from harness publicists across North America

Friday’s (August 7) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Northfield Park, Batavia Downs, Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs.

Yagonnakissmeornot takes five-across finish in mares feature Friday night at Pocono

Wilkes-Barre PA — Yagonnakissmeornot, winless since May 13 and having raced only once since July 4, was still assigned the outside post eight in Friday’s (Aug. 7) $30,000 mares open handicap pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, and the daughter of The Panderosa bore out the local racing office’s judgment by rallying from fifth at midstretch to win in 1:50.1.

Driver Simon Allard got away fourth, just behind Ooh Bad Shark, who had hung a nose loss on Yagonnakissmeornot on Sun Stakes Saturday, as the brothers Napolitano argued over the early lead, with Anthony and Monkey On My Wheel ceding the lead to George and favored Inittowinafortune after a searing opener of 26.

Inittowinafortune continued on the front end, hitting the half in 53.3, and as she approached the 1:21.4 three-quarters, there was an interesting two seconds of harness chess. Allard had edged outside with Yagonnakissmeornot, but he did not dash right up, waiting to see what Ooh Bad Shark would do. Allan Davis did decide to vacate the 3-hole with the Ooh Bad Shark, giving the winner valuable cover on the far turn.

In the stretch Inittowinafortune tried to fight off two horses to each side: Monkey On My Wheel on her left in the Pocono Pike and Donttellruss deep in the Pike, along with Ooh Bad Shark to her immediate right and Yagonnakissmeornot widest. In the end Yagonnakissmeornot had the most pace to win by a half-length over Ooh Bad Shark, with Donttellruss another neck back, and Inittowinafortune nosing Money On My Wheel, both beaten by only 1-1/4 lengths for it all.

Yagonnakissmeornot, trained by Simon’s brother Rene (by far the top conditioner at Pocono), raised her bankroll to $258,026 in 2015 and $1,066,242 lifetime for owners Allard Racing Inc, Yves Sarrazin, and Kapildeo Singh.

FINISHING LINES — A reminder that the $2 million+ Super Stakes Saturday card is two weeks from tomorrow, on August 22. Being part of the Pocono Downs 50th Anniversary Week, the card laden with stakes-starring 3-year-olds will begin at 5:30 p.m., one hour earlier than the Pocono norm, with a giant fireworks show set for after the races.

— by PHHA/Pocono

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
Super Soph scored her first ever win in the Fillies and Mares Open at Saratoga Casino and Raceway on Friday (Aug. 7) night. The 5-year-old mare recorded victories against top flight local mares twice in her previous four starts and on Friday night, the Jackie Rousse trainee competed in the $18,000 feature. She wound up parlaying a cover trip to the upset victory. Frank Coppola Jr. piloted Super Soph to the 1:54 score as she pulled off the upset at odds of 18-1. Her Own Land (Billy Dobson), who was the winner’s cover in the feature for distaff pacers, finished second while Narcian Jewel (Bruce Aldrich Jr) earned the show spot in her local debut. Super Soph, whose win was her fifth of the season, was the first of two winners on the night for Rousse and Coppola who teamed up for a victory with pacing filly Bettorhaveanother (Bettor’s Delight). Live racing continues on Saturday night at Saratoga with a first post time of 7:05 p.m.

Northfield Park
Don Irvine Jr. won five races throughout Northfield Park’s 15-race program on Friday (August 7). Irvine’s triumphs were aboard Man He Can Skoot ($4.00) in the evening’s $13,000 featured event in race three, Jolting Kate ($10.80) in race five, Miss Fineline ($17.00) in race six, Hot Mandy ($20.40) in race 11 and RD Elegant Yankee ($14.00) in race 15. Irvine, 64, has been a fan favorite at Northfield for decades. He has 6,972 career wins and is approaching $35 million in total purse earnings. He currently sets 10th in Northfield’s local driving ranks with 60 wins so far this year.Throughout his long and successful career Irvine has competed in nearly 40,000 races and has six local dash titles to his credit. He was the leading driver over the Flying Turns in 1975, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1984. Don Irvine Jr.’s success gained him the honor of being a Northfield Park Wall of Fame inductee in 1991.

