Wilkes-Barre, PA — Three $15,300 races for high-level developing youngsters headed the Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 17) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono: two on the trot and one on the pace.

Gangster Hanover hurried home in a :54.4 back half to win at Pocono on Tuesday. Curtis Salonick photo.

Despite missing the board in all six of his seasonal starts, Gangster Hanover went off at 1-20 on a pronounced drop from stakes company, and he lived up to the billing, taking a new mark of 1:52.2 in his division of the featured trot. George Napolitano Jr. put the 4-year-old Father Patrick stallion on the lead after a :28 quarter, got to the half in :57.3, and then coaxed :27.2 speed from his horse in each of the last two quarters to win by 14-1/4 lengths. Trainer Åke Svanstedt co-owns the trotter with S R F Stable and Brittany Farms.

The other featured trot division has its own distinction, with the Muscle Hill gelding Foreverhillreign circling the field from last to earn a new speed badge of 1:55.2 for driver Tom Jackson and trainer Norman Morford. This was only the second victory of the year for Foreverhillreign, who paid $51.20 to win.

On the pace, Belmont Major N is now three-for-five in his North American career after tying his own mark of 1:49.3 under the guidance of Matt Kakaley, who had six winners on the card. The Art Major gelding sat off of a hard early pace and ground to a stretch advantage, then held safe over Tell Them Lou by three-quarters of a length for trainer Hunter Oaks and owner Thaddeus Wier.

Racing at Pocono resumes on Saturday (Aug. 21) with the biggest card of the year at the mountain oval, Sun Stakes Saturday, with over $2 million in purses. The favorites for the six major races on the card are trotters Atlanta, Flawless Country and Captain Corey; and pacers Grace Hill, Perfect Sting and Nicholas Beach. Post time is 12:40 p.m.; program pages for the superstar program will be available on the PHHA website.