Three-year-old trotting colt Greenshoe continued his awesome 2019 performances during the Wednesday morning (June 12) qualifying session at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Greenshoe, who was in rein to Brian Sears, won in a spectacular 1:52.
Sears came to Pocono to guide the son of Father Patrick, and the pair hung up fractions of :28, :55.4, and 1:24.1. The sophomore was in the lead by 15 lengths at the half and went on to win by 28 lengths. The Marcus Melander-conditioned trotter, owned by Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granqvist, and Morten Langli, had not raced since winning the New Jersey Sire Stakes final at the Meadowlands Racetrack on May 31. Tuesday’s sharp qualifying victory sets him up perfectly for the eliminations of the Earl Beal Trot at Pocono, which will take place on Saturday, June 22. The $500,000 Beal championship will be raced on June 29.
Southwind Ozzi, the fastest three-year-old in a race this year at 1:48.4, was scheduled to qualify, but was scratched.
There were seventeen baby races at Pocono on Tuesday, as the busy morning stretched into early afternoon. There were four races for each gait and sex, except the colt trotters, who participated in a total of five qualifiers.
Among the pacing fillies, the Sunshine Beach-Oceans Motion miss Robmotion Bluechip won her second straight start. She set the pace and was extended by the pocket-sitting Dances With, but was able to hold on by a nose in 1:56, which is a North American season’s record by a full second and also the fastest mile by a freshman pacing filly anywhere. Tyler Buter drove the talented filly for trainer Chuck Connor Jr. and the ownership of Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., Robert Lovell, and Janice Connor.
In the pacing colt ranks, Ray Schnittker sent out three winners, the fastest being the first-time starter Captain Groovy, who moved to the lead past the quarter and won in 1:56.3 (back fractions :56.3 - :28). The son of Captaintreacherous is the first foal out of Lets Groove Tonite, who is a three-quarter sister to the $1.2-million-earning world champion Dynamic Youth. Schnittker also drove the colt, and he co-owns him with Ted Gewertz, Howard Taylor, and Mary Kinsey Arnold.
Schnittker also drove the American Ideal colt Teton Sunset to his second consecutive win, in 1:58 (he closed from fourth with a back half of :56.4). The third Schnittker stablemate from the group to win was the Well Said colt Lake Charles, who debuted in 1:57 (he paced his own last half :57.1) for pilot Mark MacDonald.
The son/father team of driver Scott and trainer Rick Zeron unveiled two winning filly trotters, including Illdoitmyself, a daughter of Chapter Seven out of Dornello. The Kadabra – Win Missy B filly She Must Be Magic had posted huge fractions (:28, :58.1, 1:27.3) and opened up a 15-length lead at the three-quarters pole, but Illdoitmyself trotted a :28.1 final quarter to catch the leader by three quarters of a length in 1:58.4, which is a season’s record by over two seconds. Illdoitmyself is owned by Rick Zeron Stables, James Walker, and Van Camp Trotting Corp.
The Zerons also won with Fortune Telln Lady, a daughter of Trixton, who won in 2:01 on the lead (back fractions :58.2 - :28.4).
Trainers Gareth Dowse and Erv Miller each had two victories in freshman trotting colt action, all with first-time starters. The fastest win time in the group was posted by Play Trix On Me, a Trixton – Lima Playmate colt who utilized a quarter-pole move for trainer/driver Dowse and stopped the clock in 2:00 (:58.2 / :29 coming home) for owner-breeder Steve Jones. Dowse also piloted the Andover Hall colt Paulie Walnuts to a 2:00.4 win, as he fired out of the pocket with a :28.4 burst home.
Both of Erv Miller’s trainees are by first-year sire Whom Shall I Fear, the full brother to Father Patrick and Pastor Stephen. Scott Zeron rallied the colt Meadowbrook Chip out of the two-hole for a 2:00.3 success (back ‘numbers’ of :58.3 - :29.1), while the gelding Fear The Tiger, who overcame a hard first-over trip in his 2:02.2 victory, was driven by – Erv Miller! The win was Miller’s first victory in the sulky since July 23, 2016 (many forget he was a two-time UDR champion in 1998-99).
Ray Schnittker, Scott Zeron, and Gareth Dowse each drove three freshman winners, while Dowse as trainer also had three triumphs to lead the conditioners’ grouping in the baby races.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)