After adroitly avoiding an off-stride Ontario Success early in the backstretch, Sparky Mark, driven by Simon Allard, went on to his second straight victory at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, taking the $24,000 featured pace at the mountain oval on Saturday in 1:50.
Ontario Success had put up early numbers of :26.2 and :55.3 with Sparky Mark on his back. Driver Anthony Napolitano kicked out the horse's earplugs coming off the second turn, but the pacer mis-reacted and went off-stride, moving to the outside as Napolitano looked for clearance and hollered out about his problem. Allard and Joe Pavia Jr., guiding first-over Blatantly Best, reacted well in concert with Napolitano, with Allard going inside the runner and Pavia going wide as Napolitano kept his off-stride charge between the pair. From there, Sparky Mark had it relatively easy, storming home in :54.1 (:27 final quarter) individually to win by two and a quarter lengths over Blatantly Best, who was able to re-tuck in the pocket after the trouble.
The son of Astreos, trained by Simon's brother Rene, continues to get closer and closer to a seven-figure lifetime bankroll, with his lifetime total now at $973,930.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)