Despite cool temperatures and rain affecting the second half of the Monday card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, there was some bright light during the dank afternoon, generated by successful sophomore fillies racing in their final preliminary of the Bobby Weiss Series. Each of four divisions on both gaits went for $20,000.
The Captaintreacherous miss Silent Crossing became the only filly of either gait to win three prelim races by setting the pace then withstanding the pocket sitting Jacana by a neck in 1:53.4 over good going. Mark MacDonald piloted the pacer to her fourth straight win overall for trainer Jessica Fallon and the partnership of Huff Racing Stable and Blake MacIntosh. Jillian B Miki, the other pacer to win in the first two prelims, had to settle for fourth from an outer draw.
The surface had further downgraded to “sloppy” by the time another daughter of Captaintreacherous, Southwind Java, ran her series and seasonal record to two-for-two, here equalling her lifetime best of 1:54 while defeating Some Kinda Angel by three parts of a length. Andrew McCarthy drove Southwind Java for trainer Mark Harder, a co-owner with Dean Lockhart, Wayne Carleton, and Deena Frost.
The other two Weiss paces were held when the track was still rated fast. Winning the faster was Wickedly Innocent, an American Ideal filly who weaved through stretch traffic expertly to win her seasonal bow by a half-length over Sweet Kisses in a career best 1:54.1 for driver Jack Pelling, trainer/father Brett, and Hot Lead Farm LLC.
Heartbreak Hotel, a Sweet Lou filly, moved early to the lead for driver Pat Lachance in the other Weiss cut and found the front end a lonely place during a 2-1/2 length win in 1:54.4 for trainer Nifty Norman and the partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc, Bottom Line Racing LLC and Mac Nichol.
The Bar Hopping filly Mimi Ocean Hanover broke in her first trotting prelim, but has come back to establish herself as the miss to beat in next Monday’s finale, here winning by six lengths over sloppy going in 1:56.2, last quarter :28.2.Tyler Buter drove the seasonal winner of three of four, including her last two in the Weiss, for trainer Annie Stoebe and owner R. Lynn Curry.
We Could Be Heros was bidding for three straight Weiss wins, but she suffered broken equipment and proved a neck shy in third as the Southwind Frank filly Till Im Gone overcame behavioural lapses and took a new mark of 1:58.1 while defeating Heart Matters for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Bob Rougeaux III and Brocious Racing Stable Inc.
Gettinmystepsin ran her Weiss and 2022 record to two-for-two with a 1:58.1 triumph for driver Andy Miller, trainer/wife Julie, and owners Jason, Ronald, and Douglas Allen.
The other diagonally-gaited Weiss winner was the Donato Hanover filly Wild Kat G, who led every step in breaking her maiden in 1:58 over a good track for her co-owners, driver Drew and trainer Wendy Chellis.
Pocono now goes on to race its first Tuesday afternoon card of the season at 1:30, establishing its basic spring/summer schedule of Saturday / Monday / Tuesday racing at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
(PHHA / Pocono)