Skippin By, forced to go a fast first half by Yes You Can, held off that foe by three-quarters of a length at the wire to emerge triumphant in the $16,500 featured mares pace Tuesday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Matt Kakaley got away fourth with the daughter of Shadow Play, then made a quarter-move, which turned out to be an elongated one as Yes You Can also sought the top past the :27 quarter. Yes You Can did make the lead in front of the stands and then yielded to Skippin By, but not before forcing a :54.4 half.
Unusually for Pocono, the third quarter (:28.1) was the slowest in the race, which meant that Skippin By, after reaching the three-quarter pole in 1:23, still had plenty in the tank, and the favoured winner of over $700,000 career wise was good enough to thwart the potential pocket rocket in winning for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Wall Brothers Stable, and Bruce Soulsby.
There was a pair of $16,000 paces for distaffs in the co-featured position. The quicker went to the Rock N Roll Heaven mare Angels Rockn Pink, who quarter-moved for driver Marcus Miller and went on to a 1:52.2 victory by 2-1/2 lengths for trainer John Butenschoen and Crawford Farms Racing.
In the other, the Well Said filly I Wish You Well tied her 1:52.3 lifetime best set last week, rallying from the pocket to catch odds-on Miss Jones by 1-1/4 lengths for trainer/driver Pat Lachance and the ownership of Luc Ouellette Incorporated and Alan Alber.
(PHHA/Pocono)