A passing storm cell which twice delayed the Tuesday twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono resulted in a 'sloppy' track by the time the card’s features, a pair of $15,000 trots, went to post.
In one trot headliner the Cantab Hall four-year-old stallion Captain Morgan fulfilled the intermittent promise he had shown in just eleven starts at two and three combined, winning wire-to-wire in 1:54.1 in the muck for a lifetime best. Driver Christian Lind and Captain Morgan sped to the quarter in :26.4, rebuffed mid-race challenges from first the second choice Fraulein Blucher and then the favoured Spectre and finally held off inside-charging 107-1 shot P L Ketchup by half a length.
A stakes winner at two and three despite his paucity of races, Captain Morgan may be one to keep an eye on as he continues for trainer Staffan Lind and the ownership of Lind Racing Stable LLC, Bender Sweden Inc., Roy Holth, and KemppiSuojalampiStable.
Trixar, who is still the highest-priced winner of the meet with a $166.80 victory way back on March 26, took a lifetime mark of 1:55.1 despite the off going in the other co-feature. Marcus Miller moved the Trixton sophomore gelding to the lead early on the backstretch and maintained control from there, thwarting an inside rally by Run Lindy Run by one-and-a-quarter lengths for trainer Bill “Moon” Mullin, who is also co-owner with Howard Taylor.
Top pace was a $14,000 contest for females, which produced a three-way photo won by Empress Deo in 1:52.1. Marcus Miller yielded early with the 9-5 victorious daughter of Rocknroll Hanover to 6-5 favourite Queen Lostris N, then sat behind her to headstretch, when she moved out. Last Flight In N, third on the rail throughout, went to the Pocono Pike and joined the two favorites in a furious battle to the wire, which went to Empress Deo by a nose over the “Queen,” with Last Flight In N just a neck back in third. Empress Deo, a winner of $648,265, is trained by Wayne Givens for Legacy Racing Of DE Inc.
(PHHA/Pocono)