Wilkes-Barre, PA – Featured at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania during a Sunday (June 7) twilight card were a pair of $15,500 paces, one for the top area claimers and the other for developing horses.
In the race for horses with a tag, the Art Official gelding Art Of Revenge, who won at 11-1 in this class last week, was given even-money respect Sunday, and he proved worthy of the trust with a 1:51.2 victory. Tyler Buter made two speed moves with the Ron Burke trainee (more on those two horsemen in a little bit) and maintained the advantage to the wire, with the margin a neck over pocketsitter Dracarys Z for the omnipresent Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
The Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George Jr., have generated many an exciting two-horse stretch battle to the finish wire at Pocono, but seldom at 17-1 and 35-1, respectively. However, this was just the case in the co-feature for up-and-comers, with Pepe Le Pew being hustled to the front past the quarter by Anthony and then holding off a long uncovered bid from TR’s Maserati Joe and George, with just a head between them at the finish. Ray Schnittker trains and owns the victorious Sweet Lou gelding.
Buter, the leading driver at the mountainside oval, guided three winners on the card, all for trainer Burke, who is now tied for the meet lead with Per Engblom at 35, with the Hall of Famer trying for his fifth straight Pocono conditioners crown and sixth in the last seven years. Matt Kakaley also posted three winners on the card, including the one for Engblom that kept him in a tie for the top. Doublers on the twilight card were drivers Anthony Napolitano and trainer Ray Schnittker, combining on Pepe Le Pew.
Monday’s (June 8) 1 p.m. card will have a $16,000 feature race for fast-class trotters, and also the second round of the Game Of Claims Pacing Series, this week offering $12,000 for each of three divisions of horses base-tagged at $17,500. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.