Stars of the sport were out in full force at Pocono Downs on Saturday evening, and the theme of the evening was upset after upset after upset.
One of the biggest head scratchers of the evening came in the final stake of the evening - the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Final. All eyes were on Greenshoe, but it was Marseille who pulled off the biggest shocker of the night when he found the chink in heavily favoured Greenshoe’s armour.
Trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt hustled 57-1 shot Marseille to the lead from Post 7, and together they carved out fractions of :26.2, :57 and 1:24.4. Brian Sears, in the meantime, had Greenshoe tracking cover from third over around the final turn. Greenshoe stormed home in :27.1 despite suffering late interference from the breaking Osterc, but Marseille’s individual final quarter of :27.4 was enough to earn him the head decision over the 1-9 favourite Greenshoe in 1:52.3. Green Manalishi S was third.
“My chance to be second in this race was to leave fast and maybe come behind Greenshoe,” said Svanstedt. “But he never came, so then it was just to go to the front.”
Ake Svanstedt Inc, Order By Stable and Howard A Taylor share ownership on the three-year-old son of Muscle Hill-Order By Wish. The colt won for the first time this season and for just the second time in his career. The lightly-raced sophomore saw his bankroll climb to $317,758 with the victory.
Here's what transpired in the remainder of Saturday's rich events:
$500,000 Ben Franklin Final
Yannick Gingras mapped out a pretty trip for This Is The Plan, and the Ron Burke trainee spun it into a 12-1 upset triumph over the talented tandem of Mcwicked and Western Fame.
This Is The Plan motored to the early lead and passed the opening panel in :26.3 before giving way to even-money favourite Western Fame. That speedster cleared to the top and sliced out middle fractions of :54.2 and 1:20.4 while feeling mild pressure from a first-over Mcwicked. This Is The Plan shook loose late and used a :27.2 closing quarter to prevail by a neck over Mcwicked in 1:48.2. Western Fame was a lapped-on third.
“I thought if I could get a two-hole trip behind Western Fame, we could be at least second,” Gingras noted after the race. “He was sharp in his elimination (second to Western Fame), and he was less grabby than he was last week, except maybe late on the turn, but generally he was more relaxed, and he took advantage of the trip.”
The four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere-Thats The Plan found his way to victory lane for the first time this season from eight trips to the track. The eight-time winner, who is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Jandt Silva Purnel & Libb and Larry Karr, used the $250,000 payday to beef up his overall bankroll to $929,167.
$500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial Final
The betting public was all over Proof in the rich final, but the Brian Brown pupil had a bad night. He came up empty after being treated to a sweet, second-over trip, and in doing so he left the door wide open for someone else to pull off an upset.
Shake That House was the horse for that job as he shook loose late and stormed home in :27.2 to win in 1:49.2 at odds of 8-1 for the team of driver Brian Sears and trainer Chris Oakes.
Sears made the lead with Shake That House, and together the led the group past the quarter marker in :26.2 before relinquishing the top spot to the parked out Captain Victorious. He cleared and rolled the field through middle splits of :55.1 and 1:21.4 before tiring. Sears found clearance late with Shake That House, and the pacer drew clear to win by a pair of lengths over Brassy Hanover. Captain Victorious took home the show dough.
“I was just glad I put down Brian Sears to drive (Shake That House),” winning trainer Chris Oakes said. “Once you hand the lines off, you want the right guy in the bike. When the money is on the line, (Sears) is the man.
“I can’t say enough about my crew,” Oakes said. “They worked day and night for the last week and we got the job done.”
The victory gives the eight-time winner a 5-for-7 record this season for partners Crawford Farms Racing, Alan Johnston and Northfork Racing Stable. The $250,000 payday lifted the sophomore’s lifetime earnings to $434,606.
$300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial Final
A wild battle between heavyweights Treacherous Reign and Warrawee Ubeaut took place in the middle stages of this rich affair, and Tim Tetrick proved to be Johnny on the spot with Stonebridge Soul who escaped late and posted a 1:49.3 victory.
