4 and the last race High 5 wagers.
(PHHA / Pocono)