Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Fiftydallarbill gelding Fiftyshadesofblu is now three-for-three for trainer Britney Dillon and Joseph Musser Trust, coming to Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania and overcoming the outside post 8 to win Tuesday’s (March 31) $15,500 featured trot.
Tyler Buter, the winningest driver at Pocono last year and at the current meet, gradually worked forward with the Hoosier shipper to make the lead near the :28 quarter then eased back to rate a :58 half. The trotter accelerated with a backstretch tailwind to hit the three-quarters in 1:26.2, and he named his own margin to the wire, eventually finishing 5-1/2 lengths to the good while lowering his mark to 1:55.3.
Plenty of hopefuls for the upcoming Weiss Series for developing 3-year-olds raced on the Tuesday card after having been declared in for the series’ first preliminary round: on Saturday (April 4) for pacing colts, and on Monday (April 6) for their trotting counterparts. The two victorious pacers were Barrow, a Captaintreacherous gelding who is three-for-three this year for driver Bradley Chisholm and trainer Brett Pelling after winning in 1:52.1, and the Huntsville gelding Casper The Ghost, starting off his season by taking a new mark of 1:53.1 for Buter and trainer Ray Schnittker.
On the trotting side, the International Moni gelding Dilly Hanover stepped his back half in :56.3 to make a successful career bow in 1:56.3 for driven Braxten Boyd and trainer Emily Bost, while the Captain Corey gelding Captain Micah broke his maiden with a 1:58.3 tally for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Travis Alexander.
All of the day’s top horsepeople were represented in these quality races: Boyd and Buter had driving triples, Kakaley a driving double, and Schnittker a pair of training victories.
As noted, the Weiss Series begins during the track’s next card, on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the pacing colts joined by fast-class pacers going for $27,500; the trotting colts will headline Monday, and both gaits of fillies will be featured on the Tuesday (April 7) program. Each of the four groupings has three $17,500 preliminary rounds, with the top performers squaring off in four $50,000 championships starting on Saturday, April 25.
Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.