Wilkes-Barre, PA — The Onlyest One, a Bettor’s Delight gelding racing for the first time for the meet’s leading trainer Rene Allard after a claim, overcame the first-over journey to post a 1:52.3 victory in the $18,000 claiming handicap pacing feature Saturday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Now a 13-time winner in 2018 with earnings of $101,450 this year and $347,240 lifetime, The Onlyest One withstood Roll Away Joe by a length with driver Simon Allard in the sulky.

Music Is Art may not have been the straightest pacer in the stretch drive of the $17,500 co-featured pace, but he was the fastest under the guidance of Anthony Napolitano to reach the wire first in 1:51.2. The son of Art Major was positioned second-over, swung wide entering the stretch – and kept going wider the closer he got to the line, winding up in the 4 path at the wire but with a half-length lead over pacesetting, I’m A Big Deal, a sophomore last seen in his Breeders Crown Final. Music Is Art, trained by Mark Ford for owner Rick Berks, pushed his earnings to $91,863 this season and $196,790 lifetime.

Ford, the Allard brothers, and George Napolitano Jr. each had a triple Saturday.

Two horses were honored Saturday in the Hanover Shoe Farms winners’ circle at Pocono for seasonal accomplishments at the mountain oval. First to be spotlighted was another success story for the brothers Allard, Mare of the Year Eclipse Me N, who won half of her twelve 2018 starts at Pocono at the highest level of the conditioned ranks. For the year overall, Eclipse Me N, who raced in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at Yonkers in the winter, has nine wins and $93,210; she took her mark of 1:50.1 on May 15 at Pocono for her connections, who imported her from New Zealand in May 2017.

Ideal Kiss was the Claimer of the Year at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Curtis Salonick Photo.

While the American Ideal gelding Ideal Kiss raced honorably at Pocono from May to November, his selection as Claimer of the Year was hugely based on his stint under the tutelage of Hunter Oakes, after Northfork Racing Stable claimed him for $30,000 on August 11. For Northfork/Oakes and driver George Napolitano Jr., still guiding the horse’s fortunes, Ideal Kiss paced to a scorecard of 9-5-1-1 for earnings of $59,020 and a lifetime mark of 1:49.3 earned on September 1. Ideal Kiss has raced this year to a total of 10 wins and $118,030 in earnings; his lifetime accumulation is $202,730.

Tomorrow night Pocono Pacer of the Year Dorsoduro Hanover will be feted; on closing night next Saturday, Trotter of the Year Homicide Hunter will be honored — quite a pair closing out the season at The Downs.