The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono opens its 2021 racing season this Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6). First-race post time for the 55th year of competition at the northeast Pennsylvania oval is 12:30 p.m. (EST).
The headliner on the inaugural card is a $14,000 fast-class pace slotted for Race 10 on the 14-race card. The 5-2 morning line favourite is the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Redbank Blaze A, who has been closing very strongly while competing at Yonkers for trainer Jose Godinez and the Godinez Racing Stable LLC. The Down Under import, who starts from post 1, will have the sulky services of George Napolitano Jr., who will be bidding for his 10th-consecutive victory crown among Pocono drivers while he is listed for action in 12 of 14 races.
The winningest trainer at Pocono last year, Ron Burke, sends the 3-1 second choice in the feature: the Bettors Delight gelding Bettor Memories, who will have to overcome post 8 for driver Matt Kakaley and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and Phil Collura.
Burke, longtime leading trainer at The Meadows, Harrah’s Philadelphia, and all of North America, completed his first “Pennsylvania training sweep” last year by winning the Pocono title, and he’ll look to start building an early lead with four Saturday entrants. One of them is Sailboat Hanover, a son of Captaintreacherous who is the early chalk in the $12,000 pacing co-feature. He will start from the middle of a field of nine, with Kakaley listed to drive.
The other co-feature is for trotters, with much of the attention likely to focus on Get Legs, a son of Muscle Hill who will begin from post 8 for the husband/wife team of trainer Julie and driver Andy Miller. Get Legs, now four, did not get to the races until November of his sophomore year, then promptly won his first five starts before finishing third against tough opposition at The Meadowlands last time out.
FINISHING LINES–Of all the entrants on the Saturday card, 17 already show 2021 victories, with Talk Show, Little Admiral, and Blacklight already having visited the winners circle twice this year.
The Downs will be dark for Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7), but then the regular February schedule of Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (EST) and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (EST) will kick in, with the racing on those two days focused on first-round action in the $495,000 Game Of Claims series’ four classifications.
(PHHA/Pocono)