On a speed-favouring Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania (only one horse came off cover to win all day), Gigi N Miki went wire-to-wire in the biggest purse event of the day, a $22,535 event restricted to two-year-old pacing fillies, kicking home in :28 to break her maiden in 1:55.1.
Driver Jim Pantaleano and the Michael Deters trainee Gigi N Miki made a second move to control the throttle after a :29 quarter, landing the top and cutting out moderate mid-splits of :58 and 1:27.1. Favoured Phillys Sting (Ridge Warren) advanced uncovered from mid-backstretch, and these two had quite a tussle through the stretch drive, with Gigi N Miki holding off her brave foe by the smallest possible margin. Port Woodman (Tyler Buter) rounded out the top three more than two lengths behind.
Deters shares ownership of the homebred Always B Miki-Gigi From Fiji, a winner in her third career start, with Lawrence Barrett, Joel Warner and John Spindler. She was the 9-2 third choice in the field of eight and returned $11 to win.
A quartet of $20,423 races for horses looking to climb the class ladder were the co-features, with the only pace, for distaffs, showcasing the Bulldog Hanover-Band Stand sophomore filly Shes A Bulldog as she won in a lifetime best 1:50.1 for Pocono’s top duo of driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ron Burke. The 2025 Three Diamonds winner after finishing second to stablemate Loua Dipa in the Breeders Crown, Shes A Bulldog made the lead from the outside post eight after being pushed by American Story (Braxten Boyd) almost to the :27.1 quarter, stopped the timer mid-race in :55 and 1:22.4, then held off the game pocket-sitter by 1-1/4 lengths for owner/breeder Brad Grant, raising her earnings above the $600,000 mark with her third lifetime victory in 17 starts.
In the faster co-feature for trotting males, the Tactical Landing-Fillyanthropy three-year-old gelding Southwind Fargo won his second straight and third in his last four outings, putting up fractions of :27.4, :56 and 1:25 en route to a 1:53 triumph. Åke Svanstedt drove and trains the talented winner for Rivers Stable Inc.
In the other section, El Orion, a Six Pack-Courtney Hall sophomore colt coming off two wins and a second at Tioga Downs, brought his good form southward with him, winning a long stretch battle with favoured Breakthrough (Tom Jackson) under the guidance of Braxten Boyd while lowering his mark to 1:56.3 for trainer Bob Krivelin and his Hero Stables.
The other co-feature was carded for trotting females and it went to the Walner-Lovely Lindy three-year-old filly R Candy, who came her back half in :57 uncovered to succeed in 1:54.3 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Linda Toscano and lessees M And L DE/Armitage Farm.
Tyler Buter and George Napolitano Jr. each had three victories on the day and between them they brought home trainer Dean Eckley’s three-bagger – two by Buter and one by Napolitano. Other doublers included the team of driver Simon Allard and trainer Mark Akins; drivers Braxten Boyd and Anthony Napolitano also each tasted success twice.
Racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday at 1 p.m., with millionaire speedsters Dandy Ideal and Ruthless Hanover assigned the two outermost starting slots in the $29,500 USD fast-class handicap pacing feature.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)