Casual Cool and Speed Away won the $18,500 featured races on their respective gaits during the Saturday (June 24) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
The American Ideal gelding Casual Cool wanted the lead in the pacing feature, and he got it and kept it to the wire, triumphing in 1:50 to win in this class for the second straight week. Ridge Warren utilized drawing the rail with the winner of $638,040 and sent him away full-tilt, forcing a tuck by Joesstar Of Mia A to the :25.4 quarter, then went on to mid-race numbers of :54.3 and 1:21.4. Favoured Bettors Donttell had to take the uncovered route and raced well but settled for second, 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner, who is trained by Daniel Renaud for Dune Road Stables LLC.
In the trotting feature, the Father Patrick gelding Speed Away bounced back from a break in his last start, winning in 1:54. Crazycat took control from the pole and set fractions of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:24.3, but then faded, shuffling back favoured Hayek behind him, as Speed Away grinded right to the lead on the turn and won by 2-1/4 lengths over a late-clearing Hayek. Matt Kakaley drove the winner for trainer Jonas Czernyson and Consus Racing Stable Inc.
An $18,000 co-featured trot for up-and-coming horses saw the Donato Hanover gelding College Tuition capture his second straight race, taking a new mark of 1:53.3. College Tuition set fractions of :27.2, :55.4 and 1:24.1 under the guidance of George Napolitano Jr., then held off the late bid of the pocket horse, Queen For All, for a neck victory for trainer/owner Eric Foster.
Simon Allard won five races on the day, three of them for trainer Ron Burke.
Sunday’s 6 p.m. card at The Downs is headlined by the $148,148 third preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) for the three-year-old pacing fillies, with two previous PASS winners topping each of the two divisions as the group looks to establish a leader. Program pages for all Pocono races will be available on the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)