Mankat was out most of the quarter in one of the three $15,300 feature races during a sweltering Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but from there the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere was never threatened while lowering his mark to 1:50.4 in the division for male pacers.
Mankat, starting from post three, was kept outside most of the :26.3 opener by Horse to his immediate inside, but after using his horse to control the throttle, driver Jim Pantaleano was able to back off the half to a moderate :55.4. Mankat had to speed up again as favoured Tell Them Lou made a steady charge up to and past the 1:22.4 three-quarters, but though the chalk did well he had to settle for second, a length behind the Christen Pantaleano trainee, now a winner of two of his last three (and with two more races of eligibility in this class) for owner Matthew Morrison.
The distaff pacers were topped by the Always B Miki filly Incaseyoudidntknow, returning to Pocono after two thirds in Sire Stakes action to win in 1:53.2. Marcus Miller kept the filly, with only one start in her in the last 41 days, third along the rail, and when the pocket-sitter pulled out to challenge, Incaseyoudidntknow stormed up the Pocono Pike to finish 1-1/4 lengths to the good of pacesetter Roll On Mama. The fleet filly boosted her lifetime scorecard to 13-8-2-3 for trainer Les Givens and the partnership of Jim Magno and Joe Fonte.
A feature section for trotters saw the only three-year-old in the field, the Yankee Glide filly Miss Vet Hanover, get parked to the three-eighths before making the top, then holding off the comeback attempt of the horse that hung her a long way, Cant Say No, in 1:54.3 for driver Tyler Buter, trainer John Butenschoen (those two deadly over the last few weeks), and the lessee Harmony Oaks Racing Stable Inc.
Fortunately, the race held to recent trends for Miss Vet Hanover (she’s five for seven this year; she broke in the other two); unfortunately, the race held to recent trends for Cant Say No (who’s been second in six of his last eight starts, in five of them by a half-length or less, including the neck defeat here).
(PHHA/Pocono)