by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Captaintreacherous is undefeated this season but will face a tough task to keep his record perfect in Saturday’s $500,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old pacers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

The defending Pacer of the Year drew post No. 9 in the nine-horse field, the outermost starting position and the most difficult spot from which to win at Pocono Downs. Horses starting from post nine have a 6.4 win percentage at the five-eighths-mile oval, which requires horses to go around three turns to complete the mile race.

Captaintreacherous, Emeritus Maximus and Sunfire Blue Chip won elimination races June 22 to qualify for the Hempt final. Also advancing were the second- and third-place finishers from each elim. For some stakes finals, the connections of the elimination winners are permitted to select their post position, but that is not the case with the Hempt or the three other stakes on Saturday’s card at Pocono Downs.

Emeritus Maximus drew post No. 5 and Sunfire Blue Chip drew post eight.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

Captaintreacherous was a neck winner over Vegas Vacation in their Hempt elimination.

“With the open draw, that shakes up things quite a bit,” said Tony Alagna, the trainer of Captaintreacherous. “The track had a huge speed bias the other night, which Pocono normally does, but even more so than normal. The track was very much playing speed. Regardless of where he draws he’s going to have to be forwardly placed off the gate.”

The other finals on Sun Stakes Saturday at Pocono Downs include the $500,000 Ben Franklin Pace for older male pacers, the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. Memorial for 3-year-old trotters and the $300,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers.

Captaintreacherous is the No. 1-ranked horse in the sport’s current Top 10 poll. He has won all four of his starts this year, including the $980,000 North America Cup on June 15 at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario. For his career, Captaintreacherous has won 12 of 14 races and earned $1.47 million. In 2012, he became the first 2-year-old in 25 years to be named Pacer of the Year.

Last weekend, Captaintreacherous won his elim by a neck over Vegas Vacation in 1:48.4. Starting from post four with regular driver Tim Tetrick, he reached the lead by the halfway point and paced the final half-mile in a sharp :53 seconds. He was one of 12 winners on last Saturday’s 14-race card that was in first or second place after the opening quarter-mile.

“He was very good,” Tetrick said. “He only won by a neck, but that’s all you have to win by. He did everything I asked him to do. He got a nice first and second quarter and then finished up the mile very strong.

“Everybody is out to beat him, but I’d rather be the favorite going into the race than not.”

The Ben Franklin Pace features the richest pacer in North American harness racing history, Foiled Again. The 9-year-old won his Franklin elim in 1:48, equaling the fastest mile ever by an older pacer on a five-eighths track and setting the record for the fastest mile by a gelding of any age.

Foiled Again, who has earned $4.92 million in his career, drew post No. 4 for the final. The other elim winners, Razzle Dazzle and Dynamic Youth, drew posts one and nine, respectively. Betterthancheddar, who won last year’s Franklin in 1:48, got post eight after finishing third in his elimination (won by Dynamic Youth).

Smilin Eli will try to remain unbeaten for his career in the Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial, but like Captaintreacherous drew post nine. Smilin Eli was unraced as a 2-year-old and has won all four of his starts this year. He won his Beal elim by one length over Fico in 1:52.3.

Jimmy Takter-trainees Dontyouforgetit and Corky won the other two elims and drew posts two and four, respectively. Dontyouforgetit has won three races in a row after going without a victory in his first two starts this season. Corky was second to Smilin Eli in the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship June 1 at the Meadowlands.

The James M. Lynch Memorial includes multiple-stakes-winner I Luv The Nitelife, who has won three races in a row including the Fan Hanover final on June 15 at Mohawk and her Lynch elimination last weekend. She drew post eight for the Lynch final.

Ms Caila J Fra won the other elim and got post three. Somwherovrarainbow, who was voted last season’s best 2-year-old female pacer, starts from post six while Shebestingin, who has won eight of 10 career starts and was second by a head and a neck in her defeats, drew post five.

Following are the fields in post position order for the Sun Stakes Saturday finals.

Lynch Memorial, race 9, approximate post time 8:54 p.m.: 1. Nikki Beach, Ron Pierce, Tony Alagna; 2. Authorize, Yannick Gingras, Alagna; 3. Ms Caila J Fra, Simon Allard, Steve Elliott; 4. Charisma Hanover, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke; 5. Shebestingin, David Miller, Joe Holloway; 6. Somwherovrarainbow, Montrell Teague, George Teague, Jr.; 7. Jerseylicious, Corey Callahan, Wayne Givens; 8. I Luv The Nitelife, Tim Tetrick, Chris Ryder; 9. Mattie Terror Girl, Jody Jamieson, Alagna.

Hempt Memorial, race 10, approximate post time 9:12 p.m.: 1. Martini Hanover, Jim Morrill, Jr., Chris Ryder; 2. Word Power, Corey Callahan, Larry Remmen; 3. Evenin Of Pleasure, Jody Jamieson, Tony O’Sullivan; 4. Rockin Amadeus, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter; 5. Emeritus Maximus, Doug McNair, Tony Alagna; 6. Johny Rock, Andy Miller, John Butenschoen; 7. Vegas Vacation, Brian Sears, Casie Coleman; 8. Sunfire Blue Chip, Gingras, Takter; 9. Captaintreacherous, Tim Tetrick, Alagna.

Franklin Pace, race 11, approximate post time 9:30 p.m.: 1. Razzle Dazzle, Brian Sears, Mark Silva; 2. Up The Credit, Jody Jamieson, Carl Jamieson; 3. Clear Vision, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke; 4. Foiled Again, Yannick Gingras, Burke; 5. Our Lucky Chip, Tyler Buter, Jason Miller; 6. Pet Rock, David Miller, Virgil Morgan, Jr.; 7. Modern Legend, John Campbell, David Drew; 8. Betterthancheddar, George Brennan, Casie Coleman; 9. Dynamic Youth, Andrew McCarthy, Aaron Lambert.

Beal Memorial, race 12, approximate post time 9:48 p.m.: 1. Royalty For Life, Brian Sears, George Ducharme; 2. Dontyouforgetit, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter; 3. Picture This, Charlie Norris, Norris; 4. Corky, David Miller, Takter; 5. Possessed Fashion, John Campbell, Tom Fanning; 6. Fico, Ron Pierce, Staffan Lind; 7. Crystal Phenom, Andrew McCarthy, Noel Daley; 8. Celebrity Maserati, Tom Jackson, Susanne Strandqvist; 9. Smilin Eli, Tim Tetrick, Deshawn Minor.

To view the complete Sun Stakes Saturday card, click here.