Driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling each captured two of the three $41,096 divisions of the Pennsylvania All-Stars event for three-year-old pacing fillies on Sunday, May 5, as Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania welcomed back both Pennsylvania-sired stakes racing and Sunday evening cards.
McCarthy and Pelling hooked up behind the fastest of the trio of winners, the Captaintreacherous filly Rocket Deo (pictured above), who took the lead later on the first turn and set all the pace. She went on to win by 2-1/2 lengths over pocket-sitting stablemate Sweet Gal while taking a mark of 1:53.1 for Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding.
McCarthy’s other All-Stars win came behind Flawless, another daughter of Captaintreacherous also making her seasonal debut a winning effort by defeating a resilient Bellucci by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.4. Nancy Takter trains this champion in the Kentucky program last year for Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband.
Brett Pelling’s second stakes success came after a four-horse photo finish as his son Jack piloted the daughter of Always B Miki, Beautiful Roz, to success in 1:57 over Big City Daisy, Flower Shops and Ginger Tree Belle, respectively. Beautiful Roz, unraced at two, now has five wins and two nose defeats in her burgeoning career for Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Bud Hatfield.
Away from the stakes, Tam Major A, the fastest pacer of the year at Pocono with a 1:50.2 win last week, was home first on Sunday in 1:52.3 in the off going for his fifth straight win against the track's priciest claimers -- and the fifth straight time he will be going to a different home after winning.
Tam Major A provided the meet’s leading driver Matt Kakaley with one of his four wins on the night; George Napolitano Jr., right behind Kakaley in the standings, posted three successes on the night to add to the two he achieved at Philly before heading northward.
Pocono will be in action on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7 afternoons, both cards with 1 p.m. starts.
(PHHA / Pocono)