Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania featured four $22,222 events for two-year-olds, one for each sex-gait combination, on its Tuesday, Aug 18 card.
On the pacing side, the ladies outsped the gentlemen, as the Perfect Sting-Philly Hanover filly Phillys Sting ($14.20) reduced her mark to 1:53.3 for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Juan Cano and Hot Lead Farm. Phillys Sting took charge of the racetrack in the vicinity of the quarter, yielded to favoured Ana Carolina (Tyler Buter) to sit the golden two-hole trip, then rallied up the inside to defeat the chalk by three-quarters of a length. Gigi N Miki (Jim Pantaleano) completed the triactor.
Warren also had the seat behind the pacing male winner, the Papi Rob Hanover-Barefootnpregnant gelding Barefoot Papi ($27.20), who scratched in off the also-eligible list, then proceeded to break his maiden at 12-1 with a 1:54.1 success for trainer Richard Dunn, who shares ownership with MBC Stables LLC. The winning tactics in this race proved to be the same as in the filly race – Barefoot Papi got to sit in the two-hole behind favoured The Tile Guy (Braxten Boyd), then produced an individual last quarter of :27.2 to finish a half length ahead of the crowd’s choice. Somehriznsomewhere (Simon Allard) was third.
The favourite not only held the lead from beginning to end in the trot for males: the International Moni-Cr Calendar Girl gelding Ceasarmoni Hanover ($5.20) extended his margin to five lengths going under the wire in 1:57, which reduced his mark. Brad Chisholm drove the Aaron Lambert trainee for owner Vince Ferriero Jr. Extra Anejo (Ray Schnittker) was second, followed by Celebrity Tequila (Ridge Warren).
Chisholm also was in the sulky behind the freshman filly trot winner Seven Seagrams ($7.20), who lowered her record over three seconds in the 1:58.4 mile, in which the first four finishers were separated by a neck at the finish. The Six Pack-Seven Eleven distaff is trained by Rob Harmon for Go For Glory Stable LLC and Matthew Lamont. R Athena (George Napolitano Jr.) came out second in the place photo, with Winning Addiction (Tyler Buter) third.
Ridge Warren led the driving colonies with three sulky successes; joining Brad Chisholm at two triumphs were meet leader Tyler Buter, James Kennedy, Anthony Napolitano, and Jim Pantaleano. Fourteen different trainers harnessed a winner on Tuesday.
The big $2.3 million USD Sun Stakes Saturday card will be presented by Pocono this coming Saturday, with a special post time of 2:30 p.m. Some of the age-sex-gait divisions have not yet produced a clear leader, but Saturday’s action, bringing together many of North America’s top three-year-olds and free-for-allers on both gaits, is likely to result in some horses coming to the fore. Free Pocono program pages will be available at www.phha.org.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono; photo of Phillys Sting winning on Aug. 18)