Batavia Downs
​It was business as usual Friday night (Aug. 7) for one of the best resident trotters to ever ply his trade at the historic Genesee County oval. Lutetium (Kevin Cummings) led from gate to wire for the second week in a row and captured the $9,500 featured Open trot at Batavia Downs. Leaving sharply from post six, the 8-year-old gelded son of Credit Winner went right to the front and set fractions of 28.2, 59.1 and 1:28.2 before closing out the deal in 1:57.3. Cummings rated the horse perfectly and had no problem holding off a late charge by post time favorite, BZ Glide (Mike Caprio). It was the sixth win in 20 starts this year for Lutetium ($5.50) and the proceeds raised his annual earnings to $43,331 for owner Colleen Girdlestone. The winner is trained by Mark Laidlaw. Batavia Downs leading driver, Kevin Cummings, and Dave McNeight III both scored driving triples on the night. Shawn Gray made his return to the sulky a winning one after taking the second race with Four Starz Trump ($3.20). Gray had been sidelined for just over three weeks after being involved in an accident at Buffalo Raceway on July 15. Racing resumes on Saturday night (Aug. 8) at Batavia Downs with post time set at 6:35 p.m.

Vernon Downs
After she was shuffled to last on the far turn, Asset Management ($7.00) mounted a three-wide rally off the far turn, mowing down all seven of her rivals in Friday (August 7) evening’s $7,000 upper-level conditioned distaff pace at Vernon Downs. The 7-year-old Western Hanover mare settled well off the pace early on, racing just worse than midfield as Anty Entity (Claude Huckabone, III) sprinted clear from the far outside to set a :27.2 first quarter before yielding to Aritzia Hanover (Truman Gale) on approach to the backstretch. As Aritzia Hanover backed the pace down through a :57 middle-half, Asset Management was locked in by outer flow headed by 2-1 favorite Express Jet (John MacDonald), ultimately shuffled to last on the far turn. Fern Paquet, Jr. angled Asset Management off the pegs just before Aritzia Hanover reached three-quarters in 1:24.2, mounting a strong rally off the far turn. She would continue to overtake all of her rivals in a :27 charge home, prevailing in 1:52.3 by a scant neck over Express Jet and Aritzia Hanover. Allie Berube trains Asset Management for J & M Racing. Truman Gale led all drivers on the evening with three wins, prevailing with his own trainees Royal Holiday ($4.60, 2:01.1) and Crazy Over You ($11.00, 1:59.1) in addition to Gary Bryant trainee Ninepointnine ($5.00, 1:57). Live racing returns to Vernon Downs with a nine-race card on Saturday (August 8) evening. First post is 6:45 p.m. Eastern time.

Tioga Downs
Jim Taggart, Jr. was the star of the Friday (August 7) evening card at Tioga Downs, prevailing in three of the evening’s seven races. After missing the board in both halves of the daily double, the 45-year-old driver took the third race, a $4,300 first-level distaff pace, with Ton of Luck ($6.50) sustaining a first-over bid on the backstretch en route to a 1:54.1 win for owner-trainer Shane Arsenault. Taggart was elevated to victory in the fifth race, a $7,500 claiming event for pacing mares, when he and Powerful Love ($3.50) were placed up from second after unofficial first-place finisher Cam Funny (Corey Braden) was disqualified for a pylon violation in upper stretch. Taggart competed his hat trick in the featured sixth event, a $7200 third-level conditioned pace for mares, with Smokin N Grinin ($5.00) edging clear of late threat Wishingonadragon (Braden) and pocket rival Maejusmac (Mike Simons) for a decisive 1:54.4 triumph. Scott Blackler owns and trains the 8-year-old Grinfromeartoear mare, who took her second consecutive win in the evening’s top event. Live racing returns to Tioga Downs on Saturday (August 8) evening, with the first of nine races scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Eastern time.