from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — The rains came to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono just before Sunday night’s (June 3) $30,000 contests in the Great Northeast Open Series, so the trotters and mare pacers had to negotiate a “sloppy” surface.

Curtis Salonick photo

In Secret proved a strong winner in 1:54.4 at 18-1 odds.

In the first of the trotting contests, the Deweycheatumnhowe gelding In Secret, despite 22 days away from the races and having to go the difficult tuck-then-grind journey, proved a strong winner in 1:54.4 at 18-1 odds for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Ron Burke.

The career winner of $459,810 wrestled the lead early in the lane, then held off the late charge of a slow-to-clear Smalltownthrowdown by a length for Burke Racing Stables, Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva Stables, and Lawrence Karr.

In the other section of the trot, Homicide Hunter, whose 1:50.1 mile here two years ago still stands as a world record for 4-year-old trotting geldings on a five-eighths-mile oval, left from the outside post eight with world-class speed, yielded to Classicality and stalked him from the pocket, then went by that foe by 1-1/4 lengths to stop the timer in 1:55.1.

The altered son of Mr Cantab, who raised his lifetime tally to $1,125,907, was driven by George Napolitano Jr. for owners Crawford Farms Racing and trainer Chris Oakes.

Chris Oakes’ son Hunter was the conditioner of the winner in the next race, the mares pace, as the American Ideal mare Tequila Monday, who missed her lifetime mark by only a tick despite the off going, came home a length and a quarter to the good in 1:51.

Brian Sears quarter-moved with the winner of $636,167 and was in control the rest of the way, hustling her home in :55.1 for owners Northfolk Racing Stable and Chuck Pompey.