by PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes Barre, PA — If there is a “formula” for success at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, it does NOT read: “Be last at the quarter, last at the half, and last at the three-quarters.”

But nobody showed this “non-formula” to All Bets Off.

Curtis Salonick photo

All Bets Off overcomes trailing the field at the start to cruise home a winner by more than two lengths.

The son of Bettor’s Delight, starting from the outside post eight in the $25,000 featured pace Saturday (May 14) at The Downs, got away last and was fourth-over in sloppy going, then circled a top-caliber field within 3/16ths of a mile while going three-wide through the turn to take the lead midstretch. He then paced off for the victory by 2-1/4 lengths with driver Matt Kakaley sitting calmly in the bike.

Bigtown Hero, who last week won here in 1:48.1 for the fastest mile of the year in North America, raced well again, battling uncovered outside his 5-2 co-choice McArdle’s Lightning and still going on for second, a length ahead of Melmerby Beach.

All Bets Off was 3-1 despite post eight and a three-week layoff since the Levy Final, but had shown an affinity for the local surface by taking his career mark of 1:48.3 here at age three. He is trained by Ron Burke and is co-owned by Burke Racing Stable along with Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino, and the Panhellenic Stable Corporation, who saw their talented pacer raise his lifetime bankroll to $1,806,334.

For Kakaley, the featured victory was his third of the night, two of which he guided for Burke; perennial Downs leader George Napolitano Jr. had even a hotter hand, with six trips to Victory Lane.

Pennsylvania All-Stars action for 3-year-old state-sired horses will be featured at The Downs for the next three days, with three $30,000 divisions each night. Pacing colts have the spotlight Sunday (May 15) with pacing fillies following on Monday (May 16) and trotting fillies highlighted on Tuesday (May 17).