Tetrick grabbed the lead early with Stonebridge Soul who had the field chasing her past the quarter pole in :26. Treacherous Reign then motored up alongside that filly before sprinting by and scooting to the mid-way point in :54.3. Race favourite Warrawee Ubeaut then took on Treacherous Reign around the clubhouse turn, and those two fillies went toe-to-toe across the backstretch and all the way to the three-quarter pole in 1:21.
Their battle continued to the head of the stretch, and at that point the backfield came to life. Tetrick shot up the rail with Stonebridge Soul, and she kicked home in :28.1 to win by three-quarters of a length over Zero Tolerance. Warrawee Ubeaut faded to third.
“I was impressed with her driving her last week (second to Warrawee Ubeaut),” Tetrick noted after the race. “I was worried down the back when Yannick (Gingras, behind Warrawee Ubeaut) went up and looked like she was going to clear, but when Dexter (Dunn, Treacherous Reign) kept her out on the turn, I thought I was in a good spot.”
Chris Ryder trains the three-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Rock N Soul for Henderson Farms of Illinois and Robert Mondillo of Ohio. Bred by Angie Stiller of Ontario, Stonebridge Soul improved this year’s record to 3-3-1 from eight tries with the win. The six-time winner boosted her overall bankroll to $356,488 in the process.
$75,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial Consolation
Tony Alagna trainees grabbed the top three spots in this affair, with Captain Trevor getting his picture taken following his 1:50.1 score in come-from-behind fashion.
Andrew McCarthy got away fourth with Captain Trevor before making a first-over bid on the way to the half. Captain Malicious and Escapetothebeach took turns on the lead through fractions of :26.1, :55.1 and 1:23.1, but it was Captain Trevor who dug down deep in the late going and used his :27 kicker to win by three-quarters of a length over Odds On Boca Raton. Race favourite Escapetothebeach was third.
The three-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-It Was Fascination won for the second time this season and for the eighth time in his career for the partnership of Brittany Farms LLC, Marvin Katz, Brad Grant and Captain Trevor Racing. The lion’s share of the loot lifted his lifetime earnings to $187,914.
$75,000 The Great Northeast Open Series Invitational Trot
Hannelore Hanover was a dominant winner as many expected for the tandem of driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke.
After taking a brief tuck in the early stages of the mile, Hannelore Hanover marched to the lead in front of the grandstand and she cleared to the top without a tussle. She then cruised through middle panels of :56.1 and 1:24.3 before using a :27.4 closing quarter to win easily over Rich And Miserable in 1:52.2. Tight Lines was third.
The seven-year-old daughter of Swan For All-High Sobriety won for the second time this season and for the 44th time in her career. The career winner in excess of $3.1 million is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino and J And T Silva Stables LLC.
$50,000 Ben Franklin Consolation
Highalator made it look easy against a solid group of seven, winning by more than four lengths in a career-best clocking of 1:48 for driver Richard Still and trainer Jenny Bier.
Still got away third with the odds-on choice while Hitman Hill and Filibuster Hanover butted heads to the quarter pole in :25.2. Filibuster Hanover worked his way to the lead and proceeded to lead the field past the half-mile marker in :53.1. Highalator was first-over at that point, and with a high turn of speed he marched to the lead. He cruised past the three-quarter pole in 1:20 and then used a :28 kicker to win by 4-1/4 lengths over Dealt A Winner. Whittaker N took home the show dough.
The five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere-Higher And Higher has already racked up nine wins this season for partners Jenny Bier, Joann Dombeck and Midsize Construction Inc. The 30-time winner has stashed away earnings in excess of $454,028.
$50,000 James M. Lynch Memorial Consolation
Rockn Philly turned a two-hole trip into a 1:49.2 upset victory for the tandem of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King, Jr.
It was Rockn Philly who led the field of three-year-old pacing fillies past the quarter pole in :26.3 before relinquishing the lead to odds-on favourite Trillions Hanover. Once she cleared she went on to hang up fractions of :54.1 and 1:21.3. Rockn Philly took a shot at the leader in the lane, and her closing speed of :27.3 earned her the half-length decision over Trillions Hanover. Annie Hill rounded out the Trifecta ticket.
Sent off at odds of 5-1, the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance-Philadelphia nabbed just her second win of the year and the fifth of her career. The winner of $195,663 is owned by Tim Tetrick LLC and Joann Looney King.