There were a pair of $24,306 contests, one on each gait, for horses making strides up the class ladder at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania during the Monday, Sept. 29 afternoon card.
The trotters produced a dramatic finish with five horses finishing with less than two lengths separating the top five. The winner was Scudo Hanover, who actually had the early lead then yielded through repeated lead changes of :27.4, :55.4 and 1:24.4. Driver Jim Marohn Jr. backed him out to second-over behind favoured first-over Chuckthemillionair, then tipped him wide and got him up to tie his lifetime mark of 1:53.4 for trainer Robert Baggitt Jr., co-owner with Christine Baggitt and J L Sadowsky LLC. Durante Hanover rallied in the Pocono Pike to come up just a neck less photogenic, with pacesetter Karinchak, a blocked Kovu As, and Chuckthemillionair next in line and not far off.
The pacing contest, restricted to females, saw the Huntsville sophomore filly Fansville take her second straight Pocono victory after missing just a head in her New York Sire Stakes Championship, on Monday reducing her mark to 1:51.2. Jack Pelling accepted the early pocket behind Send It Down Slim, who set fractions of :26.4, :56.2 and 1:23.4, watching the pacesetter duel with Jordanna Hanover, who went on a long uncovered excursion. Fansville got to the Pocono Pike and gained into the :27.3 final quarter – and needed to to defeat the resilient Jordanna Hanover by a half length. Joe Bongiorno trains the winner of $352,348 for Chain Lightning Stables LLC.
In a $21,728 trotting co-feature, Mischievous G, lighting up the board at $50.80, came up the inside after a pocket journey and won a 1:57.2 race which had five horses within a length of each other under the wire. Driver Drew Chellis and trainer Wendy Chellis, the co-owners, have a steady moneymaker in the daughter of Cantab Hall, even though this was the third career win for the five-year-old. But she has more than earned her keep, as Mischievous G has now amassed $169,728, with 19 seconds and 19 thirds giving her a 40 per cent on-the-board lifetime clip.
The meet’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, further built up his lead with three victories. Doubling horsepeople were drivers Braxten Boyd, Colin Kelly and Jack Pelling, and trainer Pierre Paradis.
Pocono closes out its racing week on Tuesday with a 1 p.m. card, headlined by a $15,500 USD feature for up-and-coming trotters. There will be a carryover going into the fifth race Pick 5 wager and the last race High 5 bet.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono Downs)