Two-year-old American Ideal–Shake That Junk colt Shake That House might well have earned himself a spot in his division’s Breeders Crown elimination ten days hence at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, coming within three-fifths of a second of his divisional world record by winning a $15,000 pace Tuesday in 1:50.2 over the mountain oval.
The winner, a three-quarter brother to 2017 Breeders Crown champion Split The House, quarter-moved from third for driver George Napolitano, Jr. after another well-bred horse, the sophomore Captain Deo (a Somebeachsomewhere colt out of Worldly Beauty), smoked the opening panel in :25.3 in the “nw 4 races” event. Shake That House went on to post middle splits of :54.3 and 1:22.1, then held off the stretch charge of Captain Deo by a half-length.
It was the seventh lifetime start and third win for Shake That House, who was coming off a 3-3 finish in the Metro elims and final, and who previously had won in 1:52.2 at Vernon. Chris Oakes, the trainer of not only Split The House but also the new world’s fastest trotter Homicide Hunter, conditions the rapidly-developing freshman for Crawford Farms Racing, Alan Johnston, and Norfolk Racing Stables.
The 1:50.2 clocking was just short of the 1:49.4 world record of Somestarsomewhere set, appropriately enough, in a 2013 Breeders Crown elimination right here at Pocono.
Earlier, Napolitano did something he does not do regularly – drive a horse who paid $50.80 to win. Revelry, who had only one show finish in seven career starts despite often showing good early speed, used off-the-pace tactics on Tuesday to give “George Nap” his third $50+ horse of the meet. Trainer/driver Fern Paquet, Jr. also got in on the Tuesday longshot fun by handling Embassy Seelster as she came home first to the tune of $53.60, giving Pocono its tenth card of the meet during which two winners paid $50+.
Napolitano, the track’s leading driver both all-time and this season, had five winners on the Tuesday Pocono card, and his brother Anthony visited Victory Lane three times.
(PHHA / Pocono)