After trainer Bruce Saunders prepped his speedy three-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven over Pocono Downs this morning, the conditioner said that not much has separated his star pacer from One More Laugh this season, and that the Little Brown Jug should be a great race this year
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Having started from Post 6 this morning, Rock N Roll Heaven and driver Dan Dube took the six-horse field to the opening quarter in :28.2, the half in :57.2, and the three-quarters in 1:23.4 before stopping the timer in 1:51.
“I wanted to stretch him out with two heats coming in the Little Brown Jug,” said trainer Bruce Saunders, who stated that Rock N Roll Heaven was a little nervous getting back to the track this morning.
"He was pretty much in hand (this morning). I’m happy the way he looked on the track with (:) 57.2 to the half and coming home in (:) 53.3.
“I thought he had a little too much energy this morning. He’s never had soundness issues and it should be a great race in Ohio."
Saunders went on to say, “My horse and Ray Schnittker’s One More Laugh pretty much have been the leaders in their division. They won the Cane Pace and beat us by a head in the Meadowlands Pace. We beat him (One More Laugh) in the Battle of Brandywine at Chester.
“Not much separates these two horses. It usually comes down to who gets the better trip.”
Saunders also brought his prized two-year-old pacing colt Lookinforadventure to Pocono to familiarize the horse for the October 9 Breeders Crown.
Lookinforadventure, like his stablemate Rock N Roll Heaven, also scored a wire-to-wire qualifying victory this morning. Dube, who will be driving both Rock N Roll Heaven and Lookinforadventure in the Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown, respectively, was in the sulky.
“I wanted to bring in the two-year-old to get familiar with the track and surroundings. I wanted to see how he handles the environment,” offered Saunders.
Lookinforadventure passed with the test with flying colours, as he took a six-horse field to the quarter in :28.1, to the half in :56.3, and the three quarters in 1:24 before the timer read 1:52.3, which was just three-fifths of a second off the track record for a two-year-old pacing colt.
“He’s got a big engine,” Saunders said about Lookinforadventure. “He never does anything wrong. I wanted to see how he would go here. This track is so good all horses take to it.”
(With files from Pocono Downs)