Jim Morrill, Jr. worked out a perfect pocket trip with Scorpion Moon, and the Tracy Brainard trainee knew what to do with it en route to winning Tuesday’s $28,000 Open
Handicap Trot at Pocono Downs.
The nine-year-old Armbro Scorpion gelding followed Grain Of Truth, who was looking for his third win in the class this season. Grain Of Truth supplied the field with fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:26 before being out-sprinted by Scorpion Moon. The margin of victory was a neck over Grain Of Truth, with Badboy Paparazzi A taking home third prize.
Scorpion Moon, who is owned by Brainard and Andrew Herzog, is now a four-time winner in just 10 trips postward this season. He has banked $91,000 this year and more than $700,000 in his career.
Lima Apollo, a three-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding trained by Kent Sherman, made it two straight in the Wyoming Valley Trot thanks to a 1:56.4 score. Yannick Gingras was in the sulky and sat second or third throughout the race before winning a division of the second leg for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Ray Schnittker drove Homerun Hitter, a three-year-old Muscles Yankee colt, to a 1:57.4 win in the second division of the Wyoming Valley Trot. He went wire-to-wire from post six in the six-horse field. Schnittker also trains Homerun Hitter and his other trained horse in the field, Eggipus Complex finished second with third place going to Stanchion Hanover.
(Pocono Downs)