The three favourites in the $25,000 fast-class pace for distaffs during the Sunday (Aug. 28) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono were all sent at odds of 9-5, with a spread of $48 covering the most-favoured to the least-favored. But it was the “longshot” of the three, Fire Start Hanover, who took the victory in 1:51.1.
Drama Act went away quickly to the front in a :26.2 opener, but then she was passed in turn by favoured Majorca N and then Fire Start Hanover on the way to a :55.1 half. The other fancied horse, Easy To Please, made a sustained bid first over through and past the 1:23.3 three-quarters, but in the end Fire Start Hanover proved too much, with pocket-sitter Majorca N a length behind at the wire and Easy To Please another length further back.
"Nifty" Norman trains the $1,234,865-winning daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, and Tyler Buter drove her for the ownership of Pinske Stables, David Hoese and Lawrence Means.
Tony Beltrami won the $15,000 Summer Series Trotting Final for the American Harness Drivers Club amateur horsemen, guiding Innisfallen to victory in 1:55.3. Beltrami sent the gelded son of Explosive Matter to a three-quarter-pole lead of 10 lengths, then saw favoured Silvermass Volo steadily eat into that margin. But in the end, Beltrami and Innisfallen were two lengths clear with the Paul Fusco and Bramdeo Singh-owned winner.
Winning the AHDC Final made Beltrami hardly in need of consolation, but nonetheless he also drove the winner of the $11,000 AHDC Consolation Trot. All Rise, a Conway Hall gelding he also owns, trotted to victory in 1:57.2 – though this race’s style couldn’t have been more different than the Final’s. Beltrami had the Edwin Quevedo trainee on the lead nearing the three-quarters with company close by, and then in the blink of an eye a short lead became almost a double-digit lead, as the pocket-sitter and first-over challenger got tangled up and scattered those in behind, with All Rise and Beltrami winning by seemingly half the length of the stretch.
Pocono continues its racing week with cards at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) on Monday (Aug. 29) and Tuesday (Aug. 30).
(PHHA / Pocono)