by PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — If you ever look up the term “horses for courses” in the dictionary, it’s 1-20 odds that you find a picture of Luck Be Withyou racing at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono as the illustration. The 6-year-old son of Western Ideal was 1-20 in Saturday’s (May 27) $20,000 pacing feature, and he yet again justified the fans’ faith by going wire-to-wire in 1:49.3, equaling his season’s mark taken last week.

Curtis Salonick photo

Luck Be Withyou wins the featured event at Pocono Downs on Saturday evening.

In fact, Luck Be Withyou has recorded his seasonal best here in each of his five years of racing. He has won 15 of 22 times racing at the mountain oval and his lifetime bankroll over the brick-red surface went over $700,000 with Saturday’s victory, boosted substantially by wins in the Breeders Crown at age two and the Ben Franklin final at four.

Luck Be Withyou was sent straight to the top as usual by George Napolitano Jr., and after making the lead before the withering :25.4 opener, the horse had better luck with the fractions, posting middle splits of :54.2 and 1:21.4. A last quarter in :27.4 and patented Napolitano rocking were enough to keep the winner clear of an onrushing Anwar Hanover by a length as he triumphed once more for trainer Chris Oakes and owner John Craig.

In an $18,000 claiming handicap pacing co-feature, the Tell All gelding Tell Us More went wire-to-wire to win in 1:50.3, equaling his lifetime best and giving him 11 victories in the 2017 season, that total tying him at the top of all North American racehorses for the season with two others. Both of his co-leaders have a chance to reclaim some part of the lead tomorrow as Private Interview will look to extend his own winning streak to ten at Rideau Carleton, while Cousin Mary will attempt to make it nine straight. The latter, however, in a very difficult circumstance as she will start from post eight against Lady Shadow and the fastest females in the $150,000 Betsy Ross Pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The top trot on the Saturday card was a $16,500 contest taken by the 4-year-old mare Celebrity Eventsy, a starter in the Breeders Crown final against champion Broadway Donna last year, rallying to catch pacesetting Skates N Plates in 1:54.2. The daughter of Manofmanymissions is now two-for-four on the season for driver Christian Lind, trainer/father Staffan Lind, and owners Celebrity Farms.

Simon Allard had four sulky wins on the Saturday card, allowing him to regain second in the local drivers derby ahead of Matt Kakaley and moving his lifetime total to 2997 victories.