No sophomore trotting filly came through their first two Bobby Weiss Series preliminaries with a pair of wins. Trip Sevens, the only first-round winner entered Tuesday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, looked en route to victory but made a break before midstretch, enabling the Credit Winner filly Etra De Vie to take a new mark of 1:56.4.
Etra De Vie was put in the early pocket by driver Matt Kakaley behind the heavily-favoured Trip Sevens, then tipped out for the stretch drive. The leader still had the better part of two lengths when she lost her composure, letting Etra De Vie get by and hold off Kaylas Playmate by a length for trainer Jenny Melander and Belmar Racing & Breeding LLC.
Kalaley had a second Weiss victory when the Southwind Frank miss Frankly My Dear posted her first win in 2021, an engine victory in 1:57.1. Second in the Matron and third in a Bluegrass division last year, Frankly My Dear may be peaking at a good time for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and J&T Silva– Purnel & Libby.
Fastest winner in the three $17,500 Weiss events was the Creatine filly Alpine, whose 1:55.3 triumph not only gave her a career best time but also matched Trip Sevens’s first round win for fastest mile in this division of the series. Andy Miller drove the winner, second to Trip Sevens last week, for trainer/wife Julie Miller and Diamond Creek Racing.
A horse who figures to only improve is the Always B Miki sophomore colt Billy Clyde, who won his seasonal debut for driver Mark MacDonald in 1:53, stepping home in :54.3 to withstand a game Rest Assured by a half-length. A 1:52.2 winner in a qualifier at The Meadowlands at two, Billy Clyde held his own against some tough horses as a freshman and may make a quick step up to higher-caliber foes at three for trainer Ray Schnittker, co-owner with Dr. John Egloff.
Fastest mile on the card was turned in by the Art Major four-year-old gelding Cigar Smoking Tony, who certainly was smoking on the front end for driver Jason Bartlett, pacing home in :54.4 / :27 to lower his mark to 1:51 for trainer Jose Godinez and owners Joseph Betro, Ian Behar, and Kristie Leigh Farm Inc.
Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr. both had three winners on the card.
One Eight Hundred, the three-year-old who caught everybody’s eye when he won his seasonal debut at Pocono in 1:50.2 – still the fastest mile of the year by a sophomore – with a last quarter of :26.1, returns for a division of the third and final preliminary leg of the Bobby Weiss Series for pacing colts here Saturday. First post time will be at 12:30 p.m.; program pages will be available on the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)