Wilkes-Barre, PA — Robert Michael advanced in a moving cover flow mid-race, went three-wide when his cover faltered on the turn, then continued his surge to take the $15,500 trotting feature at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 30) while lowering his mark to 1:55.1.
An altered son of Crazy Wow owned by Robert Weinstein and trained by Richard Johnson, the only conditioning doubler on the card, Robert Michael got away sixth, then moved closer up the backstretch to the favored pacesetter Santa Cristina, who passed the poles in :28.2, :57.1 and 1:26.2. Continuing his advancement from three-wide into the stretch, Robert Michael finally reached the pacesetter late and surged by to win by a neck under the guidance of Ridge Warren.
In one of two $14,500 co-features for improving pacers, the Cattlewash sophomore gelding Expedited Service, second choice in the betting, loafed his way on the engine to the half in :58, then burst home in :54.2 to leave favored Notorious Hanover 1-1/4 lengths behind and lower his mark to 1:52.2. George Napolitano Jr. drove the 3-year-old for trainer Johnson and owner Guy Gemore.
In the other co-feature, Smooch In The Dark and Captivated, off at 61-1 and 49-1, respectively, sat second and third along the inside as quick fractions were argued then found stretch clearance, with Smooch In The Dark grabbing the lead in early stretch and withstanding the horse behind him by three parts of a length in a new mark of 1:53 for driver James Kennedy and owner/trainer Geovany Hernandez.
How Smooch In The Dark could return $125.20 to win while taking his third victory in his last four starts is one matter, but the large increase of rank outsiders winning at Pocono is making a few players very happy and the rest scratching their heads. With Duckies Dynasty ($55.20) having taken an earlier race, Tuesday marked the second straight day that a pair of $50 winners lit up the Pocono board, and since Pocono came back from its track refurbishment on Sept. 20 (six cards), no fewer than seven “bombers” have led to pari-mutuel carryovers galore.
George Napolitano Jr. and Ridge Warren each had three victories on the card to top the sulky colony.
Racing returns to the mountain oval on Saturday (Oct. 4) at 1 p.m., when there will be a double carryover into the Pick-5 (races 5-9) and a single carryover into the early Pick-3 (races 4-6). Monday and Tuesday programs at 1 p.m. complete Pocono’s fall weekly schedule. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.