by James Beviglia, for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Golden Receiver rallied from the pocket to capture the featured $60,000 Open Pace at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Saturday night (April 30) in thrilling fashion.

The field for the race included three horses with well over a million dollars earned in their careers (One More Laugh, Hypnotic Blue Chip, and Bettor Sweet), as well as Europan Union, who had won his last four starts. But Golden Receiver, one of the top pacers at Pocono for several years running, was more than up to the challenge.

Leaving from post position four in a field of nine as an 8-1 shot, Golden Receiver found the pocket spot behind pacesetting Whiskey Pete, which is where he stayed throughout the race. Several horses on the outside challenged but fell back from Whiskey Pete’s imposing fractions. In the stretch, driver Ron Pierce sent Golden Receiver, a 6-year-old gelding from the Mark Harder barn, up the inside passing lane to nip Whiskey Pete by a length in 1:50.1. Hypnotic Blue Chip came on late for the show.

Golden Receiver, sired by Village Jove, won for the fourth time in 10 races this season. It was the 31st victory of his career and his lifetime earnings now stand at $480,165.