Wilkes-Barre, PA – Aroda N, coming to Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania via Yonkers and Tioga, adapted immediately to the Keystone State soil, coming off of cover to lower his mark to 1:51.1 in the $18,500 fast-class pacing feature on Saturday (Aug. 29).
None Bettor A pushed Big Bang Bang before letting him go past the :26.3 opener. “Bang Bang” still had the lead by the :55.2 half, with Be Dazzled Lou A pulling from third to go first-over, and Goliath Hanover and Aroda N towing along up behind him.
Be Dazzled Lou A had cleared the pacesetter by the 1:23.2 three-quarters, and the first-over was not staying with him he opened up a sizable margin by headstretch. But Braxten Boyd swung the winning son of Art Major three-wide for the stretch drive and methodically cut into Be Dazzled Lou A’s lead, going by him by a head at the finish. Shane Tritton conditions the winner for Joshua Graber.
In a $16,000 co-feature for the fast-class pacing set, the So Surreal gelding Splash Brother showed his win at 15-1 a level lower last out was no fluke, handling the class hike easily with a 1:49.3 triumph at 13-1. Boyd also had the drive behind this co-feature winner, now with $929,841 in lifetime earnings, who made two aggressive pace-controlling moves in opening numbers of :26.3 and :54.3, opened up at the 1:21.3 three-quarters, and stayed clear for trainer Ray Schnittker, also co-owner with Nolamaura Racing, Steven Arnold, and Tammy Flannery.
The Bar Hopping sophomore filly Ginger Tree Lex, the winner of her 2025 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship, showed herself ready to defend her title a week from Sunday at Philly by winning a $17,500 trot for younger performers. Matt Kakaley advanced with the filly uncovered down the backstretch, got to re-tuck in the pocket on the far turn, then kept coming up the inside and easily caught pacesetting favorite Night Phantom while matching her career mark of 1:53.4, which she posted in winning her PaSS Championship and established a Sires final divisional mark. Steve Cook trains the filly for Sam Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures, Knollview Stable 2, and Bob Reber Jr.
Boyd had four successful drives to lead the colony this afternoon; his fellow member of “Team BB” as the last two Rising Star Award winners, Brett Beckwith, triumphed twice, as did driver Anthony Napolitano and trainer Darren Taneyhill.
Racing resumes at Pocono on Monday at 1 p.m. (EDT); there will be two $27,500 featured races, one for trotters and one for pacing distaffs. A week from Monday, Pocono will host the $1.4 million Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship card for 2-year-olds. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.