The twin $15,300 features at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon were won by the pacer Horse and the trotter King Alphonso, one in a tight fight and one in a romp.
Manitoba-bred Horse has come east and done well for himself, with three wins and a second in seven starts, including this victory in 1:51, a lifetime mark. Tyler Buter rallied the Vertical Horizon gelding from just off fractions of :26.4, :55.2 and 1:22.3 to take the stretch lead, then kept him rolling to defeat the late inside thrust of Pocono Pike shooter Tru Lou by a head. Bucky Angle conditions the talented pacer for William Daggett Jr. and Lawrence Vukovic.
King Alphonso’s route was more direct – go to the lead and keep increasing your margin. This the son of Muscle Hill did with fractions of :27.3, :57.1, and 1:24.3, and while he was aided by two different pocket-sitters making breaks, nobody was catching the 1:53.3 winner, 5-1/4 lengths clear on the money. Jim Pantaleano got the horse back in Victory Lane after some recent near-misses, with Christen Pantaleano training for owner Matthew Morrison.
George Napolitano Jr. and Tyler Buter both guided three horses home first on the day.
Racing at Pocono resumes Saturday, with talented Open trotters gathering for a $22,500 contest; the Rainbow Pick 5 carryover pool will be at $73,225.67 going into this card. The program pages for the 12:30 program will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)