Freehold, NJ — John Calabrese sat back in fourth position until after the half and then moved Dark Pool off the pylons and rallied the veteran trotter to a 1:59.3 triumph in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club trot Saturday (April 9) at Freehold Raceway.

Sent off as second choice in the eight horse field, Dark Pool paid $6.60 for the win.

John Calabrese and Dark Pool combined for a 1:59.3 triumph. Vicki Wright photo.

When the starter turned the field loose Tony Beltrami sent Latoka to the front and they had two lengths on My Big Kadillac (Mike Polansky) when they passed the first stanza in :29. The two then raced one-two past the half in :59.1 and by the three-quarters in 1:29.

But as they were approaching that marker, Calabrese had Dark Pool in high gear and they rushed up to join the leaders. However, when they headed for paydirt Dark Pool was the strongest horse and he overtook his competitors and rallied to a solid one length triumph. My Big Kadillac finished second while Latoka faded and finished third.

It was the fifth seasonal driving victory in just 17 seasonal starts for Calabrese.

Dark Pool, a 9-year-old Cantab Hall gelding, is owned by Barry Franklin and trained by Paul Fusco. He paid $6.60 for the win.