Real Desire mare Eclipse Me N turned the last-to-first trick on Tuesday, May 8, taking the $14,000 feature for fast-class distaff pacers at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Driver Simon Allard didn’t hurry the winner until the far turn, when he swung her out and kept angling until she was four-wide at headstretch. Still sixth, some four lengths back, in midstretch, Eclipse Me N kicked with an explosive last sixteenth to deny Albany Girl in the passing lane by a neck while lowering her mark to 1:51.2, with pacesetting Filly Forty Seven another half-length back.
Rene Allard, at the top rung among winners in the Downs’ conditioning community, trains the fleet mare for Allard Racing Inc., Yves Sarrazin, and Donald Mac Rae.
There were a quartet of $15,000 contests of the “nw 4 races” variety, two on each gait. On the pace, Happy Trio, a son of Mach Three, rallied from second-over to hold off the horse on his back, Street Boy, by a nose in 1:53.2 for driver Marcus Miller, trainer Tony O'Sullivan, and O'Sullivan Racing Inc. The Rock N Roll Hanover gelding Rock N Blue made a second move to the lead down the back, then turned back off Scholz by a half-length in a 1:52.1 mile in the other division for driver Austin Siegelman, trainer Travis Alexander, and owner John Cummins.
On the trotting side, Lucky Matter, a son of Explosive Matter, set the pace and lowered his mark to 1:54.2 for driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Chris Beaver, the latter co-owner with Synerco Ventures Inc. and David Lang. Then the Deweycheatumnhowe mare Northern Courtney, luckless at The Downs so far this year, put it all together Tuesday, leading most of the way in a 1:55.2 score for driver Simon Allard, trainer/brother Rene, and the ownership of Allard Racing Inc. and Lawrence Dumain.
(With files from The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono)