by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — John McDermott believed that if Hurrikane Kingcole put it all together on the racetrack, people would see a very fast horse.

Hurrikane Kingcole had it all together in his elimination for Saturday’s $300,000 Max C. Hempt Memorial for 3-year-old pacers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. And he was fast.

Driven by Tim Tetrick, the colt posted a 7-3/4 length win over I Like Dreamin in 1:48.1 — a time that equaled Custard The Dragon’s world record for 3-year-old colt pacers on a five-eighths-mile oval. It was the second win over the season for Hurrikane Kingcole, who went off stride behind the starting gate two weeks prior in his elim for the Pepsi North America Cup and failed to reach the final despite a furious rally.

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Hurrikane Kingcole has banked $322,157 in his career.

“I was expecting him to be big,” McDermott said. “He’s a very special horse. I said at the beginning of this year when I trained him at the Meadowlands in (1):51 that this will be the fastest horse that ever lived. He’s got all the ability. When his brain is working he’s scary good. His speed is just ridiculous.”

McDermott worked Hurrikane Kingcole lightly in preparation for the Hempt.

“I joked with Timmy (after the elim) that he should be tight now,” McDermott said.

Hurrikane Kingcole, who has benefited from chiropractic work to help straighten out some steering issues, has won two of five races this season and seven of 18 in his career. He has earned $322,157 lifetime for owners McDermott, Jeffrey Kuhen, John Levy Racing and the group of Jonathan Klee, Mitchell Cohen, Arthur Brewer II and Jeffrey Gordon.

I Fought Dalaw and Bolt The Duer also won Hempt elims with strong performances. I Fought Dalaw won his division by 1-3/4 lengths over One Through Ten in 1:49.3 while Bolt The Duer was victorious by 2-1/2 lengths over Allstar Legend in 1:48.3.

Like Hurrikane Kingcole, I Fought Dalaw headed to the Hempt off a rough setback in the same North America Cup elim. The colt finished ninth because of throat inflammation.

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I Fought Dalaw has won seven of his 15 career starts.

“I was very happy with his elim,” trainer Sam DePinto said. “He seemed to go comfortably in the mile; well within himself. I’m very pleased with the way he raced heading into (Saturday’s) race.”

DePinto expected I Fought Dalaw to bounce back in the Hempt, but was happy to see it come to fruition.

“You’re never sure until it’s done,” he said. “You feel at ease after he does it, because you know he can do it, but you just never know until he does it. He was well within himself; he didn’t have to stretch him hard, so he should come back next week pretty good.”

I Fought Dalaw has won three of five races this year and seven of 15 in his career. He is owned by Shannon DePinto, Michael Parisi, Jerry Silva and Theresa Silva.

Bolt The Duer has won two of three starts this season and eight of 11 lifetime for owner All Star Racing.

Following is the field in post position order for Saturday’s Hempt Memorial final with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Bolt The Duer, Mark MacDonald, Peter Foley; 2. McAttaboy, Matt Kakaley, Steven Cook; 3. Hurrikane Kingcole, Tim Tetrick, John McDermott; 4. Allstar Legend, Brian Sears, George Teague, Jr.; 5. I Fought Dalaw, David Miller, Sam DePinto; 6. Hillbilly Hanover, Ron Pierce, R. Nifty Norman; 7. I Like Dreamin, George Napolitano, Jr., DePinto; 8. A Rocknroll Dance, Yannick Gingras, Jim Mulinix; 9. One Through Ten, Jim Morrill, Jr., Jimmy Takter.

AMERICAN WOMAN: The No. 1-ranked horse in this week’s Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, American Jewel, headlines a field of nine horses in Saturday’s $250,000 James M. Lynch Memorial for 3-year-old filly pacers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

Last weekend, American Jewel won her Lynch elimination race by five lengths over Economy Terror in 1:49.2. The time equaled the world record for 3-year-old filly pacers on a five-eighths-mile track. In her previous start, American Jewel won the $629,160 Fan Hanover Stakes in 1:48.2, which established the world record for 3-year-old filly pacers on a mile oval.

Owned by Brittany Farms, trained by Jimmy Takter and driven by Tim Tetrick, American Jewel has won three of four races this year and 11 of 13 in her career, earning $1.02 million. She was second in both her defeats.

Darena Hanover won the other Lynch elimination, beating Sarandon Blue Chip by a neck in 1:50.2.

Following is the field in post position order for Saturday’s $250,000 Lynch Memorial, with listed drivers and trainers: 1. American Jewel, Tim Tetrick, Jimmy Takter; 2. Destiny’s Chance, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke; 3. Darena Hanover, Gingras, Burke; 4. Lightning Paige, Jim Morrill, Jr., Steve Elliott; 5. Economy Terror, Brian Sears, Chris Oakes; 6. Sarandon Blue Chip, George Brennan, Casie Coleman; 7. Marty Party, David Miller, Joe Holloway; 8. Major Look, Jeff Gregory, Robert Riddle; 9. Shelliscape, John Campbell, Robert McIntosh.