Trainer Hunter Oakes came out firing during the Wednesday morning (into early afternoon) qualifying session on June 17 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, sending out five winners, including two who now have two victories. Both were driven by Tyler Buter, Pocono’s leading driver, who was the top sulky-sitter during the baby races with four victories.
Oakes sent out two winning males on each gait, including the fastest trotting colt, Celebrity Dubai (Chapter Seven-Pennies From Above), who closed in :28.4 from the pocket for a 1:59.3 win for driver Jason Bartlett and the ownership of Flying A Racing Stable and Celebrity Farms. Oakes’s repeat winner, driven by Buter, was the trotting colt Celebrity Hunter (Captain Corey-Are You Ready), also part-owned by Celebrity Farms with Robert Becker, in 2:00.4.
The fastest trotter overall was another offspring of Captain Corey, the Hanover Shoe Farms-bred filly Cabaletta Hanover (dam Caviart Jenny), who blitzed home in :28.1 after sitting more than 11 lengths off the leader to be up in 1:58.3 for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Emily Bost, co-owner with Steve Salerno.
Trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt continued sending out power performers with two trotting filly winners, Sip Away (Ecurie D DK-Amazing Tilly S) in 2:01 and Woke Up Winning (Walner-Morning Glow) in 2:03.
As mentioned, Oakes had a double in the pacing male ranks, but here he was outdone by trainer Travis Alexander, who had the other three winners in this section. The quickest was Primacy Station, a colt by American Ideal out of Preeminence, who came his last quarter in :28.4 to stop the timer in 1:57.1 for driver Matt Kakaley and the partnership of Alexander Racing Stable, C M T Farms, EVM Racing and James Scarpias. He was bred by Spring Station Bloodstock.
Kakaley also partnered with Alexander on the colt Harbaugh (Downbytheseaside-Hometown Blues), who won in 1:57.4, closing in :28.1 from the pocket. Ridge Warren piloted the other successful member of Team Alexander, the Heston Blue Chip-Counterparty Risk colt Current Events (also co-owned by Alexander Racing) in 1:59.4 with a :29 final quarter.
Oakes’s duo among the pacing colts was Dapper Station (Captain Crunch-Dandys Sweetness) in 1:57.2 with a :28.2 final frame for Buter and Babylon Blue Chip (Huntsville-Onassis Blue Chip), triumphant in 1:58.3, also closing out the mile in :28.2, for Bartlett.
Buter drove the repeat winner among the pacing fillies, Wine Down Wensday (Huntsville-Tequila Monday), here successful in 2:00 while coming home in :28.1 despite broken equipment for Oakes. The fastest in this group was Huntrix (Huntsville-Ubettergo Go), wire-to-wire in 1:57.2 with :28.1 on the end for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Joe Pavia Jr., and the ownership of Steven Held, Vincent Ferriero Jr., Todd Frocione, and Pint Size Racing.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)