The Bettors Delight gelding Bellows Binge made a successful bow for trainer Clay Faurot Jr. and owner Chelsey Faurot, rallying from the pocket to overhaul favoured Daamericansky while taking the $16,000 claiming handicap pacing feature Saturday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Matt Kakaley and Bellows Binge pushed Daamericansky much of a :26 opening quarter before yielding for the two-hole, then sat behind middle splits of :55.2 and 1:22.4. With no first-over horse lurking nearby, Kakaley had plenty of time to move the winner of $249,623 to the outside, and he went his own last quarter in :27.1 while taking a new lifetime mark of 1:50.1 with the three-quarter length victory.
A pair of $14,000 events were the headliners for the fast-class veteran set. On the pace, the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Prince Of Tides, winner of an Adios elimination and second to Southwind Ozzi in the final just 14 months ago (though it seems longer), came over from The Meadows and made a strong move in the last quarter for driver George Napolitano Jr. to take a half length decision over Rockapelo in 1:50. Randy Bendis trains the winner of $303,160 for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Dana Parham, and Howard Taylor.
On the trot, trainer Åke Svanstedt sent the tough Muscle M Up to town, and despite being three-wide most of the way to the three-eighths in pursuit of the lead, the son of Muscle Hill was an easy winner in 1:53.2. Matt Kakaley, deputizing in the sulky for Svanstedt, was as still as a statue in the stretch as Muscle M Up came home in :28.1 for Knutsson Trotting Inc.
Fastest mile of the day was turned in by Stone Hanover, a son of Art Major, who sat behind a hotly-contested pace then rallied for Anthony Napolitano to lower his lifetime mark to 1:49.2. Joe Pavia Jr. trains the winner, and his Joe Pavia Jr. Stable Inc. co-owns him with Steven Held, John Whitig, and Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky.
For the second time in three days, George Napolitano Jr. had a six-winner card, following up on a sextet at Philly on Thursday with a six-bagger at Pocono Saturday. George, who had risen to fourth-place in the North American standards as of this writing, has posted a total of 61 victories during the month of September, and he’ll have many opportunities to expand that total: at The Meadowlands on Saturday night, at Philly then Pocono Sunday, still at Pocono on Monday and Tuesday, and then back to Philly on Wednesday, the 30th.
The Rainbow Pick 5 carryover will be at $222,561 when Pocono hosts a twilight card Sunday starting at 5:00 p.m.
(PHHA / Pocono)