Sophomore colt trotters in Saturday Pocono All-Stars action

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Three divisions of 3-year-old trotting colts took to a sloppy track at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday evening (July 6) to contest $30,000 sections of a Pennsylvania All-Stars contest.

Goes Down Smooth wins his contest in a lifetime best 1:53.1 on Saturday evening. Curtis Salonick photo.

Goes Down Smooth, winner of the Walner final and a Pennsylvania Sire Stake before being plagued by some bad luck in June, returned to top form in an impressive way, winning his All-Stars division in a lifetime best 1:53.1 in the off going.

Matt Kakaley moved the Muscle Hill gelding to the lead past the :28.3 quarter, reached the half in :56.4, opened up a big lead to the 1:24.1 three-quarters, then coasted home 6-3/4 lengths ahead of Faithfulandtrue. Goes Down Smooth has now won half of his 10 seasonal starts for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable, William Switala, James Martin, and Weaver Bruscemi.

Lindy’s Crazy Hall won his third straight race in taking his All-Stars contest in 1:54.4. Driver Drew Monti sent the son of Cantab Hall right to the top, going :28.2 and :58 to the first two markers, then buzzing him home in successive :28.2 panels to hold off late-closing Mass Fortune K by three-quarters of a length, with favored Explosivebreakway, a full brother to Phaetosive, another length back in third.

The Explosive Matter gelding Chiplosive had notched his latest victory with the guidance of George Napolitano Jr., so trainer Trond Smedshammer tapped Pocono’s leading driver to handle the sophomore in the third All-Star cut, and the reunited pair brought off a 1:56 victory.

Chiplosive was sent to the front well before the :28 quarter, then benefited from some confusion directly behind him approaching the finish line for the first time and took advantage by putting up mild middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:26.3. The winner, now victorious in half of eight starts this year, stayed safely in front to the wire, with Final Claim closing to within three-quarters of a length at the finish, a neck ahead of Consus Victory. Purple Haze Stables owns the winner.

Prairie Panther, winner of two straight Open Handicaps at Tioga Downs, brought his winning ways over the state line and won the $21,500 fast-class pace in 1:51.2. The Royal Millennium gelding, owned by trainer Mike Deters in partnership with Laurie Lee Poulin, made two moves in the race, grinding down the favored pacesetter, than withstanding a clearing-too-late Soho Wallstreet A by 1-1/4 lengths. Matt Kakaley recorded his fourth winner of the card, tying George Napolitano Jr. for nightly honors.

Back to Top

Share via