For the second straight week, Golden Son finished just to the right and just ahead of Upfront Billy, winning the featured $17,500 Sunday trot over “sloppy” going at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Seven days previously, Golden Son had wheeled out of two-hole at headstretch and caught the pacesetting Upfront Billy to win by a nose. This week, the victorious Majestic Son gelding also worked out a pocket journey, went to the Pocono Pike and to the front before midstretch, then held off an inner, deep Pike charge from “Billy,” last year’s Trotter of the Year at Pocono, who this week raced third-in and saw his stretch charge come up a half-length shy in the 1:56.1 off-track mile.
Jim Morrill Jr., who guided seven winners on Pocono’s Derby Day doubleheader the previous day, was in the sulky behind Golden Son, who had dropped his first eight starts of 2018 but now has won three straight for trainer Jenny Melander and owner John Devito while boosting his career bankroll to $262,341.
The conditions had turned even more miserable by the time Yes Mickey made his 2018 debut in the $17,000 co-featured trot. The Muscle Hill gelding went wire-to-wire despite the outside post nine to win in 1:58 by a neck over Zagster, who had a hard two-move trip. Yes Mickey, a winner of $468,212 last season, was ready right away, as are many of the horses trained and driven by Åke Svanstedt; this one is owned by Mellby Gard Inc.
Jim Taggart Jr. became the first driver at the meet to bring home two $50+ “bombers” when he used a second-over trip after fast early numbers to get Rockers Alley home first at a $66 mutuel in the night’s opener for trainer Alex Kavoleff and trainer Paul Kavoleff. If you like to play longshots at Pocono, it seems good to try your luck early: of the 14 $50+ horses so far the meet, five have lit up the toteboard in the Early Double.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)