Wilkes-Barre, PA — Trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt had heavy favorites in both $15,000 trotting features on the Tuesday (Nov. 12) card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. One was coming off a victory against non-winners of two races while the other won his Breeders Crown elimination two starts back.
The 3-year-old Father Patrick gelding Ordained left hard and put Crown elim winner Daiquiri Hanover in behind early, then set fractions of :28.1, :57.2, and 1:25.4. Svanstedt wheeled Daiquiri Hanover outside to challenge at the top of the stretch and his colt made up ground, but Ordained had a :27.4 kicker in him under Tyler Buter’s handling to withstand the heavy chalk by a neck in 1:53.3 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Beasty LLC and Frank Baldachino.
Ordained and Daiquiri Hanover finished 14 lengths ahead of the third-place horse – a margin that was actually less than the winning advantage enjoyed by the other Svanstedt trainee, the filly Prominence, who, like her stablemate, is by Father Patrick. Prominence went to the front at the quarter and opened daylight at will in the final stages, enjoying a 16-1/4-length lead at the end of her 1:55 mile, lowering her mark for Pinske Stables, Melvin Hartman and Little E LLC.
A $15,000 contest was also carded for pacing distaffs, and it was taken by the 3-year-old American Ideal pacing filly Empty Nest in 1:54.4 for driver Anthony Napolitano, trainer Joe Pavia Jr., and Thomson Sisters Racing Stable. Empty Nest backed out behind cover on the backstretch before tipping wide and closing most strongly of all to take the decision.
Matt Kakaley visited Victory Lane six times in all on the afternoon. The defending two-time Pocono driving champion now has a nine-win cushion at the top with four days of racing left at the mountain oval in 2024.
The last full week of racing at Pocono for this campaign will be held on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m., and will be followed up by another 1 p.m. card on closing day, Saturday, Nov. 23. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.