Say You Do notched sixth consecutive victory on Sunday night (July 28), winning the $21,500 featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 1:54.3.
Say You Do and driver Tyler Buter settled for the pocket early as Winning Shadow pressed to command, and then was underway near the :28.1 quarter to grab the lead by a :57 half. The Credit Winner gelding saw Fashion Creditor come up to contest the issue nearing the 1:26.1 three-quarters, but Say You Do used a :28.2 last quarter to finish 1-1/2 lengths clear of Winning Shadow for second. He in turn was a half-length ahead of Classicality.
Say You Do has emerged in a big way in 2019: he’s won six in a row, eight of his last nine, and is 9-for-11 on the year. Todd Buter traines the sharp trotter for Oldfield Racing LLC.
Two $17,500 trotting co-features were also carded. In the first, Scirocco Rob made the front before yielding to Mississippi Storm, but was quickly out to reclaim command and com home in :56.2 to complete a 2-1/2 length victory over that rival in 1:53.4. George Napolitano Jr., the leading driver at the mountain oval, guided the Explosive Matter gelding to his third win in his last six starts for trainer Mark Silva and owners Kathleen and Lewis Whitaker.
The second co-feature went to the grinding Muscle Massive ridgling Silvermass Volo, who gained steadily from before the half until head-stretch, then went clear for a 1-1/2 length win over 55-1 shot Upfront Billy in 1:56.1. Silvermass Volo has now taken two straight starts for the pairing of driver Eric Carlson and owner-trainer Michael Holcman.
Springsteen’s 2019 had consisted of a neck loss to Lather Up in a Ben Franklin Pace elimination and then an off-the-board finish in the Franklin final, though beaten less than three lengths, after a 2018 campaign that included a victory in the Max Hempt Memorial. The lack of seasonal starts, and a month off after them, seemed to not affect the four-year-old son of Rock N Roll Heaven at all, as he made a :26.3 backstretch brush from fifth to the lead before the three-quarters, then coasted home to a two-length victory over JK Musicman in 1:51.2 in a $17,000 pace. The win was one of four on the evening for the partnership of driver Simon Allard and conditioner Rene Allard, who leads all trainers at Pocono.
(PHHA/Pocono)