There will be plenty of firepower in the $300,000 USD Grade 2 Max C. Hempt Memorial on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, where five of the season’s seven fastest three-year-old male pacers in North America will meet in a field of eight.
Prince Hal Hanover, coming off wins in the Grade 2 Carl Milstein Memorial and Grade 1 Adios in his past two starts, received the 5-2 morning-line nod. Captain Optimistic, who posted a career-best 1:48.1 triumph in the Grade 2 Cane Pace in his most recent start on Aug. 2, was made the 3-1 second choice followed by Twisted Destiny, who counts the Grade 2 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes in June among his victories, at 4-1.
Twisted Destiny has the fastest mark among that group, at 1:48, which he set in winning his Adios elimination on July 19. He was third in the final, beaten by only a neck, and second in the Milstein. Prince Hal Hanover set his mark of 1:48.1 in the Adios final after finishing second to Twisted Destiny in the elim.
Rounding out the quintet of speedsters are Papis Pistol, who won a three-year-old Open in 1:48 in June at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and Dandy Ideal, who scored in 1:48.2 in a July 12 conditioned race at Pocono.
But the depth goes beyond those five, with the Ron Burke-trained duo of Swingtown and Rick Wink also among the Hempt field.
Swingtown won an Adios elimination and finished second, beaten by a head, in the final. He met up with Prince Hal Hanover and Twisted Destiny again in the Milstein, where he battled to the front in a :25.4 opening quarter before finishing third. For the year, he has hit the board in seven of nine starts, winning four and earning $376,822.
Rick Wink made an early break in the Milstein and was no factor but finished a fast-closing fifth in the Adios final. He has four victories among six top-three finishes this year, with $232,215 in purses.
Swingtown and Rick Wink finished 1-2, respectively, separated by a nose, in the $201,389 Ohio State Fair race for sophomore male pacers at Eldorado Scioto Downs the week prior to the Aug. 9 Milstein Memorial at MGM Northfield Park. Swingtown will leave from post two with driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. on Saturday and is 6-1 on the morning line. Rick Wink is 10-1 and will leave from post four with Yannick Gingras.
“I’m really happy with them,” Burke said. “With Rick Wink, you can throw out last week. He shied away from a tree that hangs over the track, so I’m not worried about that. Swingtown raced great. Going :25.4 at Northfield is legit. You’re going a real mile. He drew inside (Saturday), and he can control the pace, too.”
Swingtown and Rick Wink are among a group of Burke’s three-year-old male pacers who have been overshadowed by stablemate Louprint, who was a Dan Patch Award winner last year and undefeated in five races this year, including the Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup, before being sidelined by minor surgery.
“Louprint is just another step up,” Burke said. “These others are very good colts. But I think Louprint is special.”
The Max C. Hempt Memorial is part of Pocono’s Sun Stakes Saturday card, along with the Grade 1 James M. Lynch Memorial for three-year-old female pacers, the Grade 1 Delmonica Hanover for three-year-old female trotters, and the Grade 2 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for three-year-old male trotters.
Racing begins at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday at Pocono Downs, with a live stream of the card to be available through the SC website. For free program pages, click here.
(USTA; photo of Swingtown defeating Rick Wink)