It was a wet Tuesday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but you’ll hear no complaints from Stonebridge Karis after he lowered his record over four seconds to 1:51 in winning one of the three $13,000 pacing features.
Jim Pantaleano pointed the three-year-old Sweet Lou gelding frontward and the pair was never headed, winning by five lengths. The one sad part for trainer Herbert Lux III and owners Carver Racing LLC and William (Moon) Mullin is Stonebridge Karis was claimed for $33,000 out of the giant victory.
Winning the other two pacing cuts was driver Anthony Napolitano, who recorded his second five-win day in the four-card racing week. Anthony Nap used the uncovered route to get the Bettors Delight sophomore gelding Team Mac to take a new record of 1:52.3 for trainer Victoria Stratton and the ownership of VIP Internet Stable LLC and Stratton Stable Inc.
He then captured the other pacing headliner in the heaviest rain of the day with The American Ideal gelding My Boy Jack in 1:55.4 for trainer Matias Ruiz and owner Jose Cervantes.
There were also a pair of $12,500 top trots, both taken by first-over horses: by the Credit Winner gelding Credit Con, who took a new mark of 1:55.1 for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Todd Buter, and owner Lee Sitto; and by the Muscle Hill gelding Muscle Dynasty, who added hopples and promptly came from off a hot pace to also take a new speed badge, 1:55.2, for driver Marcus Miller, trainer Erv Miller, and owner Douglas Overhiser.
When racing resumes on Saturday, it will mark the last week before the end of the four-card-a-week format Pocono has been using much of the spring and summer. Racing will be conducted over the Labor Day holiday weekend on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m., the highlight of the upcoming week being the $320,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series Championship on the Labor Day Monday card. Afterward, the track will start racing again on Monday, Sept. 12, with a Saturday-Monday-Tuesday at 1:30 schedule.
(PHHA / Pocono)