The three-year-old Manolete took no backseat to his elders in the $27,778 fast-class conditioned pacing feature at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Saturday, Sept. 27, with the son of Cattlewash-Glancewithme taking both his second straight win at the northeast Pennsylvania oval and a new mark of 1:49.2.
Trainer Bruce Saunders again tapped Brett Beckwith for the catch-drive behind Manolete, and Beckwith got the colt to the lead in the middle of the first turn before a :26.2 opener, then pushed brushing favourite Voukefalas (Jordan Stratton) a ways before surrendering the top to sit in the golden chair. The chalk posted middle numbers of :54 and 1:22, repelling any outside hopefuls, but the major danger lurked right behind. When Beckwith gave Manolete the green light, the sophomore responded strongly, winning by three-quarters of a length when seeming in more control than the margin might suggest. Congressional (Kevin Wallis) was third.
Manolete now has earnings of $634,151 for M&L Of Delaware and M&M Harness Racing. He is nine-for-28 lifetime. The win price was $9.60.
There were also a pair of races at the top two conditions for developing horses, each class with one race on each gait. The $24,306 pacing contest went to the five-year-old Huntsville-Under Your Spell gelding Gretzky The Great, who was claimed last week and promptly handled the switch to conditioned company, proceeding steadily to the lead, then digging down to withstand the late bid of favoured Makes Sense (Tyler Buter) by a half-length in 1:52. Gretzky The Great was driven by Matt Kakaley for the horse’s new connections, trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner P T Stable.
In the $24,306 higher-level trot for horses on the improve, Daiquiri Hanover atoned for an error when looking in contention for a triumph in his previous start. He sat in the two-hole until headstretch and then went on to a 1:52.3 victory for driver Tyler Buter, trainer Tony Alagna, and owners Adam Hawthorne, Jade Hatfield and Itzak Madae. The four-year-old son of Bar Hopping-Dab Hanover has now won three of his last four starts.
In the $21,528 trot for the up-and-comers, the altered Love You-Wind Stroll sophomore Beaujolais Breeze took advantage of sitting the pocket trip behind Craigieburn (Anthony Napolitano), then raced by that one at headstretch and strode to a 1:55.4 victory for driver Brett Beckwith, trainer Nifty Norman, and the ownership of Tom Vassiliou, Deo Volente Farms, Thomas Pontone and Enzed Racing Stable.
In the $21,528 pacing event at this level, the three-year-old Cattlewash-Dancinwiththestarz gelding Tom Horn dictated the tempo, then withstood pocket-sitter Chief Bogo (Anthony Napolitano) to lower his lifetime mark to 1:50.1 for meet leaders driver Tyler Buter and trainer Ron Burke, and owners Burke Racing Stable, W. Donovan, David Miller and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
Buter had four winners on the card, two of them for Burke. Horsepeople with doubles were drivers Beckwith and George Napolitano Jr. and trainers Burke and Taneyhill.
Tony Beltrami won a $13,889 race for the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) with the Mike Watson-trained trotter J S Hopscotch in 1:57.1.
The AHDC made another charitable donation during the program, this time to the Standardbred Transition Alliance (STA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization focused on accreditation and inspection of programs that acquire, rehabilitate, train and re-home Standardbreds, as well as awarding grants to help support these organizations. AHDC President Anthony Verruso led the $2,778 cheque presentation with Pocono race secretary Rick Kane accepting the donation on behalf of the STA.
“We really enjoy supporting these great charities that help our industry,” said Verruso. “We just love the competition, and we can’t do it without these horses. They all deserve the ability to find new homes and such once done racing, so we’re happy to assist on that. We’re also incredibly appreciative of Rick Kane and Sam Beegle [PHHA President] for giving us space to race here at Pocono, as well as the crew down at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Anywhere we go, we’ll make sure we continue supporting great causes.”
Organizations like the STA are supported by the AHDC because the club’s participants race with amateur licenses, meaning that their five per cent cut of purse earnings goes to various charity organizations instead of to the driver.
Racing at Pocono continues on Monday and Tuesday, with first post each day 1 p.m.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono & AHDC)