Wilkes-Barre, PA — Western Joe, hard-used to make the lead just before the half, showed no ill effects late, crossing the wire an easy 1:49.2 winner in the $21,500 fast-class featured pace on Saturday night (July 20) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

The son of Western Ideal, Western Joe took the feature at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday. Curtis Salonick Photo.

A son of Western Ideal, Western Joe (Pat Berry) got away fourth in a 26.1 contested quarter, then had to work hard to clear the early leader Major Crocker A (Simon Allard), finally doing so for driver Pat Berry near the :54 midpoint. The three-quarters came and went in 1:21.1 without a threat to the favored leader, and Western Joe had no anxious moments through the lane, with the razor-sharp Prairie Panther able to cut the winning margin down to 1-1/2 lengths by the finish.

Western Joe is trained by Christopher Choate for owners Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosies. He has now bankrolled $540,031 in his career.

In the $20,000 claiming handicap pace, there was the first meeting of the in-form duo of Atta Boy Dan and Rock The Town, each of whom had been claimed for a track record $40,000 six times since May 25. The Western Terror gelding Atta Boy Dan won the head-to-head clash by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:50.3 on the engine over the pocket sitting Rock The Town for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Mike Watson, and owner Clifford Grundy. And yes, both horses were haltered for $40,000 for a seventh time.

Havefaithinme N, despite being outside until the 5/8, part of the way with cover, before getting the lead, lowered his North American mile mark to 1:50 with a victory in a $17,500 pace for driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Jose Godinez, and the partnership of Blindswitch Racing Stable, Gary Axelrod, Good Friends Racing Stable, and Santo Farina. The Kiwi import now has career winnings of $1,237,369.