Pacer Lous Starr and trotter Seven Reps were both half-length winners in the twin $23,611 features for developing horses on Saturday, Aug. 23 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
The Sweet Lou-Amantha Star three-year-old colt Lous Starr ($14.40) earned a lifetime record of 1:50.4 in winning the pacing headliner. Driver Fern Paquet Jr. left sharply with Lou’s Starr, then yielded after the :27.1 quarter to brushing favourite Gretzky The Great (Colin Kelly), who led through mid-race splits of :55.4 and 1:22.3. Paquet held Lous Starr in reserve until late on the far turn, then moved him outside, and the talented pacer got by the chalk for trainer Scott Warnick and owner Daniel Chansky. Gretzky The Great was second, followed by Lou Grant (Simon Allard). The winner tallied his 11th career victory in 30 starts.
In the trotting feature, the Muscle Hill-Sette Deo gelding Seven Reps ($3.60) pressed on to the lead at the quarter and maintain command the rest of the way while winning in 1:53.4. Kierkegaard K (Jonathan Ahle) took advantage of the rail to take some sting out of the winner before releasing him at the :27 quarter, after which that one rode the two-hole behind Seven Reps through middle splits of :57 and 1:25. Kierkegaard K came on steadily in the Pocono Pike, but Pocono’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, kept Seven Reps to task to maintain control at the wire to complete the gelding's eighth lifetime win in 36 tries. The four-year-old races for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership group of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Larry Karr, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. Wapiti Blue Chip (Braxten Boyd) completed the triactor.
Despite crossing the wire first or second in all five Pocono starts since coming in from Oak Grove, the Always B Miki-Betterluck Hanover gelding Congressional went off at 14-1 in the $22,917 fast-class conditioned pace, and he defied the fans' prediction by winning in 1:51. Owned, trained, and driven by Kevin Wallis, Congressional used his handiness to fire out for the lead from post seven, then after the :26.3 quarter was content to yield to favoured Santana Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) and sit behind that one during midfractions of :56.2 and 1:23.1. After the pocket ride, Congressional showed his usual determination and came up the Pocono Pike to catch the leader by three quarters of a length for the victory. Camara Moment (Mark Herschberger) was third. Congressional, a five-year-old gelding, recorded his 18th win in his 86th lifetime outing.
Braxten Boyd, Tyler Buter, and Ridge Warren each had driving doubles. Two-time winners on the training side were meet leader Ron Burke (both driven by Buter) and Travis Alexander (one driven by Boyd and one by Warren).
Pocono was scheduled to race Sunday night, but a lack of entries forced the cancellation of that card. Monday and Tuesday will feature 13-race programs that begin at 1 p.m. Monday’s program will have a carryover into both the fifth-race Pick 5 and the last-race High 5 pools. The following week, Pocono’s schedule is Saturday at 1 p.m., the last Sunday on the calendar at 6 p.m., and then Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m.
(PHHA/Pocono)