Wilkes-Barre, PA — Tag Up And Go was in control throughout the $17,500 trotting feature on Sunday night (April 28) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning by himself in 1:56.4 on a sloppy track.

Tag Up And Go was in control throughout the $17,500 trotting feature on Sunday night. Curtis Salonick photo.

Marcus Miller left in controlling fashion with the Angus Hall gelding, set a very moderate pace even in the bad conditions, and still had plenty late to raise his earnings to $569,216. Rob Harmon conditions the veteran for Lester Gelardi Jr. and Anthony Passafaro.

There were a pair of $17,000 contests for developing horses on both gaits. In the pace, the Roll With Joe gelding Youcaniknow is two-for-two in 2019 after a hard two-move victory from post nine in 1:53.4, holding off Grantmeawish by a neck for driver Matt Kakaley, who had three winners on the night. This is a rare Åke Svanstedt-trained pacer, owned by Åke Svanstedt Inc.

In the sub-featured trot, the Lucky Chucky gelding Chuckabuck, who was claimed for $12,500 on April 5, handled the rise from that level quite easy on the Pocono red muck, going gate-to-wire in 1:56.3 for driver Matt Kakaley, trainer James Guagliardo, and owner William Sartin.

Driver Mark MacDonald got easy front-end victories with two sophomores making their seasonal bows for trainer/co-owner Ray Schnittker. The winning duo were Captain Malicious, a Captaintreacherous–Silky colt who won in 1:53.4-:27.3 for Schnittker and partners Dr. John Egloff, John Frisch, and Max J. Hempt and Hickfromfrenchlick, the So Surreal–My Girl’s A Star colt whose named was influenced by basketball star Larry Bird, who won in 1:53.3–:27.3 for the trainer and partners Nolamaura Racing LLC and Thomas Spatorico. Both 3-year-olds were stakes winners at two and their 2019 bows point towards another good campaign ahead of them.

Finally, the “Fast Comeback of the Night” award goes to driver Eric Carlson, who was dumped to the track in a mix-up in race 13, then came right back in the race 14 finale to guide Derecho to a wire-to-wire victory and paid $46.00 to win.