Sky Queen, sent off at 50-1 with Joe Pavia, Jr. in the race bike, won a $15,000 claiming pace for fillies and mares Wednesday, April 7 at Pocono Downs.
With unseasonable warm temperatures, several new lifetime marks were established over the last two racing nights at the Northeastern Pennsylvania racetrack. Sky Queen, trained by Michael Rashkin, was one of those horses that established a new lifetime mark Wednesday night, winning in 1:52.4.
Hard Shoe Hannah (driven by Yannick Gingras) finished second to Sky Queen, while Natural Woman (Jim Morrill, Jr.) was third. The 3-5-1 trifecta returned $1,906.80 for a $2 wager.
Pavia also won earlier in the card with $5,000 claiming B Girl, trained by Ryan Macedonio.
George Napolitano, Jr. pushed his win total to 31 through the first 11 races. One of his wins came with Four Starz Horndog in a race for non-winners of $10,000 last five starts or nine extended pari-mutuel races lifetime.
Napolitano captured the lead from first-quarter leader Billie Bluechip (Pavia) near the three-eighths pole and controlled things the rest of the way with the half reading :55.4 and the three-quarters in 1:23.4 before stopping the timer with a new lifetime mark of 1:51.3. Carmine Fusco trains Four Starz Horndog, who won for the first time in 2010 on the third start.
(Pocono)