Shecandance N was rolling fastest of all late, just catching favoured Crazy Cute to win the $13,000 featured distaff pace during the Sunday (June 27) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Cavairt Cherie was first to the lead, yielding to April Ava before the :27 quarter, and then the latter gave up the lead to Crazy Cute in front of the stands, with the chalk posting middle fractions of :55.3 and 1:23.3. It looked like Crazy Cute’s toughest stretch opposition was going to come from her left with both April Ava and Caviart Cherie mounting bids in the "Pocono Pike", but driver Marcus Miller and Shecandance N — far back most of the way and widest of the main challengers — streaked by right on the money for a nose decision. April Ava was third, another neck back, with Caviart Cherie fourth while beaten only three-quarter lengths for it all.
Shecandance N is a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance who now has won two in a row — stepping up in class slightly for this race — since coming to Pocono from Yonkers for trainer Jose Godinez. The Godinez Racing Stable LLC shares ownership in the winner of $149,033 with Bukers Stable.
“Triskaidekaphobia” is the official term for fear of the number 13, but one person not suffering from this problem is Steve Oldford – the 2013 Amateur Driver of the Year. Oldford went to the gate with the 13-year-old millionaire Zooming in a $9,900 American Harness Drivers Club amateur race, was dismissed at 13-1 and yet made two moves with the veteran and won handily in 1:56.2. The Amber Buter trainee is owned by Buter Farm Inc. in conjunction with the driver’s Oldford Racing LLC, and Zooming pulled Oldford along to the 182nd win of his amateur sulky career.
George Napolitano Jr. continued an outstanding weekend on Sunday when he posted five winners here, with two seconds and two thirds in but nine starts, after winning a race earlier in the day at Philly before heading for the mountains midcard. At Pocono yesterday, he notched four victories and on Friday he had five wins at Philly (and seconds in his other two drives there) and another success at The Meadowlands. Even counting his Friday stint outside Pennsylvania (where he had a UDR of “only” .348), his weekend scorecard came out to 37-15-9-4-.576.
A good group of trotters going for $11,200 will vie for the Monday Pocono spotlight with more early-career action for two-year-olds. Program pages for the 12:30 p.m. (EDT) card are available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Pocono)