by John Zimich, publicity director, Pocono Downs

Wilkes-Barre, PA — Med Vac, a two-year-old CR Commando gelding making only his second lifetime start, tied the track record for two-year-old trotting geldings on Tuesday night (July 13) at The Downs at Pocono. Time of the mile was 2:00³.

With Syl King, Jr. driving, Med Vac had to overcome a break at the start of the race and was seven lengths off the pace for the first half of the mile. Med Vac, trained by Brendan Johnson, got into high gear going down the backside and was only a length behind the leader Windtalker (Cat Manzi) at the three-quarter pole.

In the third of five W. N. Reynolds Memorial Stake divisions, Med Vac surged to the lead to collect his maiden victory with a track record. Windtalker was second with third going to Bilbao, driven by Trond Smedshammer.

Other two-year-old trotting geldings that share the mark are HR’s Miller Gold (Todd Schadel) in July of 2003 and Four Starzzzz Gus (Mike Simons) in August of 2003.

Med Vac is owned by Adam Victor & Son Stable of New York, New York.

Trond Smedshammer collected a W.N. Reynolds Stake double, winning with two-year-old SJ’s Photo trotter R Sharp Photo in 2:02⁴ and Cross-N-Lane in 2:02¹. He also trains both of these divisional winning trotters.

Texico, trained by Greg Wright and driven by Wilbur Yoder, was the opening divisional winner with a clocking of 2:06².

Ray Schnittker won the fifth and final division with favorite Lindy Five Hundred, stopping the timer in 2:00¹. This was the second victory in four lifetime starts for the Paul Doherty-trained two-year-old trotter.

This gave Schnittker seven wins on the Grand Circuit to lead all drivers.

Golden Glove establishes new track record

Golden Glove, a four-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding driven and trained by George Napolitano, Jr., established a new track mark at Pocono on Tuesday night.

In a race for non-winners of $4,000 in the last four starts or nine extended pari-mutuel races lifetime, Golden Glove stopped the timer in 1:55², breaking the previous four-year-old trotting gelding mark of 1:56.

That 1:56 clocking was recorded July 11, 1998 by Springtop with Drew Chellis in the sulky.

Napolitano, Jr., the track’s leading driver and trainer, made his patented quarter-pole move to get to the front after I’m Back (Ray Schnittker) took the eight horse field to the opening quarter in :27⁴.

Golden Glove, owned by the Valley High Stable of Freehold, New Jersey, got to the half in :57² and the three-quarters in 1:26 before coming home in :29². This was the eighth win in 10 starts for Golden Glove.