Americanprimetime Best At Pocono

Published: August 19, 2017 10:31 pm EDT

The rain came to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono just before the $20,000 featured pace on Saturday, August 19, but the moisture didn’t deter Americanprimetime from going wire-to-wire in 1:49.4 over the surface downgraded to “sloppy.”

Starting from the rail with driver George Napolitano Jr., 7-5 favourite Americanprimetime did not give up the lead to parked challenger and 8-5 second choice Major Uptrend, who refused an early tuck, and the pair dueled past fractions of :27 and :54, continuing towards three-quarters until Major Uptrend tired, timed in 1:21.3.

Through the lane, Americanprimetime had to hold off pocket-sitter JJ Flynn and El Bloombito rallying late, but he held by a length-and-a-quarter over JJ Flynn and El Bloombito.

The victory was the seventh of the year for Americanprimetime, a son of American Ideal and a winner of $445,919, who is trained by Rick Dane Jr. for the Rock&Roll Stable Inc.

In the $16,500 handicap trot, raced earlier over a fast surface, Can I Say, made it two in a row, equaling her lifetime mark of 1:53.1. Tony Morgan drove the $11.20 winner, who is trained by Doug Berkeley for owners Terry and Clarence Devos and James Whelan.

The Sunday, August 20 card at Pocono Downs features three divisions of the $164,355 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, which is the final preliminary before the $252,000 finals at Harrah's Philadelphia on Monday, September 4.

(With files from the PHHA)

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