Wilkes-Barre, PA – Alvisi Hanover battled with Magic MVP the length of the stretch before posting a neck victory in a career best 1:54.1 while taking the $15,000 trotting feature on the Tuesday (June 11) twilight card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

George Napolitano Jr. had the altered son of Muscle Massive away from the gate well to sit a pocket trip behind Magic MVP, with the initial splits flashing :27.1 and :56.2. Magic MVP had opened a clear lead to the 1:24.3 three-quarters, but Alvisi Hanover had regained a tight spot behind the leader entering the stretch, and in a long duel outfooted the leader to win the photo decision; O Jonnie stayed to the inside and gained to be third, another half length back.

Mark Ford is the owner and trainer of Muscle Massive, who paid $26.00 to win – a bigger price than one usually gets on Pocono’s leading driver Napolitano. George won five races on the card, while his brother Anthony came home first in three.

Obvious Blue Chip dusted the field with a five-length win at Pocono. Curtis Salonick photo.

In the $14,000 co-featured pace for mares, the Roll With Joe mare Obvious Blue Chip, the odds-on choice, left her field in the red dust through the final quarter, stopping the timer in 1:51.3 under Matt Kakaley’s guidance. The winner of $490,154, who earlier had raced in the Blue Chip Series at Yonkers, obviously responded well to the drop in company for trainer Gareth Dowse and the ownership of NLG Racing Stable and Stephen Klunowski.