Im Sir Blake A took an immediate liking to the racing oval at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, shipping in and promptly taking a new mile mark of 1:49.1 while winning the $27,500 handicap pacing feature on Saturday (June 25).
Marcus Miller was the innermost of the three main leavers, forcing one in behind then letting the other go nearing the :26.1 quarter only to retake the lead in front of the stands. Im Sir Blake A passed the half in :55, started to leave the field behind nearing the 1:22.3 three-quarters and could not be caught while turning in a :26.3 last quarter.
Driver Marcus Miller’s father Erv conditions the altered son of Alta Christiano N, now a winner of $286,527, for owner Douglas Overhiser.
In one of the two $17,500 featured trots, the Kadabra mare P L Notsonice equaled the fastest trotting mile of the year at Pocono by going wire-to-wire in 1:52.1. Marcus Miller made the lead with the strong mare before the quarter and hung up fractions of :27.2, :56.2, and 1:24.1 en route to a routing of her opposition. Trained by Steven Brabrook for owners Jaypaul Hoover and Elite Harness Racing LLC, P L Notsonice now has earnings in excess of $286,000, and on Saturday she missed her lifetime mark, taken at Plainridge last year, by a tick.
In the other trot headliner, another mare was just as dominant, as the Swan For All mare Queen Of All lowered her mark to 1:53.1 while raising her earnings to $322,125. Matt Kakaley moved the winner to the lead past a :28 opener, and she put up midsplits of :57 and 1:24.4 en route to lowering her speed badge. Lance Hudson trains the winner of two straight for owner William Hartt.
Two horsemen who were tied for the lead in most Pocono victories in their respective specialty both went clear with big Saturday cards: Matt Kakaley posted five victories, two of them trained by Darren Taneyhill, who had three victories in total on the day.
More than $200,000 will be on the line for Pennsylvania-sired three-year-old pacing fillies on Sunday as the Sire Stakes and Stallion Series misses contest their third preliminary leg. Treacherous Dragon, who opened her season with a Pennsylvania All-Stars victory and who since has gone on to be the leader of her division nationally, will race in one of two Sire Stakes contests; there are also four divisions of Stallion Series races. (And we can tip our cap to driver Dave Palone on his 20,000th victory Saturday by tying in the PA Sire Stakes and noting he is the winningest sulkysitter in the history of the Sire Stakes as well.)
Post time on Sunday is 5 p.m.; program pages for Sunday’s Pocono card are available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)