from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Team Allard continued its torrid form on Wednesday (March 14) in the third and final qualifying session before Saturday’s (March 17) 2018 opening night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Trainer Rene, winner of four of the last five conditioning crowns here, sent out six winners to run his three-card count to 14, with brother/driver Simon behind all six of his brother’s winners and also crossing the wire first twice for trainer Pierre Paradis for an eight-bagger and 16 wins in the overall 33 pre-season qualifiers.

Fastest of 13 winners Wednesday, conducted in temperatures that crept up to freezing by mid-card, was the intriguing Art Dancer, home first in 1:54.1 for driver Marcus Miller and trainer Mark Harder. The 3-year-old altered son of A Rocknroll Dance won his only start at age two, a 1:53.4 victory in July, but he showed no signs of the big layoff as Miller pulled him out past the half, and the pair came home in :56.2 to be clear of the competition.

Thursday (March 15) The Downs will hold a press conference at noon, spotlighting the highlights of the 2018 season, the biggest of which will be Oct. 27’s $6 million Breeders Crown Championship night, which will find the top horses advancing from the previous week’s eliminations aiming for the big money and year-end honors in their various divisions.

Then on Saturday comes the opening card of the 2018 season at the mountain oval, with the first of 14 races slotted for 7 p.m. The Napolitano brothers, Anthony and George, are each favored to guide home a winner in four of the contests, with Simon Allard tabbed the likely chalk twice.