Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania held a $29,730 pace for Pennsylvania Sire Stakes-eligible three-year-old pacing males as its Saturday, Aug. 24 afternoon feature, to possibly serve as a springboard to Sire Stakes and Stallion Series championship racing early in September.
The winner of the race, Vengeance Bluechip (pictured above), would need wholesale defections above him in the standings even if he were to enter and win the final Stallion Series prelim next Friday at The Meadows, but the late-developing Captaintreacherous gelding showed his quality with a 1:50.1 victory, which equalled his mark. Vengeance Bluechip was outside most of the :27.3 first quarter to get the lead, but then strolled through mid-race numbers of :55.4 and 1:23.2 before jetting home in :26.4 to win by five lengths. George Napolitano Jr. drove the sophomore for trainer Joe Pavia Jr. and the partnership of Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Kayser and Pint Size Racing LLC.
The $1.2 millions USD card for the four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes three-year-old championships, plus consolations if filling, will be held at Pocono on Monday, Sept. 9.
Track announcer Jim Beviglia had been saying all afternoon that if weather conditions were like Saturday's when the Sun Stakes Saturday supercard had been held a week earlier, there likely would have been more record miles. Beviglia’s thoughts were born out when, in the $25,000 fast-class pace that was the second-last contest on the card, another son of Captaintreacherous, I Did It Myway, scorched the Pocono oval in 1:47.3, the fastest mile of 2024 at the mountain track.
Driver Matt Kakaley came from beyond mid-pack past the eighth in a prolonged brush to gain the lead with I Did It Myway, and after main rival South Beach Star had been parked well past a :25.3 opener to get the lead, I Did It Myway went right on up and grabbed control by a :53 half. The three-quarters came and went in 1:19.4, and Kakaley was the most comfortable person in the house through the stretch as his pacer went on to win by 3-1/2 lengths over Stone Hanover, who had been left uncovered when the winner, who equalled his lifetime best, cleared.
I Did It Myway, a winner of $1.42 million and now working on a four-race victory streak, is currently trained by Travis Alexander for owners David Hamm, EVM Racing LLC and Glenn Phillips. The divisional track record for I Did It Myway’s group, older pacing horses, is also the all-time Pocono standard of 1:47, achieved by Sweet Lou once and Always B Miki twice.
Other swift miles on the card came from Pat McGarry A (1:48.3, equalling his mark) and Bugaboo Lou (a new mark of 1:50); fastest trotter was Bellissimo Face S, who froze the timer in 1:53.
A $15,000 USD conditioned trot will be the feature race when Pocono picks up action on Sunday at 6 p.m., and there will be a carryover into the last race Hi 5 wager, the final race on a Sunday at Pocono this season. Free Pocono programs are available at phha.org.
(PHHA / Pocono)