Saulsbrook Victor, a winner in Open company at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his last start, translated his sharp form upon heading south of the border, winning the $25,000 fast-class handicap pace in 1:48.3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon, Sept. 28.
Driver and owner Brett MacDonald had the six-year-old Source Of Pride gelding flying from the start, clearing to the lead nearing the :26.1 quarter despite the outside post eight and kept on rolling through fractions of :53.3 and 1:20.4. With his rivals struggling to keep up the last five-sixteenths, Saulsbrook Victor won handily for trainer Ron MacDonald and increased his bankroll to $584,285.
In the quicker of a pair of $22,973 trots for developing horses, the Muscle Mass gelding Deadline Hall went right to the lead and laughed at whatever challenges thrown at him, be they two-wide (before the quarter), three-wide (by the three-eighths) or four-wide (from late backstretch), en route to a 1:52.4 lifetime best. George Napolitano Jr. guided the Jeff Cullipher trainee for Pollack Racing.
Napolitano also captured the other division of this trotting class, as the International Moni sophomore gelding Dejerate Hanover rolled to his seventh straight victory, quarter-moving to command and holding his opposition safe in 1:53.3. Three of the septet of wins have come since moving over to trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, FAC Racing and Yannick Gingras.
Napolitano had five wins on the day while Burke, Pocono’s winningest trainer, had three, including two in collaboration with Napolitano.
There was also a $22,973 event for developing male pacers, with Vengeance Blue Chip, off 22 days, able to set a slow pace to the half, then out-sprint his rivals in stopping the timer in 1:51.3. The Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, a Captaintreacherous sophomore gelding owned by Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Keyser and Pint Size Racing, was part of the Napolitano five-bagger.
In the $22,297 pace for high-priced claiming pacers, Kevin Wallis kept the Christian Cullen gelding Hesa Kingslayer N off of a hotly-contested early pace, followed the move of clearing first-over A Fair Ol Dance N and got to re-tuck in the pocket nearing the far turn, then caught his fellow Enzed up the inside to post a 20-1 upset in 1:51.3. Trainer Mike Deters co-owns the opportunistic winner with Joel Warner.
Pocono will be racing live programs on Monday and Tuesday, with both having first posts of 1 p.m. A pair of $15,000 USD trots for up-and-coming diamond-gaiters will be featured on the Monday program.
(With files from PHHA / Pocono)