Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Ron Burke stable sent out the two winners of $17,000 divisions of the featured trot at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon (July 26) — Ordained and Seven Reps — while the pacing cut of the top class went to Jamaican Rock A.
Ordained, a Father Patrick gelding, took his field wire-to-wire in 1:52.4, coming home in :27.4 to defeat the first-over Mr Bluebird by a head with favored pocket sitter Whiskey Lou just a neck away from taking it all. Tyler Buter, the meet’s leading driver, teamed with the meet’s leading trainer to win with the winner of $327,381 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Beasty LLC and Frank Baldachino.
The Muscle Hill gelding Seven Reps took a new mark of 1:53, coming out of the pocket at 8-1 to down favored pacesetter The Fix Is In by a half length for driver George Napolitano Jr. and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., Lawrence Karr and J&T Silva – Purnel & Libby.
Napolitano and Burke led their respective colonies with three winners each on the afternoon.
On the pace, Jamaican Rock A is now two-for-two in the United States after whistling through a 1:48.3 mile, coming home in :54 to win by a neck over Iknowbetter for Napolitano, trainer Scott Blackler, and owner Chad Kowal.
The $16,500 fast-class handicap pace went won by 19-1 prospect Santana Hanover, a $369,605-winning Big Jim gelding who closed strongly from third-over to defeat Congressional by three-quarters of a length in 1:49.4 for driver Jack Pelling, trainer Joe Bongiorno, and owners JB Racing, J R Ryan, and Collin Ryan.
Racing continues at Pocono with a 6 p.m. card on Sunday (July 27), followed by 1 p.m. programs on Monday and Tuesday (July 28-29). Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.