Wilkes-Barre, PA — Dandy Ideal, winner of the 2025 Max Hempt Memorial, made his 4-year-old debut a winning one on Saturday afternoon (May 30), winning the $27,500 top fast-class event at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania by a length over a nemesis from last year, Twisted Destiny, in 1:49.4.
Matt Kakaley maneuvered the American Ideal gelding, coming off a 1:50.2 qualifying win at Pocono, to the lead by the :27.1 quarter, then reached the next two poles in a moderate :55 and 1:22.4. Twisted Destiny traveled the uncovered route and raced well, but he couldn’t reach the Hunter Oakes-trained winner, who now has career earnings of $1,088,007 for Susan Oakes and Alan Johnston.
Ruthless Hanover, still the fastest horse ever on a five-eighths-mile track with his 1:46.3 win at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 2023, posted the fastest clocking of the year at Pocono, 1:49.1, in winning the $20,000 fast-class sub-feature. The 9-year-old altered son of Somebeachsomewhere reached the top in the vicinity of a :27 quarter, then froze the timer at :54 and 1:22.
George Napolitano Jr., driving for trainer Tom Cancelliere and his brother, owner John Cancelliere, gave only mild vocal encouragement through the lane, and Ruthless Hanover won handily.
There were three $17,500 contests for developing horses, one on the pace and two on the trot. Among the trotting events, the Fiftydallarbill gelding Fiftyshadesofblu won the faster division, reducing his mark to 1:54.1 while passing every split on top for Napolitano, trainer Britney Dillon, and Joseph Musser Trust. The other diagonally-gaited winner was the Father Patrick gelding Non Disclosure, who lost his cover to a break early in the backstretch but continued uncovered and left his field behind in 1:54.3; Ridge Warren drove for trainer David Wisser, who shares ownership with Rebecca Callen.
In the pacing section, the Papi Rob Hanover gelding Papi’s Rocket eclipsed the half-million-dollar lifetime mark, racing on the engine and then withstanding an onrushing Heaven Needs Me by a neck in 1:51 for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc. and Slaughter Racing Stable LLC.
Papi’s Rocket was one of three winners for the combination of defending driving champion Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, top trainer here five of the last six years. Napolitano (with 15 Pocono driving win crowns to his credits) also had a triple; Ridge Warren visited Victory Lane twice.
Nine consecutive Sunday 5 p.m. twilight cards begin with the next Pocono card (May 31), with a featured fast-class trot, the return of the American Harness Driving Club of amateur drivers, and carryovers of $421.64 into the Pick-5 (races 5-9) and $480.14 into the Hi-5 (race 10). Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.