Claiming pacers had the spotlight on Sunday, July 27 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with one longtime fan of summer racing at the mountain oval accounting for the feature win.
The 11-year-old Bettors Delight-Thesantafe Express gelding Santafes Coach worked out a perfect pocket trip through :26, :55.3, and 1:23 fractions for driver Simon Allard in the top-level $21,918 handicap feature. He then came up the Pocono Pike to collar Belmont Major N (Anthony Napolitano) by a neck in 1:51 for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Sam Dalia. The career winner of $508,414 with 28 wins in 240 starts captured an elimination of the Hempt Pace at Pocono way back in 2017. He paid $14 to win. Downrightdelicious (Matt Kakaley) was third.
Santafes Coach gets to stay with his connections, but the winners of the three $20,458 co-features for claimers priced just below the feature field all changed hands via the claiming box. The most impressive of this trio was Bullville Stephano ($3.40), who paced identical back quarters of :26.4 to lower his mark to 1:48.3 under the handling of George Napolitano Jr., who swept the sub-features and recorded 10 winners over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday period between Pocono and Philly. The victorious five-year-old son of Artiscape-Bullvillestephanie is now three-for-three in two stints for owner Todd’s Auto and trainer Lou Pena, but in his next start will be for new ownership. He has won nine times in 61 career outings.
The other two winners in the sub-features were Literl Lad Hanover ($5.20) in 1:51 and Sun Of A Show ($19.40) in 1:51.1. Their trainer on Sunday, Dean Eckley, will now have two spaces in his shedrow to fill after both were claimed; in all, seven horses changed hands for a total of $216,438.
Yogi Sheridan vaulted from off the speed while John Calabrese made all of the speed in their respective $13,699 divisions of the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) Trot.
Sheridan found the winner’s circle in the first division with Lionhead in a 1:57.2 mile. Lionhead settled into fourth behind a battle on the front between 59-1 shot Awol Hanover (Steven Reisenweaver) and 9-5 favourite Steel (Tony Ciuffetelli) through early fractions of :28.1 and :57.1. BBC Sportsboy (Bob Hechkoff) made the first move after new leader Steel in the backstretch, and Sheridan angled into the second-over perch on the march to three-quarters in 1:26.3. Steel held the lead turning for home until Sheridan lifted Lionhead to the center of the track, and the latter slid by in the lane to post a 1-3/4-length win. Awol Hanover held third, and Game On Girls (Tony Beltrami) took fourth.
Dawn Anderson trains Lionhead, a nine-year-old gelding by Uncle Peter-Lily V, for owner Terri Morgan. He paid $10.40 in his 36th career win in 249 starts.
John Calabrese went all the way with even-money favourite Cal Miles N Shell in the second AHDC Trot, stopping the clock in 1:53.2. Calabrese faced minimal challenge by cutting a clip of :27.2, :56.3 and 1:24 to leave his rivals straggling behind into the stretch while he romped to a four-length win over pocket-sitter Pembroke Regal (Beltrami). Six Sticks (Sheridan) grabbed third, another 4-1/4 lengths behind, with Eddie L (Hechkoff) fourth.
Calabrese trains Cal Miles N Shell, a five-year-old gelding by Trixton-Gillovny Hanover, for Calabrese Farms LLC. He paid $4.20 to win as he improved his career record to 11-for-76.
AHDC action resumes next Sunday, August 3 with pacing divisions at Harrah’s Philadelphia and trotting divisions at Pocono Downs. First-race post time at Harrah’s Philadelphia is 12:40 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Pocono.
Racing continues at Pocono with cards on Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m.
(PHHA/Pocono Downs)