Canadian-campaigned pacer Yankee Clout was among the winners of the $20,270 featured events on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Two of the highlighted races were for developing horses, one on each gait. In the pace, the four-year-old Sweet Lou gelding Yankee Clout was sent right to the lead for Team Whelan – driver Michael and trainer Walter – and went coast-to-coast, fending off pocket-sitting favourite Captain Caveman by a neck. Yankee Clout reduced his mark three full seconds to 1:52.2 with the triumph for owner Christopher Nicol of Dundas, Ont.
In the conditioned trotting feature, the Chapter Seven sophomore gelding It Wasnt Me, fresh off a triumph in the New York Excelsior final, made a quick mid-race move to the top and stayed in control from there, with longshot pocket-sitter Shiny New Penny doing well to stay within a length at the wire in the 1:55 mile. Matt Kakaley drove the winner for trainer Michelle Warner and New York-based owner Big Sky Ranch.
The other feature was for high-priced claiming trotters in a handicap event. The winner, the four-year-old Triumphant Caviar mare Allsummerlong AS, had to overcome the rough tuck-then-first-over trip, but her determination carried her past another favourite, the pacesetting Jive Ninety Five, by a half length in 1:56. Braxten Boyd drove the Jenny Melander-trained winner for Pennsylvania's Jose Cervantes.
For the second straight day at Pocono, the statistics were uprooted from the norm; on Tuesday back-to-back longshots Space Cadebt ($71.60) and Barn Credit ($75.20) both overcame post eight. In fact, post eight, normally with a win rate of 7.9 per cent, generated a rate of 50 per cen today, as five of the 10 starters from the outermost spot were successful (and another was second). In contrast, the chalk normally clicks at 44.5 per cent at the mountain oval, but today the three favoured winners represented only a 21.4 per cent success ratio.
Anthony Napolitano and Jim Pantaleano recorded driving triples on Tuesday.
Racing resumes at Pocono on Saturday with a solid card from top to bottom, the best example being the 10th race $18,500 USD fast-class handicap pace feature, with four of the eight entrants coming off of wins below 1:50 in their last start.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)