Wilkes-Barre, PA — Ridge Warren was in the right place at the right time Tuesday afternoon (June 9) at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania – and thus he got to drive Dame Good Time, who equaled the world record for older trotting geldings on a five-eighths-mile track with a 1:50.2 victory in the card’s $27,500 fast-class handicap trot.
Originally, Dame Good Time’s trainer, Nick DeVita, had named Pocono’s leading driver, Tyler Buter, to handle the Chapter Seven gelding as Buter had qualified him twice at Pocono, but Buter went with millionaire Ari Ferrari J. Then, at scratch time, Andy Miller was named, as he had driven the gelding to two recent top-drawer victories at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but Miller’s stable had seven 2-year-olds in to go during a marathon morning qualifying session at Philly (of which they won four), knocking his timetable askew.
So, Warren got the drive behind the extremely sharp trotter, and, from post 5, he settled him third as Ari Ferrari J set fractions of :26.4 and :55. Warren right-lined the trotter in the backstretch and the horse responded with a :27 third panel to clear to the lead just after a 1:22.2 three-quarters, then had no trouble maintaining a safe margin home for owner John Cummins.
The 1:50.2 clocking matched the world standard first set by Hillexotic at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 2023 and then equaled at Eldorado Scioto Downs twice last year, first by Prince Of Honor and then by Oh Love Magic. The 1:50.2 also lowered the local divisional, standard set by Sevruga in 2013, by a fifth of a second.
Co-featured were two $15,500 trots for developing horses, the quicker going to the Walner gelding Night Phantom in 1:53.2, a new mark. Night Phantom had last won Aug. 24, 2024, when he was 2, but was a good second to the sharp Duicinea Hanover in his first start for trainer Anthony Faulkner and owner Jaypaul Hanover, and after driver Matt Kakaley made an early move to the front with the “Phantom,” the issue was never in doubt.
The other sub-feature section also was won by driver Kakaley, as the Greenshoe mare Saints Preserve Us set a new mark of 1:55 while returning the longest price of the day, $16.40. Kalaley combined skill with luck behind the Tom Fanning-trained and Joseph Smith-owned trotter, saving ground then getting an opening when the pocket horse broke late on the far turn, giving them room to use the famous Pocono Pike. The “short route” was enough for Saints Preserve Us to hang a nose decision on the fast-closing favorite Dame On, a full brother to Dame Good Time.
The $15,000 event for claiming handicap horses was won by the Walner gelding Abruzzo, powerful in a 1:51.4 victory for driver Simon Allard and trainer/owner Mark Akins that both gave him a new speed badge and briefly tied him as fastest trotter of the year at Pocono with Southwind Arturo and Endurance. Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there: first Abruzzo was claimed for $25,000 and goes to a new home, and then 37 minutes later Dame Good Time’s race went under the wire.
Matt Kakaley drove three winners on Tuesday; Braxten Boyd and Ridge Warren had two. No trainer tallied more than once.
After 14 baby races on Wednesday (June 10) at Pocono, the pari-mutuel schedule resumes on Saturday (June 13) at 1 p.m., with the $20,000 featured pace topped by Another C Note, a three-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner and undefeated in seven starts this year. Also on the Saturday card is driver Brett Beckwith, still eighth in the Pocono win standings despite not competing here since his racing injury on April 12 – with the resilience of the young, he’s down to drive in nine of the 10 races.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.