Second round action for pacers of both sexes in the Bobby Weiss Series of contests at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono brought some fast times and spirited racing to the Sunday night card.
The first division for males had end-to-end action, with Settlemoir leaving to the top and Iwillmakeyousaywow, the fastest winner at 1:51.4 last week, having to go three-wide well past the one-eighth mark and two-wide past the scorching :26 opening quarter to take command, keeping the lead through middle splits of :54.1 and 1:22.2.
But underway from mid-pack was the Camluck gelding Midnight Lightning, who had been reserved off that swift pace, and the battle between two of the first round winners became joined as 'Midnight' struck on the far turn and into the stretch, finally wearing down the game Iwillmakeyousaywow, gallant in defeat, by a head in 1:51, with Settlemoir, who had swung wide in the stretch, missing taking the whole shebang by a half-length while moving fastest of all at the wire.
Matt Kakaley guided the four-year-old Midnight Lightning to a new mark by a full second in the hard-fought triumph for trainer Shaun Vallee, co-owner with D P V Racing Stable.
Driver Corey Callahan took the other two Weiss divisions for “the boys,” using fast last quarters to guide sophomore geldings back to Victory Lane. In the first, Options Are Adream kept his record unblemished in eight career starts, going to the lead off the first turn and then coming home in :27 flat to turn back early leader Rollaroundtheworld in 1:52. The son of If I Can Dream joined Midnight Lightning as a two-time winner in the Weiss for trainer Dick Lewis and owners David Banks and Layfield Horses LLC.
Callahan and Sentencing Memo came home even faster in the other Weiss male division, sprinting home in :55.1 – :26.4 to defeat first leg winner Maxdaddy Blue Chip while equalling his career-best of 1:52. The son of Western Terror used a more favourable draw this week to turn the tables on his conqueror of seven days previous for trainer Eric Foster and owner Arty Foster.
In the four divisions of the female sector, the only division that matched two first round Weiss winner saw Candy Corn Hanover remained undefeated in her two-start career, sitting second-over while first-up Southwind Tango, the other winner last week, battled pacesetter Nips Beach Girl through a :27.4 third quarter, then rolled by them both late in 1:52.3, reducing her mark by four-fifths of a second. The Dragon Again filly was again handled by Anthony Napolitano for trainer Travis Alexander and the Fiddler’s Creek Stables LLC.
Candy Corn Hanover paid $32.80 in her debut victory, but the fans caught on quickly and she paid only $4.80 tonight. Similarly, Some Fancy Filly went from a $50 win mutuel last week to a $3.20 for $2 proposition in her Weiss cut, and she too made it two straight in the series while lowering her mark two-fifths of a second to 1:53. David Miller, who added two winners at The Downs to the five he brought home at Harrah’s Philadelphia in the afternoon, was sulky-sitting behind the Somebeachsomewhere-Fancy Filly filly for trainer Nancy Johansson of JK Shesalady fame and owners Courant A B.
Mystery Writer, who had to settle for second last week behind Some Fancy Filly, bounced back to record her sixth win of the year in another division for the females, going out in :26.4 then coming home in :56.3 – :28 and needing every bit of her 1:54.2 clocking to withstand American Image by the shortest of margins. Jim Morrill Jr. drove the Sportswriter mare for trainer Kevin Lare and owner Frank Chick.
The final Weiss cut for the ladies saw the Somebeachsomewhere filly Albany Girl parlay a pocket trip to a career-best win in 1:55 while winning an exciting three-way stretch duel with Winners Over and Q T Pie Hanover. Brett Miller got the sulky call from trainer Jimmy Takter as Albany Girl won for owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, and Joe Sbrocco.
Tomorrow night, Monday racing returns to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with a post time of 6:30 p.m., completing the basic four-day-a-week, Saturday-through-Tuesday schedule that The Downs will be using for the greater part of the year. Headlining the Monday card will be the first round of the Bobby Weiss Series for developing male trotters -- the platform which helped spring JL Cruze to U.S. divisional honours last year and a 1:49.4 record.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)