Pocono Downs will be conducting a 16-race harness program Saturday, May 1 which will feature the largest overnight purses in the history of the Pennsylvania racetrack
. There will be a special first-race post time of 5:00 p.m. for the card which will have total purses of $233,900.
Saul Needle, director of racing and longtime employee of the racetrack, says Saturday’s purses are definitely the highest ever for an overnight card.
“It’s loaded with top notch races,” he said. “Our fans will see a lot of great racing and that’s what has happened here on almost a daily basis since we opened our season March 23. It will continue throughout the entire year.”
Highlighting Saturday’s race card will be the $28,000 Open Handicap Pace for colts and geldings. The race has attracted a field of eight, including Golden Receiver. The five-year-old Village Jove gelding has been drawn Post 8. Trained by Mark Harder, Golden Receiver will be looking for three straight in Pocono's Open Handicap Pace, as he has won in 1:51 and 1:50.3 in his only two starts of the season at the track after having raced at the Meadowlands. Driver Jim Morrill, Jr., who won with Golden Receiver in his two previous starts at Pocono, will once again be in the sulky.
The rest of the field for th Open Handicap Pace includes Sailing Cruise (to be driven by Matt Romano), Announcement N (Andrew McCarthy), Wheres Waldo (Joe Pavia, Jr.), Icandodgebullets (Anthony Morgan), Western Bay (Matt Kakaley), Four Trumps A (Larry Stalbaum) and Mr Hallowell (George Napolitano, Jr.).
Saturday’s special Kentucky Derby Day harness card also will feature four divisions of the Mohegan Pace, a late closer for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
(With files from Pocono)