The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will be presenting a special extended card of live harness racing this Saturday, June 6, Belmont Stakes Day.
The first of 16 live races on Saturday will start at 3:30 p.m., and four races will be conducted in an ‘early session’ of four races, which will end at a time approaching 5 p.m. There will then be a ‘Belmont break,’ with American Pharoah trying to capture the Thoroughbred Triple Crown at New York’s Belmont Park, before the ‘second program’ of 12 races begins after the Belmont event, probably around 7:15 p.m.
There will be four $30,000 Open events on the big card this Saturday – two for the fast-class pacers, one for top trotters kicking off the late action, and a fourth for quality pacing mares which will be the last race on the ‘early portion’ of the racing.
The 10th race is the tougher of the Open paces. It features Domethatagain (Post 1, Simon Allard), Levy Final and Van Rose Memorial winner; Dancin Yankee (Post 4), the 2014 Pennsylvania overnight Pacer of the Year for winning eight of his 18 seasonal triumphs in the Keystone State; Bandolito (Post 6), who went to the three-quarters in 1:21.1 over a ‘sloppy’ track last Saturday in winning in 1:49.2; and Alexas Jackpot (Post 8), winner of two straight against this type, but Saturday having to overcome a two-week layoff plus the outer starting slot.
We listed no drivers above on the latter three horses, because George Napolitano Jr., the track’s leading driver, was originally named on all three, but the late changes are in, and ‘GNap’’s choice must be given weight: he picked Dancin Yankee, who was installed the 5-2 morning line favourite. Bandolito (3-1) will be driven by Larry Stalbaum, and Alexas Jackpot (5-1) will be driven by George’s brother, Anthony. Domethatagain was set at 4-1.
The other division of the Open pace (Race 8) actually has bigger career earnings than the other, $5.5 million, with over 40 per cent of that attributable to $2.3 million winner Clear Vision (Post 3, Joe Bongiorno), and almost $1 million more to Dynamic Youth (Post 1, Anthony Napolitano). Clear Vision is the 5-2 early choice; splitting him and 4-1 Dynamic Youth on the morning line is Big Boy Dreams (Post 6, Simon Allard, 3-1), who won in 1:51.3 at Yonkers last Saturday.
The pacing mares will conclude the pre-galloping focus during the early segment, with Yagonnakissmeornot, the most consistent mare to date in 2015, made the 5-2 morning line choice for driver Simon Allard despite being handicapped with the outside Post 8. Other top contenders include Venus Delight (Post 6, Jason Bartlett), who has been off since winning the Blue Chip Matchmaker final on April 25, and probably the most-improved horse in the area, Ooh Bad Shark (Post 7, Andrew McCarthy).
The ‘later card’ will commence with the trotting feature, in which ‘hometown heroine’ Frau Blucher will start as the 5-2 chalk from the middle of the nine-horse field for trainer Chris Oakes, who is based at Pocono, and driver George Napolitano Jr. The Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion’s lifetime earnings will go over the $975,000 mark with a victory. The 3-1 second choice is also a mare, Daylon Miracle (Post 3), who upon invading from the Meadows will get the services of the red-hot brother team of trainer Rene and driver Simon Allard.
(PHHA / Pocono)