Wilkes-Barre, PA — Belmont Major N and Baldaquin took new lifetime marks in their respective $15,300 featured events on Tuesday afternoon (July 27) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Belmont Major N records his first North American victory in Tuesday’s co-featured pace at Pocono. Curtis Salonick photo.

In the day’s top pace, a race where most of the field was in front at one point or another, the Art Major gelding Belmont Major N was both the first and last leader, getting shuffled to last before mounting a huge :27.2 stretch charge that carried him to victory in 1:51.3, winning by 1-1/2 lengths. It was the first win in two North American starts for the recently-imported Kiwi, whom Tyler Buter drove for trainer Hunter Oakes and owner Thaddeus Weir.

The Explosive Matter gelding Baldaquin has usually threatened to sweep by his opposition with a big late kick. But in today’s featured trot, he raced in the pocket behind SVF Blushingbride before picking off that leader by 1-1/2 in 1:55.1 for trainer Louise Pepin and owner Steven Bryden. The change in tactics was just one of several bits of top-notch driving by Marcus Miller, who won four races at Pocono on Tuesday and 11 in total during the four-day racing week at Pocono.

Pocono’s next live card will take place Saturday (July 31) at 12:30 p.m., and there will be a mandatory distribution of the Rainbow Pick-5 pool. The next night (Sunday, Aug. 1), a non-unique pentafecta wagered will be offered in the last race; also, any Pick-3, Pick-4, Pick-5 or pentafecta offered at Pocono will have a 100 percent carryover to the next offering of the bet. Program pages for these cards will be available through the PHHA website.