Wilkes-Barre, PA — On an unseasonably warm Tuesday (Oct. 22) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, Pressure Cooker and Staying With Emily won divisions of the $80,000 Hardie Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies, while 2-year-old pacing gelding Dandy Ideal equaled the 1:50.3 local standard for his division.
The Heston Blue Chip filly Pressure Cooker was away on the boil for driver George Napolitano Jr., getting to the quarter in :26.2, getting a breather to the half in :55.1, then rattling off successive :27.2 splits to win by three lengths in a new mark of 1:50. A winner of three of her last four tarts, all in stakes company throughout Pennsylvania, Pressure Cooker is trained by Linda Toscano for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Odds On Racing, and Mac Nichol.
The Stay Hungry filly Staying With Emily made her way forward after hotly-contested numbers of :26.4, :55.2 and 1:22.2 in her Simpson division, then held off the horse on her back, Parkavenuelisa, by a neck in 1:50.2. Tyler Buter handled driving duties for trainer Ron Burke and owner Brad Grant.
Not only did the freshman gelding Dandy Ideal (American Ideal-OK Heavenly) defeat older rivals on Tuesday afternoon, but driver Braxten Boyd had to use the rookie three times, yet he still responded late to equal the Pocono sectional mark of Yankee Bounty (2014). Jenny Melander conditions Dandy Ideal for Exceed Stables LLC.
Eight trotters went in 1:55 or less in overnight races.
Matt Kakaley drove four winners on the day; Tyler Buter and George Napolitano Jr. had three apiece.
Simpson Stakes action continues when Pocono next races live, on Saturday (Oct. 26) at 1 p.m., with over $237,000 in purses marked for three divisions of freshman trotting fillies and four of sophomore pacing males. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.