Dandy Ideal, one of the major players in the three-year-old pacing male ranks last year, showed he was ready to start his four-year-old season with a 1:52.2 victory in a Wednesday, May 13 morning qualifier at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
The American Ideal-Ok Heavenly gelding was sent to the lead by Jason Bartlett, fresh off his 12,000th career victory at Yonkers Raceway the night before, in a :28.4 opener, yielded to sit in the two-hole through middle fractions of :56.4 and 1:24.4, then roared out on the turn and won by 3-3/4 lengths while clocking his own last quarter in :27.2 for trainer Hunter Oakes and owners Susan Oakes of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Alan Johnston of Syracuse, New York.
At three, Dandy Ideal won 11 of 19 starts for earnings of nearly $1.3 million. He won his Breeders Crown elim by a nose in 1:48 at Woodbine Mohawk Park while defeating U.S. divisional champion Louprint and taking his mark, then finished second, just a neck behind Sippinonsearoc in the Crown finale. Also on his 2025 scorecard were the Max C. Hempt Memorial at Pocono and numerous successes in the New York program.
Two three-year-olds with stakes ambitions also won during the session. The Huntsville-All On Top Hanover filly Odds On Monetary came her back half raw in :55 and :27.2 to get the decision in 1:53.1 in a four-pacer picture for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer Travis Alexander and owner Odds On Racing of Boca Raton, Florida. The Chapter Seven-Oh My Goodness miss Aviatrix Blue Chip, second in the recent Weiss Trotting Series final to series sweeper Concise, sat in the golden chair and then powered off to a 3-1/4-length decision in 1:56, with her own back splits in :56.4 and :28. Jason Bartlett drove the Jared Bako trainee for Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc. of Wallkill, New York.
Alexander watched three of his charges win qualifiers, including the maiden three-year-old pacing filly Nothing Matters (1:55.3) with Kakaley and four-year-old trotter Vandy Lane (1:56) with Bartlett.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Dandy Ideal winning the 2025 Hempt at Pocono)