Favourites won seven of the first eight races at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday (May 8), but then the first three of four divisions of a $120,000 Pennsylvania All-Stars event for three-year-old pacing colts saw the chalk go down to defeat. However, a familiar name, very popular with the crowd, took the final division.
One Eight Hundred, the $800,000 yearling by Somebeachsomewhere – Economy Terror, rebounded from his bad-luck loss in the Weiss Final, taking a new mark of 1:50.1 in 46-degree weather. Driver Tim Tetrick moved One Eight Hundred frontwards past the :27.2 quarter, reached the lead and posted middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:23.1, then saw the colt pace home strongly in :27 with only a few taps.
One Eight Hundred is now 3-for-4 in 2021, and he seems ready to take on Sire Stakes competition here next Sunday for trainer Nancy Takter, co-owner with Brixton Medical Inc.
The Captaintreacherous gelding Gamblin Mo was outstanding in his section, posting a 1:50.1 clocking for a new mark and equal honours in the stakes speed competition on the day. The teaming of driver Tyler Buter and trainer John Butenschoen has been red-hot at Pocono in recent days, with the Butenschoen barn winning at a 38 percent clip, and this one went down the road while leaving little doubt who was best for David & John Prushnok, David J. Miller, and VIP Internet Stable LLC.
A pair of sons of Sweet Lou triumphed in the other two All-Stars cuts. The gelding Emblaze Hanover showed good rallying ability off a hot pace, drawing clear late while earning a new speed mark of 1:50.2 for driver Joe Bongiorno, trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky, Jason Melillo, and J&T Silva Purnel & Libby.
The last division came down to a battle between the McCarthy brothers, as Andrew and the colt Hellabalou came out of the pocket to catch Komodo Beach and Todd by a neck in 1:52.1. The Eddie Dennis trainee, a 1:51.1 winner in his seasonal debut at Philly, is owned by Eric Good.
The fastest mile of the season at Pocono was rung up by the Western Ideal gelding Western Joe, who went over $800,000 in career earnings while pacing in 1:49.1. Hesa Kingslayer N grabbed the early lead in a :26.2 opener, and then Western Joe went on to command, posted midfractions of :54.1 and 1:21.4, and then held off his game pocket-sitting rival by three-quarters of a length for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Christopher Choate, and owners Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosias.
A pair of $11,200 contests, one for distaff pacers and one for trotters, heads Sunday’s card at The Downs, which begins at 5 p.m. Program pages will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)