Wilkes-Barre, PA — After pushing the favorite past the quarter then surrendering the lead to sit the pocket, Absolute Power stayed with Staying With Emily as the rest of the field struggled, then moved in the lane and just caught the pacesetter to win a $17,000 distaff pace for improving horses Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 8) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania in 1:51.1.
Staying With Emily let other leavers settle then went on to command past a :27.1 opener and then put up splits of :55 and 1:22.4, with only the winner staying close. Anthony Napolitano moved the Sweet Lou mare outside in the lane and gradually worked past the leader, finishing a head ahead of Staying With Emily for trainer Tom Cancelliere and owner John Cancelliere.
There were three $15,000 events for horses who are a rung lower on the Pocono classification ladder. One division was reserved for male pacers, and Team Cancelliere followed up on their feature victory with the Always B Miki gelding Steven’s Saloon, a winner in 1:52.2. This sophomore also got a pocket trip, got clearance in the lane, then proved the strongest to the wire for driver Ridge Warren while coming within a fifth of a second of his mark.
In the pace for females, the Bettor’s Wish filly Lady Wishes overcame a 26-day layoff, a step up in class, and a ship from Running Aces to post a new lifetime mark of 1:52.4 while paying off at 26-1. Braxten Boyd kept the sophomore midpack behind contested fractions, then swung wide and rushed past horses involved in the early battle to tally for trainer Edwin Quevedo and owner Bryan Quevedo. Boyd, currently fifth in the Pocono standings, was the star driver of the day with five winners, all of them for different trainers.
The trotting section fell to the Greenshoe sophomore gelding Going Green, a 1:55.4 winner. Matt Kakaley patiently got the winner to the top just before the second turn, and they had a relatively easy time of it from there for trainer Jenny Melander and the partnership of Melander Racing, Clark Stables and Noonan Harness Racing.
Racing at The Downs resumes on Saturday (Oct. 12) with a 1 p.m. card, one replete with features for fast trotters and pacers, whether fast-class or developing. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.