Wilkes-Barre, PA — Three $15,000 features for developing youngsters topped the Tuesday (Sept. 10) action at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. Matt Kakaley, Pocono’s leading driver, accounted for the two highlight divisions for males, winning both by 4-1/2 lengths, and he almost won the third, having to settle for six winners at Pocono before heading to Yonkers.
The Captaintreacherous gelding Sudden Impact, a full brother to world champion Tall Drink Hanover, took the third of his last four outings with a career-best 1:50.1 in his co-feature for Kalaley, trainer Scott DiDomenico, and owners Triple D Stables Inc. and Michael Rekoon. Crush Kill Destroy, who was second to Njinsky two starts back, was used hard past a :26.4 opener to get the top, went to the half in :55.2, and then gave way to the first-over Sudden Impact, who took the lead nearing the 1:23 three-quarters and only drew clearer the rest of the way.
The partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, FAC Racing LLC and Yannick Gingras teamed up with the sophomore International Moni gelding Dejerate Hanover, who won for them at first asking after a recent purchase. Dejerate Hanover has now won five in a row, this one in hand for trainer Ron Burke and Kakaley, who put him on the lead after the :29.1 quarter and set further fractions of :57.4 and 1:26.1 before finishing in 1:54.2 to take the top trot.
Kakaley gave the feature triple his best shot with Fight Not Flight, moving to the lead after a :27.3 initial fraction and then posting middle times of :56.2 and 1:24.2 in the top contest for pacing distaffers. By the latter station, Bellucci had come a long way on an uncovered bid to challenge. Fight Not Flight tried to hold on in the stretch, but Bellucci went by her for a half-length victory while equaling her mark of 1:52.
The winner completed a sweep of the pacing features for sire Captaintreacherous, with the sophomore adding her fifth victory in her last seven starts for driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Joe Bongiorno, and the ownership of One Legend Stable Inc. and Howard Taylor.
Pocono will now be dark for live racing until next Tuesday (Sept. 17) to stage its annual Oktoberfest celebration.