Wilkes-Barre, PA – Rain came in early on the Monday (July 27) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, with a “fast” track being downgraded to “sloppy,” and when the rain left the surface was regraded to first “good” and then again “fast.”
The $21,000 featured fast-class trot, with the track having just been moved to “fast” status (as it stayed for the trot co-feature), proved a strong 1:51.2 victory for the Chapter Seven four-year-old gelding Mr Mouton, whom George Napolitano Jr. hustled directly to the top, put up early splits of :27.2, :56.2, and 1:24.1, then kicked home in :27.1 to win by three parts of a length over a very strong Celebrity Bambino, himself not far off millionaire status.
The victory was the first for Mr Mouton since June 20, but that was a pretty memorable one, when Mr Mouton flew down the Meadowlands stretch to win in 1:50.2 and hand On To Norway his only defeat in his last 30 starts. Mr Mouton is trained by Åke Svanstedt for Knutsson Trotting Inc., Little E LLC, Stolz Geiger, and Jorgen Sparredal Inc.
The co-featured fast-class trot, worth $16,000, saw Brian Sears give the Archangel mare Black Velvet AS a well-judged drive en route to a 1:52.2 mark for trainer Anette Lorentzon and ACL Stuteri AB. Sears sat third as favored Abruzzo carved out a sharp pace, then gradually reeled that one in in the latter stages to have a three quarters of a length advantage on the money.
There were three $15,500 divisions of a class for younger horses on their way up, two on the trot and one on the pace. One of the trotting winners was the Captain Corey sophomore filly I’ll Take The Cake, who has two Stallion Series victories and here negotiated a “good” track in 1:53, coming out of the pocket to chase down pacesetter Dollar Draft for driver Simon Allard and trainer Blake MacIntosh, the latter co-owner with Hutt Racing Stable.
The other section for trotters in this class, contested over a “sloppy” surface, was taken by the Bar Hopping three-year-old gelding Highball Hanover, who won for the second time in his last three starts in 1:56.3. Niko Karna made two moves in the first half to reach the top, then came home with the winner in :28.3 to win for trainer Noel Daley and the partnership of Sjoblom Racing & M. Dolan, Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Caviart Farms, and P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc.
In the other division for up-and-comers, limited to pacing females, the American Ideal sophomore filly Lenna went the mile of her life to lower her mark in 1:50.2 (fast). Lenna was used past the quarter to get the top, resisted a midrace move by a hard-charging fist-over challenger, then had more than enough to leave pocketsitting Point Breeze well behind. Anthony Napolitano had the sulky seat behind Lenna for trainer Deborah Daguet and owner Forrest Bartlett (of Horse of the Year Forrest Skipper fame).
Anthony Napolitano visited the winners circle five times on Monday, Braxten Boyd won the first three events on the card, and Brian Sears brought home two winners (he’s now three for six in his “comeback”).
The Tuesday (July 28) 1 p.m. card at Pocono has $16,000 events for both sexes of trotters and a pacing colt event, with many of these youngsters rounding into form for upcoming stakes action. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.